
Game 1: UCLA at Texas A&M
Sep 01, 2016 | Football
Texas A&M opens the 2016 season and the 122nd year of Aggie football on Saturday when A&M hosts No. 16/24 UCLA inside Kyle Field. Kickoff is set for 2:39 p.m.
The game will be televised nationally by CBS (Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Allie LaForce) and will air regionally on the Texas A&M Sports Network (Dave South, Dave Elmendorf, Will Johnson). A Spanish broadcast of the game can also be heard regionally on the Texas A&M Spanish Network (Pedro Vela Almaguer, Noel Orellana).
Both Aggie radio feeds can be heard for free worldwide at 12thman.com/allaccess and inside the Texas A&M Athletics app. The TAMU Sports Network broadcast will be available on SiriusXM Channel 93.
This will mark the fifth meeting between the schools on the gridiron and the first since the 1998 Cotton Bowl in Dallas (a 29-23 UCLA win). All three previous meetings were held in Los Angeles (1940, 1951, 1955). The Bruins have won the last two meetings.
What to Watch For
- The game will mark the first time that Texas A&M has hosted a ranked non-conference opponent in a season-opener since 1989 when the Aggies opened the R.C. Slocum era with a 28-16 win over LSU at Kyle Field.
- The UCLA matchup will mark just the fourth time that Texas A&M has hosted a season-opener against a ranked non-conference opponent in program history. The previous matchups were against No. 19 Texas Tech in 1954, No. 6 LSU in 1987 and No. 7 LSU in 1989.
- Texas A&M has won 21 consecutive home games against non-conference foes.
- UCLA will be the first ranked non-conference opponent to visit Kyle Field since No. 17 Pittsburgh came to Aggieland in 2005 (L, 37-26).
- It will be the second-straight year that Texas A&M has faced a Pac-12 team in its season-opener, but the UCLA matchup will be just the fourth visit to Kyle Field by a Pac-12 school. Previously, the Aggies hosted Washington State in 1942, California in 1983 and Washington in 1987.
Marquee Matchups in Season Openers
Texas A&M and Wisconsin are the only schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision to open their 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons against Associated Press Top 25 opponents.
Texas A&M: at No. 9 South Carolina (W, 52-28 in 2014); vs. No. 15 Arizona State (W, 38-16 in 2015); No. 16 UCLA in 2016
Wisconsin: vs. No. 13 LSU (L, 24-28 in 2014); vs. Alabama (L, 17-35 in 2015); vs. No. 5 LSU in 2016
- The Aggies will be facing a ranked opponent in their season-opener for the third straight year, which hasn't happened since the late 1980s when Texas A&M opened against AP Top 25 foes from 1985-89.
- It will also be the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Kevin Sumlin that the Aggies have faced a ranked team in a season-opener.
Sumlin in Season Openers
- Aggie head coach Kevin Sumlin has been successful in season lid-lifters with a 7-1 record as a head coach at Houston (4-0) and Texas A&M (3-1).
- Since joining the Texas A&M staff as an assistant head coach/WR coach in 2001, Sumlin's various teams have compiled a 13-2 record in season openers at Texas A&M (2-0 in 2001-02, 3-1 in 2012-15), Oklahoma (5-1 in 2003-07) and Houston (4-0 in 2008-11).
A&M-UCLA Connections
- First-year Texas A&M offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Noel Mazzone served in the same capacity at UCLA from 2012-15.
- The Aggies' projected starter at right CB is junior transfer Priest Willis, who played his first two seasons at UCLA. He totaled 31 tackles while seeing action in 21 games for the Bruins from 2013-14.
Football Facts
- Junior DE Myles Garrett is the first SEC player (and Texas A&M player) to post double-digit QB sacks in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
- Junior DB Armani Watts' 83 unassisted tackles were more than any other Aggies' total tackles, which hadn't been done at Texas A&M since 1998 when Dat Nguyen's 102 solo stops were more Cornelius Anthony's total of 100 tackles.
- Projected QB starter Trevor Knight is the first upperclassman to start at Texas A&M under head coach Kevin Sumlin (with an asterisk). * -- Then junior Matt Joeckel started the 2013 season-opener because Johnny Manziel was suspended for the first half.).
