A position in the Southeastern Conference Championship game and year-long bragging rights are on the line this Friday night as the Texas A&M Aggies travel to Austin, Texas, to face the Longhorns in a Lone Star Showdown with no shortage of massive implications.
The importance of winning this year’s matchup to avenge last year’s loss in College Station and secure a spot in the league’s title game for the first time in school history is something that head coach Mike Elko and athletic director Trev Alberts are well-versed on. The pair understands that the outcome equates to better positioning in postseason, more opportunities to create additional history with the program and success on the recruiting trail.
Elko has made his mark at the helm for Texas A&M, leading the Maroon and White to just its third 11-0 season in program history (1939 and 1992), while boasting a 19-5 overall record during his tenure as the head coach. The New Jersey native recognizes there are many more important things ahead of the team, rather than focusing on what is now in the past, however. That includes the Week 14 battle that will decide Texas A&M’s chances of reaching Atlanta, Georgia, to compete for the conference championship and playoff seeding, while also determining Steve Sarkisian and company’s odds of potentially receiving an at-large bid.
Here is everything Elko and Alberts said ahead of the Aggies’ battle for in-state supremacy against the Longhorns at Darrell K Royal Stadium in Austin on Friday night:
Elko names players of the week from dominant win over Samford in Week 13
Elko talks about the opportunity ahead
“Another great opportunity on Thanksgiving weekend to play our rivals,” Elko said.
Elko discusses what he’s seen from Texas this season
“They’re a really talented football team. Any time you play this game, it will have a different energy about it. That will be one of the biggest challenges that comes with it. It will be an exciting opportunity for us on Friday night,” Elko said.
Elko’s thoughts on where Texas A&M is on the road to the SEC Championship
“The way things broke this year, our schedule inhibited some of our tie-breaker opportunities. We’re going to have to go 8-0 to get to Atlanta,” Elko. “You’ve got a lot of teams playing each other and battling it out. We’re fortunate to still be in it going into the last week of the year again.”
Elko on the magnitude of the Lone Star Showdown
“With the magnitude of this game, this is not the first time we’re diving into watching them,” Elko said. “We spend time on each other in the offseason, so it’s not like the first time you turn the film on is the first time you’ve seen the schemes you’re going against.”
Elko speaks on the important factors of this contest on Friday
“The critical factors of football will play a big role. Turnover margin will play a big role. Explosive plays will play a big role. Winning on special teams will play a big role,” Elko said.
Elko with more on what he’s seen from Texas
“They were playing a lot of young guys and a lot of new starters. As they’ve gone through the season, you’ve seen a lot of growth. You would anticipate that,” Elko said. “It’s a good football team.”
Elko on the Aggies’ explosiveness
“We have the ability to be explosive, which helps not having to always be locked into going on 12, 13, 14-play drives,” Elko said. “Some of our explosiveness has really been important for us. You’ve seen that in each of our road games.”
Elko’s thoughts on the emotions of this rivalry
“You know the emotions are going to be high. You know the energy is going to be high. Through all of that, you have to find the laser focus,” Elko said.
Elko on the challenge of playing on the road
“We’ve gone on the road three other times and won. That shows maturity. We’re 11-0. That shows maturity,” Elko said.
Elko on the importance of finishing contests
“I’m sure this will be a four-quarter game like it always will be,” Elko said. “This is the final week, so finishing the season is important and finishing this week and this journey is important.”
Elko describes what this rivalry against the Longhorns means
“Having been a college football fan and having been here for four years, I didn’t need a lot of explaining of the magnitude of this rivalry,” Elko said. “Last year was a huge event here in College Station. This is back there for the first time. I’m sure there will be a lot of electricity in the air when we kick off.”
Elko on his message to the team
“I didn’t have to tell them very much. This is a pretty easy one to get their attention for,” Elko said.
Elko gives a status update for running back Le’Veon Moss, Rueben Owens II and Mario Craver
“We’ll see. Probably not, but we’ll see,” Elko said of Moss’ status.
“Those guys are awesome.”
Elko comments on Alberts
“It has been a great partnership, and I’m so excited that it’s going to continue for the foreseeable future,” Elko said.
Elko on Texas A&M volleyball playing Texas and the job head coach Jamie Morrison has done
“Obviously, we’ll be watching and cheering for him. Ton of respect for him and his program. Hope the girls go out tonight and get the job done,” Elko said.
Alberts’ opening statement
“I want to say how proud I am of the pleasure to get to serve with an amazing athletic department and coaches,” Alberts said. “Across the board, it has been really fun to watch. … To see all of our programs work really hard at supporting young people and achieving at a really high level has been really fun.”
Alberts on the partnership with Elko
“A lot of these things kind of happen organically. As Mike (Elko) has talked about, partnerships are important,” Alberts said.
