No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC) will travel to Baton Rouge later this week before taking on No. 20 LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC) in what should be a heated contest between two teams on different paths. Still, the Tigers are dominant at home, especially when desperate times call for desperate measures.
However, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is looking to avoid any more outside questions regarding his dedication to the program after he was asked about his connection to the recent Penn State head coach opening, stating to the group of reporters that this topic is a “waste of brain space,” as his focus is entirely on LSU.
Coupled with being fined $50,000 for “feigning injury” during the Aggies’ 45-42 win over Arkansas on Saturday night, it’s been a heck of a week for the second-year head coach, but on Wednesday, during the weekly SEC Teleconference, Elko was happy to shift the narrative to the Tigers, outside of one question.
For Texas A&M to win on Saturday night, an improved defensive showing, paired with a balanced offensive attack, especially if inclement weather is an issue for the second consecutive week, is the key to keeping the Tigers at bay, knowing that LSU’s offense is one-dimensional due to the lack of rushing success throughout the season.
Here is everything Mike Elko said during Wednesday’s SEC Teleconference:
Mike Elko on his first trip to Death Valley as the Aggies’ head coach
“Excited to go down to Tiger Stadium. Excited to play in Baton Rouge at night. It should be a great stage and great opportunity.”
Mike Elko on Texas A&M’s defense improving after allowing over 500 yards against Arkansas
“You go back to work and fix the things that need to be fixed and get ready to play better on Saturday.”
Mike Elko provides his take on what happened regarding the fine for “feigning injury.”
“I’m not going to comment a lot on it. I just think there’s a massive difference between impacting the integrity of the game, and an isolated situation. That’s why I disagree ultimately with the decision. We respect it. We appreciate the job the SEC office has to do. But I think when you have one situation in 20 games, there’s probably a little bit of a bigger picture to it than maybe we were offered the ability to present.”
Mike Elko on the status of starting safety Bryce Anderson, who did not play against Arkansas
“Yeah, we’re still just trying to figure out where Bryce is. He’s just going through some things. So we will update that when the injury report comes out this week.”
Mike Elko on how the defense responded in practice this week
“A good one. Those kids have a lot of pride. They know they didn’t play to their standard.”
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ‘Those kids have a lot of pride’: HC Mike Elko’s quotes from the SEC Teleconference
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
