Texas A&M has entered the most critical stretch of the season, where postseason seeding is earned on the field before being handed over to the powers that be. On Saturday, the Aggies survived a barnburner of a game, edging out the Arkansas Razorbacks in a 45–42 shootout.
Coach Mike Elko has mentioned multiple times this season that he’s proud of how his team has responded to adversity. Throughout the year, there have been moments when the offense and defense had to lean on each other—and on Saturday night, the offense delivered.
Marcel Reed was electric, accounting for four total touchdowns and completing 71.9% of his passes. The Aggies also got standout performances from key contributors Ashton Bethel-Roman and EJ Smith. In a season where several high-profile coaching jobs appear likely to open, Coach Elko’s name has already surfaced as a candidate for a few of them. That’s a testament to the respect he commands across the college football landscape and the work he’s done at both Duke and Texas A&M.
It’s going to be a sprint to the finish, and a strong close could go a long way toward securing a top seed in the CFP rankings. Here’s everything Elko said during Monday’s press conference, as he recaps the weekend in Fayetteville and previews the challenge ahead on Saturday against LSU:
Coach Mike Elko on why no defensive player earned Player of the Week
“Defensively, there was nobody, which kind of speaks to the game.” “Defensively, it was a poor game.”
Coach Mike Elko talks about traveling to Baton Rouge
“Obviously a big opportunity and a big stage with a chance to go down to Baton Rouge for what will be a hostile environment.”
“For all the Aggies traveling down there, Coach Morrison and his (volleyball) team are playing in Baton Rouge on Friday night at 7 p.m.”
Coach Mike Elko on what a championship team looks like
“When you talk about what a championship program looks like, that’s what it looks like. It looks like a bunch of guys being bought in for when it’s time.”
“There is going to come a time when the game is on the line and the ball is going to come to you. Your challenge is that you have to be ready to make that play.”
Coach Mike Elko on EJ Smith
“When you think about it, EJ Smith is not having all of the limelight I’m sure he dreamed of having going into his senior year. I’m sure he wishes he’d be the feature back, but here he is, it’s fourth-and-1, and he makes that play.”
“Within this program, we have a lot of players who are breaking that and are showing that they’re here for Texas A&M and here for this team.”
Coach Mike Elko on his vision for the program
“We came here with a vision for what this program should be.”
“The vision for this program has not been this program’s reality. We can’t just keep saying we want to be something. At some point, we’re going to have to go out and do it… It’s good to see the program continue to move in the right direction.”
Coach Mike Elko on his thoughts about the Arkansas game overall
“The silver lining is that we won the football. We won’t win many games playing football and defense like that. I know that. Our defense knows that. I feel like this generation has to get their hand burned on the stove over and over before they learn from it.”
Coach Mike Elko on the defensive struggles on Saturday
“It is certainly concerning. It is concerning that we would do that on a Saturday with everything at stake. Hopefully it’s a lesson learned.”
Coach Mike Elko on the home team’s success in the LSU series
“For a large period of time, we didn’t go down there physically and stand up to the challenge… As our program grew, we got closer and closer.”
“The series has been more balanced since I’ve been here since 2018, and eventually someone is going to crack through on the road.”
Coach Mike Elko on being linked to the open Penn State job
“I think it’s absolutely hilarious how you guys cover coaches. Three weeks ago, you wanted me fired. Now, you want me hired.”
Coach Mike Elko on the environment in Death Valley
“It’s not news to us that we’re going to have to go into some hostile environments on the road… We’ve been preparing for this weekly, and now the hope is that you have everybody focused.”
Coach Mike Elko on Marcel Reed
“When he went out there last year against Arkansas, he made so many plays with his legs, but I don’t know if he was a complete quarterback yet.”
“Now, what you see is a kid that’s so much more confident and so much more comfortable.”
Coach Mike Elko on Albert Regis
“I do believe he’s one of the most unsung members of this defense. What he does for us in the middle… He does a really good job of anchoring our run defense, and he has had more success this year rushing the passer this year.”
Coach Mike Elko on LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
“He’ll be a high draft pick. He’ll be a successful NFL quarterback for a long time. I have a ton of respect for him as a player and the way he competes.”
Coach Mike Elko on his job security
“The questions about my job security would be a lot different if I was standing here at 4-3 rather than 7-0.”
Coach Mike Elko on the fourth down conversions
“We have a tremendous pride in what we do. We’re not the kind of staff that points fingers when things don’t go well. We had our fourth-and-1 failures last year… You look internally. What did we do? Are we doing the right things?”
“That’s leadership, and that’s coaching… For the most part, we’ve been able to do that and do it well. Being 3-for-3 on Saturday had a tremendous impact on the outcome of that game.”
Coach Mike Elko on building a lasting culture
“In the modern era of college football, there is not a lot of time. Nobody has time. You don’t have time to build.”
“Building the foundation of a program that will last a really long time while doing things that will give you an opportunity to win right away.”
Coach Mike Elko on the potential of Aggieland
“This place truly does have the potential that I thought it did when I took the job.”
Coach Mike Elko on KC Concepcion
“It’s a credit to him and how he handles himself. Being a prime focus player on a high-level program that competing for high-level things, he’s forced to be in the media a lot.”
“He jumped right into this thing. He has been a kid that has been on a mission to re-center his career.”
Coach Mike Elko on Rueben Owens II
“I was very well away of who Rueben was. … As much success as he had at the high school level, there is still a transition when you get to college.”
“You saw evolution. You saw development… He’s one of the kids that gets better every week he does out there because those reps are so important to him.”
Coach Mike Elko gives credit to Arkansas’ offense
“I never want to be the coach that doesn’t give credit to the other team. Arkansas had a plan. They went out and executed their plan. Credit to them.”
“We can’t go out and play defense the way we did on Saturday and expect to stop anybody.”
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Mike said entering Week 9 contest at LSU
Reporting by Jarrett Johnson, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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