- Knight, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, is the first graduate to start at QB for the Aggies since Ryan Tannehill started all 13 games in 2013.
- Sophomore WR/RS Christian Kirk led the SEC with a 14.3 yards per touch average in 2015.
- Kirk was also the only SEC player ranked among the conference's top 45 all-purpose yardage producers to have stats in all four statistical categories -- rush, receiving, punt returns and kickoff returns.
- Four transfers from FBS schools are set to make their maroon and white debuts against UCLA: QB Trevor Knight and RB Keith Ford (both from Oklahoma), CB Priest Willis (UCLA) and TE Kalvin Cline (Virginia Tech).
Random Facts
- Junior WR Ricky Seals-Jones and NFL 2,000-yard rusher Eric Dickerson (both from Sealy, Texas) are cousins ... Redshirt freshman C Erik McCoy and former A&M and NFL running back Jorvorskie Lane (both from Lufkin, Texas) are cousins.
- Senior WR Josh Reynolds and freshman DB Moses Reynolds are brothers ... Freshman OLs Austin and Riley Anderson are identical twins (most recent set of twins to play for the Aggies were Luke and Matt Joeckel).
- Junior DE Qualen Cunningham's father, Rick, was a 290-pound offensive lineman for the Aggies from 1988-89 and played eight seasons in the NFL. ... Freshman walkon LB Jordan Driver's father, Trent, lettered for the Aggies from 1994-97 and ranked third on the team with 82 tackles as a senior in 1997. ... Junior TE Tanner Schorp's father, Greg, was a two-time all-conference tight end for the Aggies in 1992 and 1993. ...
- Freshman walkon TE Luke Laufenberg's father, Babe Laufenberg, was a record-setting QB for Indiana under then-head coach Lee Corso and went on to a long career in the NFL. He currently serves as the color analyst for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network.
- Junior punter Shane Tripucka's grandfather was the legendary Notre Dame and Denver Broncos signalcaller, Frank Tripucka, who was the first pro QB to pass for 3,000 yards in a season. Shane's uncle, Kelly Tripucka, played 10 seasons in the NBA for the Detroit Piston and Utah Jazz and was a two-time All-Star.
- Senior OL Jermaine Eluemunor lists Denville, N.J. as his hometown, but he's originally for England and has been dubbed "London" by his teammates. Aggie head coach Kevin Sumlin says Eluemunor grew up playing cricket and is still relatively young in his football development.
Biggest Goons Ever...
Calling themselves the Maroon Goons since 2012, the projected starting lineup of tackles Jermaine Eluemenor and Avery Gennesey, guards Colton Prater and Connor Lanfear and center Erik McCoy weigh in at 1,555 pounds, or 311.0 pounds per goon.
Collectively, they are the heaviest starting five in school history, just edging out the 2011 group that tipped the scales at 310.6 pounds per player.
Here's the Beef
(Starters/Possible Starters by career starts)
Goon | HT | WT | Starts |
Jermaine Eluemunor, RT | 6-5 | 315 | 1 |
Connor Lanfear, RG | 6-6 | 315 | 0 |
Erik McCoy, C | 6-4 | 305 | 0 |
Colton Prater, LG | 6-4 | 295 | 0 |
Avery Gennesy, LT | 6-5 | 315 | 13 |
Year 2 Under Chief
The Texas A&M defense will be entering his second season under the direction of longtime SEC defensive coordinator John "Chief" Chavis after making huge strides from 2014 to 2015.
Comparing 2015 to 2014
Stat Category | 2015 (FBS RK) | 2014 (FBS RK) |
Total Defense | 380.0 (#51) | 450.8 (#104) |
Pass Defense | 166.3 (#4) | 234.8 (#83) |
Run Defense | 213.7 (#108) | 216.0 (#111) |
Scoring Defense | 22.0 (#28) | 28.1 (t#77) |
Tackles for loss | 111 (t#3) | 76 (t#60) |
3rd D % Against | 33.0% (#16) | 40% (#67) |
Eyeballs on the Aggies
The #UCLAvsTAMU game will be the 31st straight nationally-televised game for the Aggies, which is a program record.
- Texas A&M's last non-national game was the 2013 Vanderbilt game, which appeared on the regional SEC TV network.