Alberts discusses Elko’s extension
“It’s an affirmation of the culture,” Alberts said.
Alberts explains how conversations went with Elko and negotiations
“Generally, when things are meant to be, they’re not hard to get done. … Mike wants to be here,” Alberts said.
Alberts talks about what separates Texas A&M from other schools across the country
“What makes this place different is the people. Kyle Field is incredible, but it’s the people. Past leadership here deserves a lot of credit for the people they’ve brought in, and I’m honor to get to work with them,” Alberts said.
Alberts thanks the Board of Regents for their work in helping build special things in College Station
“I do want to thank the Board of Regents. There is a whole group of people that are working really, really hard, and it’s not just for Texas A&M. It’s for the whole system,” Alberts said. “All of the Regents were just wonderful. We need that type of leadership and those people working together, which they are.”
Alberts on the continuous support of all athletic programs at Texas A&M
“We’ve had the necessary support from leadership, and it has really, really mattered,” Alberts said. “Now is not the time to be sitting in silence. Now is the time when everybody is grinding together and putting our very best in the middle of the table to determine what is best long-term for Texas A&M… This place can become whatever it wants to become, and it’s pretty exciting to be a part of that.”
Alberts’ response when asked about other schools reaching out to Elko
“I was never approached by anybody,” Alberts said.
Alberts speaks on Elko and what he’s seen from the second-year head coach
“This is exactly the leader that Texas A&M needs to take this program to places it has never been,” Alberts said. “He really wants to be here. All of the things that make Texas A&M unique, he fully embraces.”
Alberts’ thoughts on the wild coaching situations across the country
“It is not lost on me that this is about as wild a coaching carousel as we’ve had in college football in a while,” Alberts said. “We have an awesome coach. We have a coach who fits our culture spectacularly. We’re just thrilled that he and Michelle wanted to call this place home for a long time.”
Alberts on Elko’s emphasis on the importance of assistant coaches and coordinators
“He cares deeply about the people who touch the football program, and it says a lot,” Alberts said. “The price of success will always be cheaper than the price of failure. … That sort of action displays the same type of thinking. We have the right coaches. Let’s make sure they have what they need to have the level of success that’s demanded by the 12th Man.”
Alberts on Elko
“We’re really blessed and fortunate that Mike Elko is our football coach,” Alberts said.
Alberts discusses what Texas A&M will do to ensure future success in football
“We will make whatever investment is necessary in football to ensure Mike (Elko) and his staff have what it takes to succeed at the highest level,” Alberts said.
Alberts’ thoughts on rivalry week
“These rivalries are awesome for college athletics. It’s what makes college athletics. We have a tremendous respect for all that they have done, but we’re not focused on anyone but ourselves,” Alberts said.
Alberts responds to Texas A&M soccer’s head coaching vacancy
“We’re working through that process. The season is still going. We’re really, really confident we’re going to hire a great coach to take over for Coach G (Guerrieri),” Alberts said.
Alberts on the Aggies’ success across multiple sports
“First and foremost, we have really good coaches. A lot of it is focus on unity of purpose. We do a lot together. We have regular head coaches meetings,” Alberts said. “We have to do our part administratively, and part of what our part is is diving into supporting our coaches.”
Alberts discusses Texas A&M’s new nutrition centers and accessibility
“When the Clark Nutrition Center opened and when the Adam Sinn Building opened, it was a game-changer,” Alberts said. “Everybody gets to eat there. That has really contributed to the overall culture of the athletic department… This whole thing flows together in a way.”
Alberts on Michelle Elko and the Elko family
“Michelle (Elko) is great. I think she was always on board. … Just like Angela and I, they have felt very welcomed here,” Alberts said. “The thing that the two of us talk about is that we both see the opportunity here. … This is a place where we can do uncommon things.”
Alberts’ thoughts on the biggest challenge of working in athletics
“Biggest challenge? What I’m going to keep pushing here is for this unity of purpose,” Alberts said. “The programs and universities that go on to win championships and multiple championships are the ones who say it isn’t about me. … We’ve made good progress on that.”
“The biggest challenge across college athletics is just the chaos. Every day, you wake up and read another story… At the end of the day, there’s going to be a lot of noise. Who does the best job of not paying attention to the noise? … We just need to work. Do the fundamental things that lead to winning in every sport. Just do the work,” Alberts said.
Alberts on the search for a full-time president
“I’m really confident in the Board of Regents and Chancellor Hegar that they’ll find a great leader,” Alberts said.
Alberts’ thoughts on the 12th Man
“How about the 12th Man? How about the attendance at Kyle Field this year? That stuff is real,” Alberts said.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M HC, athletic director quotes ahead of Lone Star Showdown
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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