Midnight Yell

I have to admit, my profession allows me entree to some pretty cool shit. Early this morning was one of those moments. Just after midnight, I was standing down on Kyle Field by the Yell Leaders as they rallied an estimated 18,000 Texas A&M fans through their songs and cheers.

The position of Yell Leader is actually campaigned for and voted on by the student body. There are 3 seniors and 2 juniors charged with maintaing the spirit of the Aggie Nation.

Even Coach Sumlin made an appearance. The crowds at Midnight Yell have been upwards of 30,000 in the past. I was told that the combination of it being Thanksgiving break and the weather (it was cold out there - especially for Texans) kept the crowd figure at a "modest" total.

It really is the most passionate and partisan fan base in the country. To find it's rival, you'd have to go to the English Premier League. It is truly unlike every other place in the world.

There's nothing bigger in the community than the 6-7 football weekends a year the Aggies play host to. Just this morning I saw two old ladies in a hotel elevator. They were decked out in their maroon sweaters and carrying two huge buckets of ice. I asked what all that was for and a woman in her mid-70s looked at me like I had eight heads, "To ice down the beer."

The Legend Of Johnny Football And The Perfect Storm

Think about the events that led to this moment. Kerrville-Tivy HS quarterback Johnny Manziel was not considered by Texas. He went to Texas A&M where he redshirted.

After a miserable 2011 season, the coach that recruited him (Mike Sherman) was fired. A big-time offensive coach (Kevin Sumlin) was hired.

The Texas Longhorns had created their own cable TV network. So Texas A&M told them to go fuck themselves, left the rivalry, left the Big 12, and joined the SEC. Texas A&M's facilities, rabid following, and most importantly their on-field program, were every bit up to the challenge in joining college football's toughest conference. They put all their faith in a 19-year old to lead them.

Hurricane Isaac wiped out a tough season opener in Shreveport vs Louisiana Tech, which cleared the way for the new Aggies to have a national rollout, complete with College GameDay in their SEC opener against Florida. Even though the home team lost by a field goal, they proved they belonged.

In Manziel's 4th career game, he set the SEC total offense record in a 58-10 win against Arkansas. In his 5th career game, he led the Aggies on 2 TD drives in the last 7 minutes to pull a victory out of the fire at Ole Miss. In his 6th career game he re-set the SEC single-game total offense record in a 59-57 thriller over Louisiana Tech.

In his 10th career start, after back-to-back road wins at Auburn and Mississippi State, Johnny Football took his team into Tuscaloosa and knocked off #1. Now we are rightfully talking Heisman, and the Manziels are talking about trademarking "Johnny Football."

In our wildest imagination, not even for a kid who starred in the real version of Friday Night Lights, could anyone have written a script like this. But the funny thing is, the story isn't over. Not even close.