- Since joining the SEC, 48 of 52 possible Texas A&M games have been nationally-televised. Of the four non-national games, two were regionally-televised and two were offered via pay-per-view.
- Prior to joining the SEC, the most national TV games in a season was nine in 2007 and the longest streak was three (many times).
4TH Quarters vs Power-5 Opponents in 2015
The Texas A&M defense consistently rose to the occasion in fourth quarters against Power 5 opponents in 2015.
- In 10 fourth quarters vs. Power 5 opponents in 2015, the Aggie defense allowed a total of 32 points and 631 total yards on 166 plays (3.8 per play). A&M allowed a total of 367 rushing yards on 118 carries (3.1 yards per carry) and just 269 passing yards on 28-of-44 attempts (6.1 yards per pass attempt).
Sumlin vs Top 25
Entering his ninth season as a head coach, fifth-year Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin has a career record of 12-12 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 (9-11 at A&M).
- Sumlin's five road wins and eight wins away from Kyle vs. AP Top 25 squads are already the most by any coach in school history.
- Sumlin has led the Aggies to nine top 25 wins in his first four seasons. The only four-year span with more AP Top 25 wins was 1984-87 when the Aggies won 10.
Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at TAMU)
Opponent, Year | AP rank | Result |
Florida, 2012 | No. 24 | L, 20-17 |
vs. Louisiana Tech, 2012 | No. 22 | W, 59-57 |
LSU, 2012 | No. 6 | L, 24-19 |
at Mississippi State, 2012 | No. 17 | W, 38-13 |
at Alabama, 2012 | No. 1 | W, 29-24 |
vs. *Oklahoma, 2013 | No. 11 | W, 41-13 |
Alabama, 2013 | No. 1 | L, 49-42 |
Auburn, 2013 | No. 24 | L, 45-41 |
at LSU, 2013 | No. 18 | L, 34-10 |
at Missouri, 2013 | No. 5 | L, 28-21 |
vs. Duke, 2013 | No. 22 | W, 52-48 |
at South Carolina, 2014 | No. 9 | W, 52-28 |
at Mississippi State, 2014 | No. 12 | L, 31-48 |
Ole Miss, 2014 | No. 3 (tie) | L, 20-35 |
at Alabama, 2014 | No. 7 | L, 0-59 |
at Auburn, 2014 | No. 3 | W, 41-38 |
vs. Arizona State, 2015 | No. 15 | W, 38-17 |
Mississippi State, 2015 | No. 21 | W, 30-17 |
Alabama, 2015 | No. 10 | L, 23-41 |
Ole Miss, 2015 | No. 24 | L, 3-23 |
Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at UH)
at East Carolina, 2008 | No. 23 | W, 41-24 |
Tulsa, 2008 | No. 25 | W, 70-30 |
at Oklahoma State, 2009 | No. 5 | W, 45-35 |
Southern Miss, 2011 | No. 24 | L, 49-28 |
Nightmare for QBs, OCs
Junior DE Myles Garrett is, arguably, the nation's most feared pass rusher.
- Garrett led the SEC with 12.5 QB sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. He also has 59 tackles, 10 QB hurries, a blocked punt and an interception on his 2015 resume.
- Garrett was a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award (college lineman of the year), the Hendricks Award (top DE), a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award (defensive POY) and was a quarter-finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
- Garrett was named the SEC DL of the Week twice in 2015 (MSU and ALA).
- Garrett tied a career-high with 3.5 sacks vs. NEV despite having his wisdom teeth removed less than a week previously.
- Nevada schemed for the challenge of facing Garrett by having its scout team defensive ends line up offsides in practice to simulate Garrett's quickness, according to the SEC Network TV crew.
- His older sister, Brea Garrett, was a NCAA Champion thrower for the A&M track and field team. His older brother, Sean Williams, has played for several NBA teams and currently plays basketball overseas.
- Among his measurables are: 40-yard dash: 4.46; broad jump: 9 feet, 5 inches; vertical jump: 38.5 inches; power clean: 372 pounds; deadlift: 528 pounds; incline bench press: 355 pounds; leg press: 1,100 pounds.
