COLLEGE STATION — When Texas A&M football and the Texas Longhorns play Saturday, 4,755 long days will have passed since the last meeting. Despite the hiatus, it’s clear that there is no love lost between the two Lone Star State rivals.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the guys who are from the state of Texas understand this rivalry… It means a lot to this state,” sophomore captain Taurean York told reporters Monday.
As the Aggies and Longhorns look to renew a rivalry Saturday, the stakes could not be higher.
The winner will play in the SEC Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs. For the Aggies, this is the only path to a chance in the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
For the Longhorns, a loss means their seeding and playoff positioning would be out of their control, decided by the selection committee.
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After a trip Saturday night to Jordan-Hare Stadium, where the Aggies fell short in a thrilling four-overtime loss, the Aggies’ biggest dreams for the season are at stake this weekend.
“The mindset for me and the team is that we’re in the playoffs now. A lot of people are waiting for this 12-team playoff bracket to drop. We’re in it now. … It’s win or go home,” quarterback Marcel Reed told reporters Monday.
The No. 20 Aggies (8-3, 5-2 SEC) are tied for second and coming off that heart-breaking loss to the Auburn Tigers. However, >A&M must refocus because a Week 14 win is the only way to keep the Aggies’ College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Here are some takeaways from Elko’s comments Monday during his weekly conference with reporters:
A chance to right their wrongs
The Aggies didn’t spend much time dwelling on their tough four-overtime loss to Auburn. Thanks to Alabama’s loss Saturday to Oklahoma, the Aggies’ matchup against the Longhorns holds playoff meaning, with the winner set to face Georgia for the conference championship a week later.
“It’s a disappointing night. It’s a disappointing result, but the football gods gifted us with another chance,” Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko told reporters Monday. “We have a chance to right the last two wrongs in SEC play and go out with a bang.”
The matchup was always going to be significant for the fanbases, but despite having three losses (two of which came in their last three outings against SEC opponents) the Aggies are still given the chance to make this season special.
“We’ve played in some big games this year. We’ll lean on that a little, but obviously, this one is bigger,” Elko said. “You just focus on the things you have to do to be successful. … Sometimes kids get wrapped up in, ‘What’s it going to feel like?’ None of that’s going to matter if you’re not locked in and ready to play.”
“From the big-picture standpoint, it’s important that we understand that this is the first time we’ve ever been in this position. … Part of that is an accomplishment in itself, but we have to finish it and actually get ourselves to Atlanta,” Elko said.
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Aggies prepare for ‘best’ offense ‘we’ve seen all year’
The Texas Longhorns have been one of the best teams in college football from wire to wire. With one game left in the season, they head to College Station looking to crush postseason dreams for the Aggies and bolster an already-strong playoff case.
The Longhorns have won 10 straight road games.
“They’re (Texas’ offense) extremely talented. It will be the best one we’ve seen all year,” Elko said. “They present a lot of different challenges. … They can attack you on every phase of it with many different players.”
Longhorns are currently third in the SEC and 15th in the country in scoring offense, averaging 36.5 points per game. The group is led by quarterback Quinn Ewers who has thrown 23 touchdown passes and only six interceptions with a wide receiver group that causes problems for opposing defenses.
A&M has struggled to stop the pass recently, allowing 301, 244, and 405 passing yards in its last three SEC matchups against Auburn, South Carolina, and LSU, respectively. Texas’ passing attack averages 279.7 yards a game in the air, good for fourth in the SEC and 17th in the country.
“We’ve been trying to fix things all year. They’ve shown up in different ways and maybe hadn’t hurt us. The last three weeks, they’ve really hurt us,” Elko said. “We’ve given up way too many explosive plays for us to be good on defense, and that has been the Achilles heel on this defense and this team this year.”
A&M ranks 12th in the SEC and 81st in the country in passing defense, allowing 227.7 yards a game, and is set to face its toughest test of the season in the biggest game of the year.
Saturday’s game
No. 20 Texas A&M (8-3) vs Texas (10-1), 6:30 p.m., ABC, 1370
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M football: Aggies readying for pivotal matchup vs Longhorns
