COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The line of lawn chairs was already there at 9 a.m. Friday, 291/2 hours before kickoff.
No, the fans weren’t there for tickets. They were waiting for tailgate space. At noon, someone came out and blew a horn ... and the scramble began.
They staked their claim outside Kyle Field, which seated 48,000 four decades ago and seats 102,577 today. It will be full, or close to it, when Texas A&M plays UCLA at 12:30 p.m., and 36,000 A&M students will attend.
Yes, this is a different land. It will be unfamiliar to UCLA fans and is barely recognizable to some A&M folk.