ESPN airs 'Tail of the Tape' graphic comparing Texas A&M's Reveille, Kirk Herbstreit's dog Ben

When Kirk Herbstreit and the top ESPN/ABC college football broadcast team comes to town, that’s meant a big-time VIP, of late: Ben Herbstreit, the faithful Golden Retriever companion of the color commentator.

And being on-site at Kyle Field for the Texas A&M–LSU showdown on Saturday night, Ben had some canine competition in the form of Reveille, the official Aggies mascot. And the Rough Collie synonymous with Texas A&M and Herbstreit’s grand touring pup even met up pregame.

It all gave the graphics department some fodder for a fun one-off, the “Tail of the Tape” between the two.

Reveille 🤝 Ben pic.twitter.com/8TnYBH4kuS

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 27, 2024

While Ben wins out on size, a good four pounds heavier, the younger Reveille probably has the advantage when it comes to speed and agility. And both of them are spoiled, evidently, by their modes of transportation.

“Far right is spoiled rotten,” Herbstreit said of his pup.

Either way, both Ben and Reveille were on their best behavior pregame, sharing a sniff before the football began and Herbstreit and his canine companion retreated to the booth.

While the canines were cordial, the two teams were not

Prior to kickoff of Saturday’s game at Kyle Field, things started to get chippy between LSU and Texas A&M. The two teams exchanged words during a pregame scuffle.

It’s unclear what led to the exchange, which occurred just over an hour before the two Top-15 teams kick off. The players were separated, though, as they continued to go through warmups.

Getting chippy already! pic.twitter.com/nBSeh6FKad

— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) October 26, 2024

LSU and Texas A&M enter Saturday’s game with undefeated records in SEC play, adding to the magnitude of the matchup. It’s shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the Week 9 slate – and it’s safe to say both teams will be ready to go.

Both LSU and Texas A&M have been rolling since their respective Week 1 losses. The Tigers fell to USC to start the year but is now in the midst of a six-game winning streak, including a 34-10 victory over Arkansas last week to stay in the Top 10 of the AP Top 25.

As for the Aggies, they’ve bounced back well despite some changes at quarterback following the Week 1 loss to Notre Dame. Conner Weigman suffered a shoulder injury in that game and although he played through it, missed time as Marcel Reed jumped under center. But Weigman is back healthy now and started the last two games for Texas A&M, which also brings a 6-1 record into Saturday’s game and a perfect 4-0 mark in SEC play.