- Described as a "dino-geek," Garrett says of his post-football life: "I want to be a paleontologist, whether it's amateur or professional." (Sports Illustrated, July 27, 2015)
Racing to the QB
Senior DE Daeshon Hall emerged as one of the SEC's most disruptive defenders with 7.0 QB sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 2015.
- Hall and Myles Garrett combined to average 1.50 QB sacks per game, which was more than any other tandem in the SEC in 2015.
- Garrett said of the pair's friendly competition to get to the quarterback, "It's a race to get to the quarterback every time."
- Hall came to Texas A&M on his recruiting visit in 2013 as a 208-pound "basketball player," according to head coach Kevin Sumlin. He has bulked up to 270 pounds as a junior.
- Hall's nickname is "Dae Dae."
- Hall moved from Seattle, Wash., to Lancaster, Texas in high school. His high school coach Chris Gilbert got his first glimpse of Hall playing basketball. "He was just like hammering dunks," Gilbert said. "He was a little thin, but I could tell he was strong. He said, 'Coach, I love basketball but everybody tells me they think I can play on Sundays, and I think I can.' '' (Dallas Morning News, Sept. 12, 2014)
- Hall's four-sack effort vs. ASU in 2015 tied for second-most in a single game in school history, trailing only the five-sack performance by Alex Morris vs. Houston in 1987. Hall matched the sack total of three first-team All-Americans: Jacob Green, Ray Childress and John Roper.
Tackling Machine
Junior FS Armani Watts had a record-setting season in 2015 with six double-digit tackle games, including a 20-tackle effort vs. Ole Miss, and he ranked No. 2 in the SEC with 126 tackles (9.7 per game).
- With 126 tackles, Watts was the first Aggie to hit the century mark since LB Michael Hodges had 115 in 2010. Only a handful of Aggie DBs have reached 100 tackles in a season, most recently Jaxson Appel had 135 in 2003.
- Watts led the SEC with an amazing 83 solo tackles.
- His 20-tackle game vs. the Rebels was the second-most prolific tackle game by a DB in school history. Safety Larry Horton matched the overall school record with 24 tackles vs. Baylor in 1990 (originally set by LB Larry Kelm in 1985).
- Watts finished 2015 tied for 14th nationally with 126 tackles.
- A consensus 4-star recruit out of North Forney HS, Watts earned all-state honors at safety and was an all-district pick on offense and defense and as a return man.
2015 SEC Tackles Leaders
Rk | Player, Pos., School | Total | Avg. |
1. | Kentrell Brothers, LB, MIZZ | 152 | 12.7 |
2. | Armani Watts, DB, TAMU | 126 | 9.7 |
3. | Johnathan Ford, DB, AUB | 118 | 9.1 |
4. | Skai Moore, LB, SC | 111 | 9.3 |
5. | Richie Brown, LB, MSU | 109 | 8.4 |
2015 SEC Solo Tackles Leaders
Rk | Player, Pos., School | Total |
1. | Armani Watts, DB, TAMU | 83 |
2. | Kentrell Brothers, LB, MIZZ | 73 |
3. | Zach Cunningham, LB, VU | 69 |
Skai Moore, LB, SC | 69 | |
5. | Johnathan Ford, DB, AUB | 68 |
Record-Setting Reynolds
Senior WR Josh Reynolds led the SEC with a 17.8 per catch average among players with more than 35 catches in 2015. Reynolds finished his junior year with 907 yards and five touchdowns on 51 catches.
- Reynolds had four 100-yard games in 2015 -- 3 for 106 vs. Arkansas, 7 for 141 vs. Mississippi State, 3 for 105 vs. Vanderbilt and 11 for 177 vs. Louisville in the Music City Bowl.
- Reynolds scored on a 95-yard TD catch and run against Vanderbilt, which ranked as the second-longest pass play in school history.
- Reynolds' 13 receiving TDs in 2014 broke the school record of 12 originally set by Jeff Fuller in 2010 and matched by 2014 NFL first-round pick Mike Evans in 2013.
- Overlooked by FBS programs out of HS, Reynolds went to Tyler JC as a full qualifier and then transferred to A&M with three years of eligibility in 2014. The FB coaching staff was tipped off to Reynolds by TAMU T&F coach Pat Henry, who had recruited Reynolds as a high jumper.
- Reynolds' younger brother, Moses, is a true freshman defensive back for the Aggies.
