Another practice completed means one day closer to Texas A&M’s first-round CFP matchup against Miami, as the Aggies prepare for their first-ever appearance in the playoff.
It has been a long, competitive season for head coach Mike Elko and company in his second season at the helm. The countless hours of hard work and dedication put in by the Maroon and White have built a winning culture in Bryan-College Station, Texas. That includes becoming the first Aggie team since 1992 to secure an 11-win season.
This year’s accomplishments have been due in large part to Elko’s defensive unit, which ranks 19th in the FBS with 309.8 yards allowed per game. Texas A&M’s secondary has also displayed much improvement from last season’s efforts, as the unit ranks 17th in the country with 2,193 yards allowed through the air in 2025. Every leader and talent on the defensive side of the ball will play a tremendous role in the Aggies’ success moving forward, as they compete against some of the best offenses in college football, including the Hurricanes, who have recorded 3,310 total passing yards.
Miami has a plethora of weapons that have been nightmares to defend against, including wide receiver Malachi Toney. The freshman wideout has hauled in 84 receptions for 970 yards, while averaging 80.8 yards per game, which ranks 21st in the nation. Texas A&M’s secondary must be prepared for Toney, as well as the various other targets Carson Beck has to throw to at Kyle Field on Saturday.
Here is everything cornerbacks Will Lee III and Dezz Ricks, defensive tackle Albert Regis and linebacker Daymion Sanford said after practice on Tuesday, as the Aggies prepare to host the Hurricanes:
Lee and Ricks’ thoughts on Toney
“He’s a great young receiver. He has special talents. We got guys on our defense we feel can matchup with him pretty well. If we go out there, execute at a high level and do what we need to do, we feel we’ll be just fine,” Lee said.
“They have a really talented receiver corp. It will be a challenge for us, but we’ve played some good receiver corps this year. We’ll go out and play our game.”
Regis discusses the key to success against Miami
“It’s just about everybody doing their one of 11. Defensive line, we know what we need to do. Linebackers, DBs, we all communicate what we need to do on every play. Third down is just like every other down… We just execute the plan,” Regis said.
Sanford on Texas A&M’s third-down success this season
“Communication is key for our defense. We do a lot of exotic things on third down. Coach Elko does a great job of putting us in position to make plays,” Sanford said.
Lee on Lyle Hemphill’s promotion to defensive coordinator
“Being around him in the facility and hearing him talk about football and break down how defenses work… Just having him around and his knowledge of the game makes it real easy to pick up and follow it,” Lee said.
Regis’ thoughts on playing Miami a couple of years ago, compared to now
“I played against them. This will be my third time playing against them… His coaching may be the same, but the scheme within things will be different. He’s got different guys,” Regis said. “That’s remembering a lot about two years ago, and most of us couldn’t remember what we ate yesterday.”
Regis on Beck’s abilities at the helm for the Hurricanes
“He’s a phenomenal quarterback. He’s got the talent. He’s got the skill. I’m not going to sit here and disrespect him,” Regis said. “We have to bring our game and make him one-dimensional.”
Lee’s thoughts on Beck
“He knows what it takes to play against SEC defense… If we come out and do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll be just fine,” Lee said.
Ricks’ thoughts on Beck
“He’s been around for a while and seen all kinds of defenses. As long as we play our game, we’ll be just fine,” Ricks said.
Sanford’s thoughts on Beck
“He’s got a lot of experience. We have to do a great job of pressuring him. If we can disrupt his timing, we’ll do well this game,” Sanford said.
Regis on making the CFP
“It’s a great feeling. Made it through the hard times to get to better days. Obviously, we have a lot of ball left, and obviously, you know what our end goal is,” Regis said. “The growth of this program for my five years that I’ve been here, I’m blessed to say it has been a fun ride.”
Sanford on the return of linebacker Scooby Williams
“It will help us a lot. We need depth in the linebacker room. Playing games with just two guys out there is a lot on our legs. Having him will be really good for us,” Sanford said.
Regis on making the CFP
“I knew we’d be successful. I didn’t know who was coming in. Nobody knew. I kept it up to faith,” Regis said. “I wouldn’t think we’d be here in two years from back then.”
Regis’ thoughts on the matchup in the trenches against Miami
“They got some dogs over there. We got some dogs, too. It’s going to be a battle in the trenches, and it’s going to be fun,” Regis said.
