The University of Texas and A&M rivalry, known as the Lone Star Showdown, is one of the most historic games in college football, beginning in 1894 when the Longhorns beat the Aggies 38-0. In November 2011, the Aggies left the Big 12 Conference to join the Southeastern Conference or SEC. Texas leads this annual rivalry 76-37-5. This year, the teams met for the first time in 13 years and played on Saturday, Nov. 30.

“It was the rekindling of a historic rivalry among two interstate college powerhouses,” said David Courtney, a writer for Texas Monthly and The Texanist.

Courtney said the game was crazy significant and the Longhorn victory meant sadness for the Aggies and a return to the rivalry that they probably didn’t want to return to. And the opposite for UT students.

“UT has dominated that rivalry, so the Aggies were probably dreading that outcome,” Courtney said.

With just over 100,000 fans in attendance, the Texas Longhorns took the victory this year winning 17-7. Senior Miles Chilton is an A&M fan but said the Longhorn win was not a surprise. 

“It was a good game all the way through, but UT was the better team this year,” Chilton said. “What was expected to happen happened, but the whole game was an emotional rollercoaster.”

Chilton and Courtney believe the game was so important because it brought back such a long and great rivalry.

“I can remember a time when whether you were an Aggie or not or a Longhorn or not, someone in your family was, or someone you knew,” Courtney said. “Really the whole state was kind of divided, and it was awesome.” 

Clark Linton graduated from A&M in 1992 and now has two daughters attending school there, in their freshman and senior years. 

“It’s the biggest rivalry for both schools,” Linton said, “Texas will say Oklahoma is their biggest, but deep down they know it’s A&M.” 

Linton attended the game this year, in College Station.

“It was the biggest game of the year, everybody was excited,” Linton said.
“There were a lot of orange fans. They were taking it all in because they hadn’t been to a game in College Station in 13 years.”

The Aggies liked not having to worry about UT for all these years Linton said, but now that the rivalry is back they will embrace it.

“Texas fans got to see what A&M is about, and next year A&M will get to see what Texas in Austin is about,” Linton said.

Linton enjoyed seeing his friends and family at the game, and having two daughters at A&M was a cool experience for him.

“It was neat that they got to experience the game for the first time,” Linton said.

On the player side of things, senior A&M wide receiver Sam Salz said their practices leading up had more emphasis on the game, with it being their chance to clinch the SEC championship spot. Salz wasn’t with the team all that long before the game but walked out with them.

“It was electric being with my guys as we were walking into the stadium together,” Salz said. 

The Aggie bonfire was a huge tradition for the Aggies before the big game up until 1999. It was an annual tradition as part of the rivalry with UT. A&M students would build the fire each fall, and grew in size throughout the years, it set the world record in 1969, being 109 feet and 10 inches tall. The tradition ended after 12 students died when the bonfire collapsed during construction in 1999.

“Everybody would get amped up for the game and build the bonfire,” Linton said. “Then they’d light the bonfire before the game because it showed the burning desire to beat Texas.”

The first bonfire was lit in 1907, and A&M students would spend a month constructing it. The fire could be seen for miles and attracted 30,000 to 70,000 people yearly.

“It wasn’t just about the fire, it was about everybody coming together for a common cause and it reflected the spirit of Aggie land,” Linton said.

The Texas-OU rivalry is another big rivalry for the Longhorns, which competes with the A&M rivalry.

“OU and Texas is a great rivalry since it’s played on a neutral field in Dallas,” Courtney said. “It’s during the state fair so that’s awesome.”

The unique thing about the Texas and A&M rivalry is that both universities are from Texas, and the teams take turns playing on each other’s fields.

“This one is an interstate rivalry so it’s like a blood feud among family members,” Courtney said.

The UT and A&M rivalry and game is a larger deal for the students of the schools and the school’s alumni and supportive families.

“It’s hard to explain, from the outside looking in, you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it,” Linton said. “It’s a lot of pride.”

The two teams will play again annually, bringing the rivalry game back after 13 years.