Texas A&M Knows the Gravity of the Week Ahead of Lone Star Showdown

It’s officially Texas Longhorns hate week in College Station, and it has huge implications for the Texas A&M Aggies’ future.

“I think this game is always going to be big,” Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko said. ”It's always going to mean something. I think when both teams are playing at a high level, it's going to magnify it. That's what I felt like last year was. In addition to it coming back, you also had two teams playing for a spot in Atlanta. This year, you're going to have one team playing for a spot in the playoffs. One team is playing for a spot in Atlanta. I think when that's the case, this game is going to be magnified. I don't think there's any other way around it. So that just adds a little bit to it.”

Although any rivalry can captivate a state, the Lone Star Showdown will draw the eyes of the entire nation as the AP No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies take on the No. 16 Texas Longhorns.

Texas A&M Has the Right Mindset

Texas A&M Aggies running back Amari Daniels (5) runs the football during the first half against the Utah State Aggies at Kyle Field. | Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

With the Aggies poised to make a postseason run, it would usually be easy to overlook the last game of the season and potentially drop one due to a lack of focus. With a game of this magnitude and cultural importance, Texas A&M knows it will need to lock in.

”I think that’s the nice thing about having that rivalry at the end of the season,“ Elko said. ”I'm not sure that there's anything for Texas A&M football to look past another than that game Friday night. We know what that game means. We know what it's all about. We know we didn't get it done last year. We know how important it is for us to go out there and play our best football Friday night.“

It is not just coaches who love the rivalry week. The players get just as fired up. For the players, this game is about revenge.

”It’s exciting,” running back Amari Daniels said. “That's what we play the game for. We play the game for the trophies. [Mike] Elko said during this time of year, this is trophy season. So every time you line up, either you're going to win some or you're going to lose some. We're ready for the opportunity. Can't wait to go there next week.”

With Saturday’s game essentially being a playoff game as a matchup between two highly-ranked opponents, Daniels revealed that the Aggies are preparing for Texas just like any other team they have faced this season.

“Take it week by week, whoever the opponent is, you gotta worry about that now,” Daniels said. “You can't really worry about the future; think about what can happen. What if this happens, anything like that? You just got to focus on what's going on in the present day and prepare for the opponent you got next.“

Kickoff between the two arch rivals is set for Friday, Nov. 28 at 6:30 pm CT at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.