Kyle Field, Now with New Grass, Will Also Have Its Cannon Back

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY - When the Aggie football team kicks off against Ole Miss on October 11, Kyle Field will feature new grass, along with a cannon firing.

Tuesday, the Texas A&M System announced it had completed the installation of new grass brought in from North Carolina. During the second home game against Rice on September 13, the two-game-old field began tearing apart, causing safety concerns for players. Heavy rains the night before the game combined with the grass being on the ground at Kyle for a little more than a month were cited as causes for the field's failure.

The new field brought in costs $300,000, and was said to have thicker sod so it will grow together faster. The company, Carolina Green, also has experience with mid-season field replacements.

Once the 2014 season ends, the field will be removed so the next phase of the $450 million redevelopment can continue.

Not only will there be new grass for the remainder of the season, the Corps of Cadets will once again fire a cannon when the Aggies score.

A tradition for years, there were concerns over the cannon being fired within the newly-closed-in stadium. For the first home game against Lamar, a cannon was fired from the practice field, with a live look at the firing shown on screens in Kyle. For the Rice game, no cannon was fired.

Now, officials with A&M believe they can safely fire the cannon from the southeast tower for the remainder of the 2014 season, and will reevaluate things in the off-season as the stadium redevelopment continues.

We are confident that this will provide a good solution during this transitional period, A&M Interim President Mark Hussey said in a statement. I appreciate the diligent efforts of the Offices of the Commandant of the Corps of Cadets and Environmental Health and Safety as well as A&M System officials, who are overseeing the project, for offering a viable and safe solution for helping us to ensure that the tradition of the cannon firing at Kyle Field continues."

Last week, a cannon was raised into the southeast tower and testing was conducted to try and find a solution, though A&M could not offer assurances at that time that the cannon would work in that location.

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Kyle Field, Now with New Grass, Will Also Have Its Cannon Back