Thursday, October 25, 2007
According to the road map, the Jayhawks will travel about 700 miles to play Texas A&M this weekend. But there’s a much larger gap between Lawrence and College Station, Texas, in terms of college football lore.
So far this season, the Jayhawks have played in the presence of thousands of purple-clad fanatics at Kansas State and in the thin air of the Rocky Mountains at Colorado. Neither of these experiences is comparable to the atmosphere of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field.
“It’s one of the great college football venues in America,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “The A&M fans are known for their sportsmanship. I’ve competed against them several times over the years and they’re big into sportsmanship, but they cheer loud and they get the stadium swaying.”
Mangino didn’t misspeak. During the pregame singing of the “Aggie War Hymn,” Texas A&M’s fight song, Aggie supporters latch onto one another and sway side-to-side, causing the stadium to move, similar to Allen Fieldhouse during the KU Alma Mater.
The intimidating atmosphere has not suited the Jayhawks well in the past. Kansas has visited Kyle Field four times in its history and has never returned victorious. The team’s last trip to College Station, Nov. 1, 2003, started auspiciously but ended in an easy Texas A&M victory. Adam Barmann led the Jayhawks to a 14-14 tie at halftime but the Aggies ran away with the game in the second half, winning 45-33.
None of the current Jayhawks have played at Kyle Field, but they are well aware of the venue’s reputation for disrupting visiting teams.
“I’ve never actually seen a game there but from what you hear it’s a wild place,” junior defensive end Russell Brorsen said. “The fans are passionate and supposedly it’s a fun place to play.”
Sophomore safety Darrell Stuckey said he was not worried about the challenge of playing in a large-capacity venue because the opposing crowd tends to quiet down when the Kansas defense takes the field.
Kansas has fared well on the road so far this season, defeating Kansas State and Colorado, two quality teams. The Jayhawks should continue to earn road victories because of their swagger and work ethic, Mangino said. The team’s swagger will face a stiff test this weekend: The Aggies have won all five of their home games this season. But Texas A&M’s proficiency at Kyle Field has not tempered Mangino’s spirit.
“If you’re a college football player and you’re going in there as an opponent, you’ve got to love it,” Mangino said. “These are the reasons you play Division-I football.”
—Edited by Rachel Bock
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Intense A&M atmosphere awaits Jayhawks
Per the focus on the team from sites including AggieCoach.com, you can expect this to be the most intense game of the year thus far at Kyle Field. If the Aggies loose or it is close, expect it to get ugly for Coach Fran. However, your team seems ripe for a reality check and, despite the experts, AggieCoach.com believes Coach Fran will survive 1 more week ... until we go on the road to OU and Missouri. Post your thoughts on our student paper at TheBatt.com.
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