TAMU Career Receiving TDs
Player, Years | TDs |
Jeff Fuller, 2008-11 | 34 |
Ryan Swope, 2009-12 | 24 |
Uzoma Nwachukwu, 2009-12 | 19 |
Bob Long, 1966-68 | 19 |
Josh Reynolds, 2014- | 18 |
Honey Badger Redux
Junior nickel back Donovan Wilson has drawn comparisons to former LSU playmaker Tyrann Mathieu or the "Honey Badger" because of his penchant for making big plays.
- Wilson ranked third in the SEC with five interceptions in 2015, which matched the entire Texas A&M team's output in 2014.
- Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis says of Wilson, "We need that catalyst and he's been that catalyst force. He's made big play after big play. (Former LSU All-American Tyrann Mathieu) had the 'it' factor. We're starting to see some of that with Donovan."
(Bryan-College Station Eagle, Oct. 7, 2015)
2015 Wilson (13 gms) vs. 2011 Mathieu (13 gms)
Player | TFL | QBS | INT | PBU | FR | FF |
Wilson | 8.5 | 2.0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Mathieu | 7.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
- Wilson fills the stat sheet like few other defenders. He ranked No. 4 on the team in tackles (63), had 8.5 TFL, 2.0 QBS, three FF, two FR and three PBUs, along with his five INTs last season.
- In regard to "turnover involvement," which tracks INTs, fumbles forced and fumble recovered, Wilson's 2015 season among some of the great names in Wrecking Crew history (stats incomplete prior to 1976).
TAMU Turnover Involvement
Player, Pos, Year | INT/FF/FR | Total |
Domingo Bryant, DB, 1985 | 4/4/5 | 13 |
Dat Nguyen, LB, 1996 | 3/6/3 | 12 |
Kevin Smith, CB, 1989 | 9/1/1 | 11 |
Donovan Wilson, DB, 2015 | 5/3/2 | 10 |
Several with nine |
- A late addition to the Aggies' 2014 signing class, Wilson led the Shreveport, La., area with 13 interceptions while earning All-City Defensive POY (Shreveport Times) and Louisiana Class 4A all-state honors.
Do-it-All Kirk
Sophomore WR/RS Christian Kirk burst onto the scene in 2015 as one of the most dangerous and versatile players in the nation. He was named SEC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year in 2015 and was a preseason All-SEC pick as a receiver, return specialist and all-purpose.
- Kirk led all SEC freshmen in touchdowns (8), receptions (6.2/G), receiving yards (77.6/G), punt return average (24.4), all-purpose yards (1,789).
- Kirk averaged 14.3 yards per touch, which was tops in the SEC.
- He set the freshman school record with 1,789 all-purpose yardage and was just off the overall school record of 1,806 set by Cyrus Gray in 2010.
- Kirk earned SEC weekly honors twice -- Freshman POW honors after the ASU win and Special Teams POW after ARK.
- His four 100-yard receiving games in 2015 were the most by any freshman in A&M history.
- Kirk was a game-breaker for the Aggies as a punt returner with two returns for touchdowns and an NCAA-best three returns of 50 yards or more (tie).
- A consensus 5-star recruit out of Saguaro HS in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kirk was an early enrollee at Texas A&M in January of 2015.
Tough Matchup
At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, junior WR Ricky Seals-Jones ranks as one of the toughest matchups for defensive backs in the nation.
- Seals-Jones has been consistently praised as one of the team's top blockers on the perimeter.
- Seals-Jones has been the team's third-leading receiver the past two seasons with 49 catches in 2014 and 45 in 2015.
- His receptions single-game high is 10 catches vs. Mississippi State in 2014, which ranks as one of five double-digit catch games by a freshman.
- RSJ played in two games as a true freshman in 2013 before suffering a season-ending injury. In his first career game, Seals-Jones reeled off a 71-yard TD catch and run against Rice that remains his career long.
- The early-season showdown of future Texas A&M signees Seals-Jones of Sealy HS and QB Kohl Stewart of St. Pius in 2012 was the first destination of the "Swag-copter" when head coach Kevin Sumlin used a helicopter to get from College Station to St. Pius' Parsley Field in Houston.
