2023 TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL GAME DAY & TAILGATING GUIDE

Football isn’t just a game in Texas: At Texas A&M, football is a way of life. The smell of the turf, the burst of maroon, the woof of the mascot. Hopdoddy loves being in College Station specifically for the Aggies' passion for competition.

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We also know it can be, well, intimidating to newcomers, so we’re here to keep you whelmed and break down what you can expect and what you can do to experience game weekends in College Station. Whether you’re starting your first year at A&M, visiting for a weekend, or want to get more involved in game days, you’ll open your heart to good ol’ Texas A&M Aggies football in no time.

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2023

The 2023 season is right around the corner, so there’s no time to lose. The Texas A&M schedule for this season’s home games is:

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• Sep. 2: New Mexico
• Sep. 16: ULM
• Sep. 23: Auburn
• Sep. 30: Arkansas
• Oct. 7: Alabama
• Oct. 28: South Carolina
• Nov. 11: Mississippi State
• Nov. 18: ACU

HOW TO GET TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL TICKETS

If you want tickets, you can head to TAMU’s website. Along with single-game tickets, you can purchase a three-game Flex Pack (which allows you to go to two games against Auburn, South Carolina, or Mississippi State and one game against New Mexico, ULM, or ACU).

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If you’re truly committed, sign up for season tickets, which requires filling out a simple contact form to get in touch with a 12th Man Foundation representative. Aside from getting to see every Aggies game, season ticket holders get priority for basically everything, including first choice in the entire Texas A&M stadium seating chart.

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TEXAS A&M TAILGATE: PRE-GAMING THE AGGIE WAY

Aggie football isn’t just game day; it’s the entire weekend (if not the whole week leading up to the game). And even then, you might not pack in all the activities, partying, and celebrations!

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Tailgating at Texas A&M is as much about practicality as it is pride. Whether you grab food at the stadium or make a sweet burger in the comfort of your home, you need the right fuel to keep you going all weekend. Fans show up at 7AM (if not earlier) on game day to start tailgating, and you’ll find plenty to do even before entering Kyle Field.

MIDNIGHT YELL

The festivities really start the night before a Texas A&M game. Thousands of eager Aggies pack the Texas A&M stadium for one of A&M’s biggest traditions: the Midnight Yell.

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The Yell gathers fans at Kyle Field to sing the Aggie War Hymn, listen to stories from yell leaders, and participate in chants and yells led by players, coaches, and students—all to light a fire under you.

TEXAS A&M PARKING

On game day, the competition starts with snagging the best tailgating spot ASAP. Die-hard fans show up at 7AM, so get up before the sun, and know where to park. Parking for Texas A&M football games is in constant flux. The best way to get up-to-date information is through TAMU’s Destination Aggieland app.

RV-FRIENDLY TAILGATING

If you roll in with an RV, there are four parking lots specifically for you:

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• Olsen RV Lot ($100 per weekend, Friday and Saturday night)
• Penberthy Park ($100 per weekend, Friday and Saturday night)
• Lot 58 ($100 per weekend, Friday and Saturday night)
• Aggie RV Park ($180 per weekend, Friday-Sunday)

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All except Aggie RV Park have full electric, water, and sewage hookups for your convenience. Olsen RV Lot and Penberthy Park are the closest to Kyle Field, and Lot 58 is a little further away but has a free shuttle to and from the stadium (and is quieter, if you need that, no judgments!). Aggie RV Park is a dry lot and has the largest spaces for RVs.

AGGIE PARK (FORMERLY SPENCE PARK)

Your vehicle is dealt with, now it’s time for the pre-game activities. One of the most popular spots is Aggie Park in the middle of the campus. It’s a beautiful green space at the heart of TAMU’s campus, featuring an amphitheater, a lake, and food.

VICTORY STREET

Victory Street is on the northwest side of Kyle Field. Here you can grab a cold beer and amazing food while enjoying all forms of entertainment: live music, games, and football on their 12 TVs.

TEAM SPIRIT WALK

Two hours before kickoff, the players and coaching staff take the long walk from the War Hymn Statue down the street into the stadium. But this isn’t a somber funeral march. Imagine roaring fans, the hype of the crowd, and the thirst for (figurative) blood and (real) victory. If you’re close enough, you can high-five the roster and give them an extra bit of grit and gumption!

CORPS OF CADETS STEP-OFF

If the Team Spirit Walk wasn’t enough, how about an entire corps of college cadets? About an hour and a half before kickoff, the 2,500+ members of the Corps of Cadets march in formation from the Quad through the Fan Zone and into Kyle Field. Truly, like troops marching into battle.

