Opportunity awaits Texas A&M Football. Two Weeks, Two SEC Matchups, Two Night Games. Time to get it done at Kyle Field.
I’m going to say something that not a lot of y’all want to hear. But it’s something that we all need to come to terms with and discuss because this harsh reality could rear its ugly head over the few days. The fact is this…
Texas A&M cannot win big games at Kyle Field
Now, that stated, let’s acknowledge a few things first. There are fewer places in the country that are finer on gameday than Kyle Field in College Station, TX. That opinion has been raised time and time again from Ole Miss QB Shea Patterson to Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. Last year, one Tennessee fan described their trip to College Station as “the best road experience I have had.”
Beyond that, the numbers do not lie. Texas A&M does have a winning record a home over the past 6 season. The Aggies are a combined 27-14 at Kyle Field since 2010 going 4-3, 4-2, 6-2, 3-3, 5-2, 5-2 respectively which includes two Top 20 wins from just last season (No. 16 UCLA and No. 9 Tennessee).
So…why on earth would I say Texas A&M can’t win the big games at Kyle Field?
Let’s first break that 27-12 record down by conference wins/losses vs. non-conference wins/losses:
- 2011 Season: 4 Wins (2 Conference/2 Non) vs. 3 Losses (3 Conference)
- 2012 Season: 4 Wins (2 Conference/2 Non) vs. 2 Losses (2 Conference)
- 2013 Season: 6 Wins (2 Conference/4 Non) vs. 2 Losses (2 Conference)
- 2014 Season: 3 Wins (0 Conference/3 Non) vs. 3 Losses (3 Conference)
- 2015 Season: 5 Wins (2 Conference/3 Non) vs. 2 Losses (2 Conference)
- 2016 Season: 5 Wins (1 Conference/4 Non) vs. 2 Losses (2 Conference)
In summary, out of the 27 wins at Kyle Field since 2010, 18 of them were in non-conference play. Those wins came against teams such as Idaho, Lamar and Ball St for example with the one exception being No. 16 UCLA in the 2016 season. Texas A&M has nine conference wins to 14 losses in the same time frame.
Let’s break that down even further and look at the matchups vs. ranked opponents since 2010:
- 2011 Season: 3 Games – 1 Win (No. 20 Baylor) vs. 2 Losses (No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 25 Texas)
- 2012 Season: 2 Games – 0 Wins vs. 2 Losses (No. 24 Florida, No. 6 LSU)
- 2013 Season: 2 Games – 0 Wins vs. 2 Losses (No. 1 Alabama, No. 24 Auburn)
- 2014 Season: 1 Game – 0 Wins vs. 1 Loss (No. 3 Ole Miss)
- 2015 Season: 3 Games – 1 Win (No. 24 Mississippi St) vs. 2 Losses (No. 10 Alabama, No. 24 Ole Miss)
- 2016 Season: 3 Games – 2 Wins (No. 16 UCLA, No. 9 Tennessee) vs 1 Loss (No. 25 LSU)
In summary, only 4 of the 27 wins at Kyle Field in the past 6 years were against ranked opponents. Additionally, Texas A&M has a combined record of 4-10 versus ranked opponents since 2010.
Kyle Field did recently undergo major renovations that have expanded it’s seating capacity to be not just the largest stadium in the SEC but the 4th largest stadium in the United States. In 2016, Texas A&M averaged over 100,00 fans per game and led the SEC in average attendance.
- Ole Miss (10/11/14): 110,633 (LOSS)
- Tennessee (10/08/16): 106,248 (WIN)
- LSU (10/27/14): 105,829 (LOSS)
- Alabama (10/17/15): 105,744 (LOSS)
- Missouri (10/15/14): 104,756 (LOSS)
So where do we go from here?
You cannot ask for a better situation than the next two weeks for both Texas A&M Football and members of the 12th Man. Texas A&M faces South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 30 and No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 7. Both matchups will be night games at Kyle Field.
It’s time to really see how good this team is. The Aggies survived their matchup with Arkansas and have only gotten better since their epic collapse against UCLA to begin the year. Kellen Mond is slowly developing in a positive direction while Armani Watts and Christian Kirk are acting like the dynamic playmakers that they are. Now it is time to win when it matters most: SEC Games at Kyle Field.
Next: Game by game predictions for the 2017 Aggie football season
One last note, to the current students: you have no excuse to not be present. If you can talk on Sunday, you did it wrong.
#BTHOsc