Graduate Transfer QB
Graduate transfer Trevor Knight is penciled in as the *first upperclassman QB starter of the Kevin Sumlin era at Texas A&M (* -- Junior Matt Joeckel started the 2013 season-opener vs. Rice in place of Johnny Manziel, who was suspended for the first half).
- Knight joined the Aggies in January as a graduate transfer after playing three seasons at the University of Oklahoma.
- Knight was named the QB starter after spring drills.
- At OU, Knight started 15 games, including two bowl games. He passed for more than 3,000 yards and had 25 career touchdowns in three seasons, while also rushing for more than 800 yards.
- Knight had four 300-yard passing games and two 100-yard rushing games at OU.
- His fraternal twin brother, Connor, is a senior fullback for the Sooners.
- Knight earned his bachelor's degree in finance at OU and is pursuing his master's degree in management at Texas A&M.
- Knight helped spearhead the Aggies' humanitarian trip to Haiti last summer, and had made previous trips to the impoverished nation while at OU.
Kevin Sumlin, Head Coach
Years at TAMU: 5th (hired Dec. 10, 2011)
Birthdate: Aug. 3, 1964
Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.
Wife: Charlene
Children: daughters Courtney and Shelby, sons Jackson and Joey
High School: Brebeuf Jesuit Prep, Indianapolis, Ind.
College: Purdue, 1988
- Kevin Sumlin enters his fifth season at Texas A&M in 2016. His 36 wins (36-16 record) after his first four seasons were the second-fastest coaching start in school history behind R.C. Slocum's 39 wins from 1989-92.
- Sumlin was just the second Texas A&M head coach to lead the Aggies to at least eight wins in his each of his first four years.
- Sumlin has led the Aggies to nine top 25 wins in his first four seasons. The only four-year span with more AP Top 25 wins was 1984-87 when the Aggies won 10.
- Sumlin was the first Texas A&M coach to win three straight bowl games (2012-14). His three bowl wins match the most by a Texas A&M head coach (Slocum had three from 1989-2002). He was the second head coach in program history to take his first four squads to a bowl game.
- During his tenure, Texas A&M players have earned 10 first-team All-America awards and won four national individual awards.
- Sumlin was the 2012 SEC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and the SEC Co-Coach of the Year by the league head coaches.
- Sumlin was a 2009, 2011 and 2012 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year finalist, and a AFCA Coach of the Year finalist in 2011.
- Sumlin was hired at Texas A&M on Dec. 10, 2011 after four highly successful seasons as head coach at the University of Houston.
- He compiled a 35-17 record at UH, and led the Cougars to three bowl games in his four seasons.
- He earned his degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Purdue University in 1988. Sumlin was a standout linebacker for the Boilermakers from 1983-86.
- Sumlin served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M from 2001-02. Was hired as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach, and he added offensive coordinator to his responsibilities early in the 2002 season after the offense struggled early in the season. With Sumlin calling the plays, the Aggie offense flourished, averaging 33.0 points and 419 yards per game for the remainder of the season after posting just 16.0 points and 286 yards per game previously. A highlight of the season included a 30-26 win over top-ranked Oklahoma with the Aggies gaining 404 total yards to key the victory.
- Other assistant coaching stops for Sumlin include: Oklahoma (2003-07), Purdue (1998-2000), Minnesota (1993-97) and Wyoming (1991-92). He got his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Washington State from 1989-90.
- Sumlin is a native of Indianapolis, Ind., and attended high school at Brebeuf Jesuit Prep. He was born Aug. 3, 1964, in Brewton, Ala.
Kyle Field
- Home of the Aggies since 1905. Stadium built in 1927 and the horseshoe enclosed in 1929.
- Capacity.: 102,577
- Stadium record crowd is 110,633 (A&M vs. Ole Miss, 10/11/2014).
- Kyle Field is named for former A&M Dean of Agriculture Edwin Jackson Kyle, who donated a 400 x 400-foot area of the southern edge of campus that had been assigned to him for horticultural experiments. It became the home of the Aggies.
- Texas A&M just finished a $485 million redevelopment of Kyle Field that makes the Home of the 12th Man the largest football stadium in the SEC and the state of Texas.
- Texas A&M has led the SEC in home attendance the past two seasons, with an average of 105,122 in 2014 and 103,622 in 2015.