COLLEGE STATION, Texas — As Texas A&M prepares to take on Kent State this Saturday evening, students and staff are readying themselves for the first full-capacity game at Kyle Field since 2019.
“Yeah, the stadium’s never asleep," said Steve Miller, assistant athletic director at Texas A&M. "It takes a lot of time and effort throughout the year to prepare for game day.”
Miller has been attending Aggie football games for over 30 years, both as a student and as staff at the university. Miller now plays an integral part in making sure that Kyle Field is operating smoothly, ready for its fans.
“Final preparations today include final touch-ups on our field, which is going to commemorate the red, white and blue [display] we’ll be having at the game," he said. "And there’s final preparations by ESPN and our concession partners.”
The live grass is freshly mowed, and painted to show patriotism in light of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Cleaned and prepped, the stadium stands as it always has; though there are a few new changes to expect.
“The biggest change at Kyle field this year with stadium preparations is involving our concession area with Pepsi machines," Miller noted. "We’ll be turning around those Pepsi dispensers and make it all-you-can-drink Pepsi products.”
Students are already preparing for game day, taking pictures outside the stadium walls.
“Everyone’s excited to be at 100 percent [capacity] this time," said undergraduate student Yessenia Torres.
"Everyone’s ready for the new season, and being able to actually get into Kyle Field," commented her friend Haeley Tercek.
In terms of public health protocols for game day, while face masks are strongly encouraged by the university, Texas A&M will not require fans to mask up, or to practice social distancing.
“I can see we’re probably going to have a huge surge after the game, but I’m not positive," Tercek noted.
“I think we’ll be fine as long as we follow protocol appropriately," said undergraduate student Karina Santos. "I’ll definitely be wearing my mask, for sure.”
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