Regis on his senior day moment with his daughter
“Hate it in the fact of it going viral,” Regis said. “I loved it for the moment because it’s something I’m going to cherish forever. Nobody can take that away from us.”
Lee on getting Bryce Anderson back
“It’s going to be key for us. More depth in the back end,” Lee said. “”He understands how everything works and everything moves. … It’s going to help speed everything up and help everybody be on the same page.”
Ricks on potentially getting Anderson back
“That would be big for us, with Bryce being here for a long time. We have three different kinds of safeties so it would give offenses a different look. That would be good for us,” Ricks said.
Regis on his future
“Sense of urgency in terms of wanting to win, yes. All of that other stuff is down the road. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds it,” Regis said. “We still got to get through this weekend first.”
Lee on participating in the CFP
“It’s great to be invited and all the positive things past it. The most important thing is to be where your feet are at, and that’s Saturday,” Lee said. “Our end goal is to play as long as we can so we don’t have to play in the Senior Bowl… My goal is to win a national championship.”
Regis on the mentality entering the first round of the CFP
“One game at a time,” Regis said. “We’re a part of a special group of teams to be one of 12 in this right now, but we’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s the big trophy. You can’t get to the big trophy without winning this game, then the next one, then the next one.”
Ricks on the key to success this weekend
“We can’t make one game bigger than it is. We’re going out there playing our game, not having nerves, trusting our preparation and taking it one game at a time,” Ricks said.
Regis on Kyle Field
“Saturday is going to be an amped up crowd. This might be No. 1 for me, and my expectations, I’m already putting this crowd at No. 1,” Regis said. “The crowd this weekend is going to be a one-of-one experience for everyone, and they’re going to bring it all at that 11 a.m. kick.”
Lee’s thoughts on the 12th man
“I know the crowd is going to show up here. They love the culture here, and they’re going to make it like a night game,” Lee said. “I’ve enjoyed everything about it.”
Sanford’s expectations of the crowd on Saturday
“I know the 12th Man will show up for us. Hopefully they break the attendance record, I want to see that. Playing in away games shows that nothing compares to Kyle Field,” Sanford said.
Lee on getting to play in the CFP with his teammates and represent the Maroon and White
“Being able to play for something way bigger than you is a great feeling,” Lee said. “Having another chance to play here for a team I love and the guys, it’s a great feeling… It means the world, and it’s going to mean the world going out there on Saturday.”
Ricks on the crowd at Kyle Field this weekend
“Even though it’s an 11 a.m. game, I expect it to be the loudest it’s been. My first time playing at Kyle Field was my freshman year at Alabama and it’s a lot louder when you’re on the other sideline,” Ricks said.
Regis’ thoughts on being called an ‘OG’ by Elko
“Makes me feel like I’m old, so ouch,” Regis said. “”The message is always the same: Everything starts with stopping the run. … The season ended in a way we didn’t want it to end, but I told all the DTs that this is the most fun I’ve had with a group of guys, and we’ve got plenty of ball left.”
Sanford on Jay Bateman’s coaching
“It hasn’t been anything different. He let us know he’s going to continue to coach us through this playoff run, so it hasn’t been different,” Bateman said.
Lee on the approach to dealing with Toney this weekend
“It’s really just doing what we need to do. We don’t really look at him as being the No. 1 target and him having all this high production with it. We know if we do what we’re supposed to do, we’re on our game,” Lee said.
Regis on the goals moving forward
“Obviously, what we want to accomplish is a win. We’re the first team to make the playoffs for A&M, but we didn’t do all this for a two-claps and a Ric Flair achievement,” Regis said.
Ricks’ goals against the Miami wide receivers
“It really comes down to communicating, having our alignment right, and having our eyes right. It’s the simple things. That will get it done,” Ricks said.
Lee on the Aggies’ goals against the Hurricanes
“I want to see what we can do and go out there with offense, defense and four quarters of our best football. If we do that, we’ll be happy with the outcome,” Lee said.
Sanford on what he wants to see from the team this weekend
“We want to play for each other and go out there and do what we’re supposed to do,” Sanford said.
Ricks on what he wants to see from the team this weekend
“I want to see us play our cleanest ball from the running game to the passing game,” Ricks said.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M’s defensive unit said ahead of Miami
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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