Mike Elko's Texas A&M Aggies won an important matchup on Saturday night against the No. 8-ranked LSU Tigers 38-23. The victory will push the Aggies up in the rankings, likely around the No. 10 spot. The win also validated Elko's vision, which some questioned following their Week 1 defeat to Notre Dame.
After the game, Elko talked about his program:
"This is a real program," Elko said. "It’s not fake. It’s not a politician running this program, talking fast and BSing everybody. This is a real program and for all the recruits out there, this is a real place."
Mike Elko was key to the early successes of Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher when he was the school's defensive coordinator. His next statement seemed to be a jab at his former boss and what he did with the program once he left for the head coach position at Duke in 2022.
“From where we were when I got here, the whole rhetoric about this program was NIL, mercenaries and selfishness, and all of those things, to see where we’re at now," Elko said. "That’s a credit to those kids in the locker room. It’s a credit to their character, it’s a credit to who they are.”
Mike Elko's Texas A&M beats LSU: The numbers
Despite the loss, LSU's quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had a solid performance with 405 passing yards and two touchdown throws, but Texas A&M's defense managed to force three interceptions off of him. Conner Weigman started for the Aggies and threw for 64 yards. However, while trailing in the third quarter, Elko inserted Marcel Reed.
Reed threw for 70 yards and ran for 62. He scored three rushing TDs. Running backs Amari Daniels and Le'Veon Moss ran for 91 and 83 yards, respectively. Moss also scored two TDs.
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