Kyle Field capacity: The 5 biggest crowds in Texas A&M football history

I am proud to be able to count myself in the number that were in the confines of Kyle on this day. Though I was there, I can’t say that I was expecting this result, though I’d wager that most were on the same page as I was coming into the day.

Texas A&M football was on a two-game skid, losing a slog of a game to Arkansas (their first loss to the Hogs since joining the SEC) before dropping a very disappointing contest to Mississippi State at home. The offense looked horrendous under Calzada; he just did not look ready to take the reins from the now-injured Haynes King. Against Mississippi State, he was pretty bad, but against Arkansas, he had been downright horrendous.

I didn’t expect much more than that against the Tide, especially, but Calzada captured some magic that night. Completing a nigh-unbelievable percentage in the opening half, finding open receiver after open receiver, he looked like a man possessed. This, along with a timely interception by Demani Richardson in the end zone, gave the Aggies a 24-10 lead going into halftime.

They had to ride out a difficult second half offensively. To my chagrin, it looked as though Bryce Young had figured them out, too. A blocked punt back in the north end zone looked like it would turn the tide, but the very next play saw Devon Achane return the kickoff for one of the most memorable touchdowns in the history of the stadium.

Things never quite returned to the blazing offensive pace of the first half, but the Ags did just enough. When Bama took a 38-31 lead, Calzada mustered his best stuff for a heroic drive to tie the game back up, dropping a perfect pass in the bucket on a corner route to Ainias Smith. In the tumult of the ensuing jubilation, fans missed at first that Calzada had gotten rolled up after delivering the throw, and he had to be helped to the tent.

Things were tense, but the defense played their best hand as well. The Tide went three-and-out on their next series, and anxious eyes scanned the Aggie sideline to see who would be coming out behind center. When we saw #10 come up beside Jimbo for a play call, there were cheers and loud chants of “Cal-za-da! Cal-za-da!” raining down in a fashion that would have seemed unbelievable to any Aggie only a week prior.

The rest is history, of course. Calzada, Wydermyer, Preston, Spiller, and Smith led the march down the field in the waning seconds, setting up Seth Small for the kick of a lifetime. It bent back through the uprights, and all 106,000 spilled onto the grass of Kyle for the first time since the Aggies joined the conference.

I’ve previously described this as a perfect night of Texas A&M football. I still think that’s appropriate. The number of people present even speaks to the tenacity of Aggie fans, of course, given the circumstances of the season at that point. A memorable night for all involved.