Texas A&M is bringing back one of its most recognizable game-day looks, and Kyle Field is set to wear it well against Arizona State on Saturday.
The school released a first look at the stadium setup for the Red, White and Blue Game, with one end zone painted red and the other blue, tied together by white in between. The result is a full-field display built to stand out even before the first snap.
The matchup in Bryan-College Station on Sept. 12 will also carry the weight of the occasion the tradition was built to honor. The stands will be dressed in red, white and blue in solidarity with those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to honor America's 250th birthday.
The Red, White and Blue game started as a fundraiser in the wake of the 2001 attacks. A group of Aggie students created "Standing for America" T-shirts and sold them to raise money for those affected by 9/11. The effort took off quickly, and the students turned the stadium into a red, white and blue tribute while raising over $180,000 for New York police and fire departments.
Texas A&M brought the tradition back in the 2021 season opener against Kent State for the 20th anniversary of the attacks. Now it returns again for the 25th anniversary, with Kyle Field set for a patriotic scene when the Aggies face the Sun Devils in an SEC vs. Big 12 matchup.
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Mike Elko did not need much prompting to weigh in on LSUs recent run-in with the SEC, and the Texas A&M coach used a pointed analogy to describe what happened around Baton Rouge. Speaking after LSUs dispute with the league over its attempt to roster former NFL players, Elko compared the episode to a child pushing limits before the consequences arrive, a sharp way to frame a controversy that briefly had the Tigers staring at possible expulsion.
The SEC ultimately backed off after LSU filled those roster spots with eligible student-athletes and severed ties with the former NFL rookies, defusing a situation that had threatened to become much bigger. Elko said he expects things to settle down and LSU to remain in the league, but his remarks added another layer to a strange little saga that already had the SEC office and one of Texas A&Ms biggest rivals in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Elko Just Turned Up Texas A&Ms LSU Tension Again
Mike Elko has a way of making the SECs biggest rivalries sound a little more personal, and his latest remarks only added to the edge around Texas A&Ms meeting with LSU. The Aggies coach drew a comparison between the conferences disciplinary response and a parent correcting a child, a blunt way of saying LSU is being kept in check as the league weighs the fallout from the Tigers offseason activity.
For Texas A&M, it is the kind of comment that keeps an old SEC tension simmering in public view rather than letting it fade into the background. With future games between the Aggies and LSU looming, Elkos framing only sharpens the sense that this is about more than one isolated conference issue, because the rivalry already has enough history without needing any extra fuel. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Is Bringing Back One Of Kyle Fields Most Meaningful Traditions
Texas A&M will add a familiar layer of meaning to its upcoming Red, White and Blue Game against Arizona State at Kyle Field, using the matchup to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The Aggies are planning to wear special red, white and blue helmets and gloves, reviving a tradition that stretches back to the years immediately after 2001 and has long tied the programs on-field presence to a larger moment of remembrance.
The game has also carried a charitable side in the past, with previous Red, White and Blue Games helping raise funds for organizations connected to 9/11 relief efforts. For a fan base that values the symbolism attached to Kyle Field traditions, this one will once again be about more than just the opponent across the field. [Read more 🡒]