This Thanksgiving, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin will be without his father, Bill, for the first time. Bill Sumlin passed away in March at the age of 80.

As the Aggies prepare for Thursday night’s game against LSU, Sumlin reflected on how hard the past few months have been without his father around. He told the Houston Chronicle he’s missed having his dad around to talk to:

“He was somebody you could talk to all the time, in good times and bad times,” Sumlin said, his eyes moist at the memory of his father. “This year has been a lot of both of those.”

Sumlin said holidays like Thanksgiving are harder without Bill around:

“It’s been a little tough,” Sumlin said, fighting back tears, of missing the man he loves so much.

The Aggies will host LSU on Thursday night. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Central time and can be seen on ESPN.