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At the top of the organization, Reveille is the highest-ranking member of the Corps. Reveille also happens to be a dog and the Texas A&M mascot. Reveille X (the current incarnation of the mascot for Texas A&M) is a Rough Collie breed.

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Unfortunately, the Corps won’t be marching into Kyle Field after 2023. Their last march-in will be October 28 when the Aggies host South Carolina.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE GAME

Once you’re inside the stadium, the pigskin is most everyone’s main focus, but there are some little nuances to keep in mind. Texas A&M is steeped in tradition, so get ready to chant, sing, and otherwise root for the home team.

WEAR MAROON

Maroon and white are technically the Texas A&M colors, but you mostly want to focus on maroon. Whether you’re at Kyle Field or watching on TV, wearing maroon is non-negotiable. The colors of Texas A&M are so important that the collective Aggie fandom actually caused a national shortage of maroon t-shirts in 1998.

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Even more so, Maroon Out games like against LSU this November, are where nearly every person in attendance is expected to wear all maroon. You don’t need to paint your skin maroon (leave that to the true diehards), but stock up on some TAMU gear, and wear it with pride.

THE 12TH MAN STANDS THE ENTIRE GAME

You’ll see a lot about “the 12th man” on basically everything Aggies related. The 12th man tradition began in 1922. In a January game that year, the Texas A&M football roster was decimated with injuries to the point where only the 11 players on the field remained. The coach at the time, Dana X. Bible, remembered that a student, E. King Gill, who had quit the team to focus on basketball, was in the stands. The coach waved him down from the stands and told him to suit up, which he did using an injured player’s equipment.

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When he returned to the sideline, Gill stood at the ready for the rest of the game in case another player was injured. Miraculously, the Aggies clawed their way back into the game and won 22-14 in a historic upset. Because of Gill’s willingness to answer his team’s call, this is honored by Aggies to this day, who refuse to sit until the game is over — lest the team need a 12th man.

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Within reason and physical ability, expect to stand for an entire Texas A&M football game to support the team.

“TEXAS, OUR TEXAS” & FLYOVER

Texas is nothing if not an extremely proud state. Once the National Anthem ends, get ready to sing the state’s anthem “Texas, Our Texas” as the F-35As or F-16s perform their flyover of Kyle Field prior to kickoff.

YELL LEADERS

“Aggies don't cheer—they yell!” Other teams have cheerleaders, but Texas A&M has yell leaders. These upperclassmen dressed in all white are special members of the Corps of Cadets selected by the student body every year.

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Yell leaders are the ones who, well, yell. More specifically, they lead the yells, chants, songs, and other forms of vocal intimidation during games. Aggie yells are anything but generic. They come with hand and body motions approaching something closer to art—if that art involved giving opposing fans an anxiety-induced tummy ache.

AGGIE WAR HYMN

Texas A&M doesn’t officially have a fight song, but the Aggie War Hymn was still rated the number one college fight song in 1997 by USA Today. It dates back to World War I when an Aggie soldier named J.V. “Pinky” Wilson wrote the lyrics on the back of a letter home.

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Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!

Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!

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[First Verse]

All hail to dear old Texas A&M

Rally around Maroon and White

Good luck to dear old Texas Aggies

They are the boys who show the real old fight

That good old Aggie spirit thrills us

And makes us yell and yell and yell

So let’s fight for dear old Texas A&M

We’re going to beat you all to

Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem

Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem

Rough Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M!

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[Second Verse]

Good-bye to Texas University

So long to the orange and the white

Good luck to dear old Texas Aggies

They are the boys that show the real old fight

“The eyes of Texas are upon you . . .”

That is the song they sing so well

So good-bye to texas university

We’re going to beat you all to

Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem

Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem

Rough Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M!

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Today, it’s one of Texas A&M’s most important traditions and sees the entire stadium link arms and legs and sway side to side. It might seem silly, but it’s something you have to experience to understand. Memorize the lyrics or print them out if you need them.

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POST-GAME CELEBRATING WITH HOPDODDY

Win or lose, the activities and celebrations don’t end at the final whistle. Any number of bars, restaurants, or locations on campus will be full of Aggies celebrating after a game, enjoying burgers and beer. Hopdoddy is the perfect spot to celebrate a win or commiserate with a totally unfair loss (can you believe those refs?). Our College Station location is just across campus from Kyle Field and offers the classic selection of delicious burgers, crispy fries, and boozy drinks to keep your spirits high. You can relax, talk with friends and family about the game, and look forward to the next game.

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