Texas A&M’s 7-1 record and 5-0 start in SEC play, currently atop the conference, surprises many, mainly since head coach Mike Elko is in the midst of his first season with the program.
Elko and his staff deserve much credit for developing a culture that rivals nearly every Power 5 program. However, the Aggies have mainly thrived due to the transfer additions led by defensive end Nic Scourton and cornerbacks BJ Mayes and Will Lee, while a handful of others have made a weekly impact.
After defeating LSU last Saturday night in one of the craziest comebacks in Texas A&M football history, backup quarterback Marcel Reed entered the game in the second half amid Conner Weigman’s struggles, leading the Aggies to five consecutive scoring drives while producing three rushing touchdowns.
Set to face South Carolina on the road for the second consecutive primetime game on ABC, Elko appeared on the Paul Finebaum show, reflecting on the impending matchup while reflecting on how the Aggies have stayed the course after losing the season opener to Notre Dame.
“I think we started attacking this thing early on, and I think for us, one of the things that we were able to take out of the Notre Dame loss was, I think that allowed us to really insulate our program” Mike Elko stated. “You started to realize we just have to worry about us and what we need to do to improve and get better every day, to become the football team capable of coming and drowning out all that outside noise.”
After defeating Missouri, Mississippi State, and LSU, Elko and his team have stayed the course and avoided thinking that any of this is all but a weekly accomplish, as their focus remains on defeating the next opponent:
“You beat Missouri and everyone wants to talk positvely about you, but, hold on, that isn’t kind of anything yet, then you beat LSU and it kind of turns into the same thing” Elko stated. “Our kids understand what a pendulum this really is, and I believe that’s helped us in keeping them focused on what we’ve got to do to go out and play football the way we can and the way for capable of.”
Texas A&M will travel to Columbia to face South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 2nd, at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on either ABC.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: ‘We just have to worry about us’ Texas A&M HC Mike Elko speaks to Paul Finebaum
