How the Texas A&M Aggies are Preparing for LSU Football in Week 9

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko addressed the media on Monday, discussed what's at stake in Week 9 against LSU.

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko looks on in the first quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

In what will be a matchup that has significant SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff implications on the line, No. 8 LSU will face off against No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday night in College Station.

Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals will hit the road to the Lone Star State for a pivotal Week 9 matchup against the Aggies in a critical SEC showdown.

For Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, he'll square off against Brian Kelly for the first time with the two having prior history.

In 2017, Elko was Kelly's defensive coordinator at Notre Dame before departing for the same role at Texas A&M.

Now, it's a full circle moment with the pair of head coaches set to face off in a pivotal SEC showdown.

What are Elko's thoughts on the Tigers? What's the message heading into Week 9?

What Texas A&M Head Coach Mike Elko Said: Week 9 Edition

LSU's Adjustments Without Harold Perkins:

"Obviously, I got a lot of respect for Harold, and Harold's a great player, and so I don't mean this in a bad way, but they've obviously taken huge strides forward the last two weeks. I don't think that's indicative of him not being in there. But I think sometimes when your best player or your most talented player, goes down, sometimes everyone else elevates themselves around it. I think they're playing really good football. Obviously, Whit Weeks has taken on the challenge of stepping into that role He's been about as productive as a linebacker could be the last two weeks. I think everyone around him has just stepped up."

Garrett Nussmeier's Meteoric Rise in Baton Rouge:

"I think Nussmeier can make every throw. I think he's a testament to doing this the right way. You see so many kids. I think one of the things you're noticing now three years into the transfer portal is so many kids are jumping around. When you're jumping around, you're not getting better. When you have to relocate, you have to reestablish yourself, you have to learn a new system, you've got to learn a new place. It's hard to improve in your first year in an uncomfortable environment. It's almost like being a freshman three straight years when you keep bouncing around.

"I think he has stayed the course, I think he's really comfortable in their system. I think he's grown and developed. He's gotten his opportunities over the first couple of years when the opportunities presented themselves. I think that's prepared him to come into this stage this year and really be their leader.

"He can throw the ball over the field. He's got a tremendous arm. I think he's got a lot of moxie. You could see that in him. Obviously, raised in a family of quarterbacks, and that sticks out on tape."

Kyren Lacy's Impact:

"He's an extremely electric, dynamic receiver, and he can make a ton of plays. But I also think when you look at the group, the group is so talented. We talked about this in the beginning of the year. The hardest thing is they've got a clearly established No. 1, but they also have three other people including a tight end, who can flat out beat you if you don't pay them the appropriate attention too. And so it makes the passing game extremely dynamic and productive for them." 

Brian Kelly's Success:

"Brian's a really, really successful head coach that maybe isn't into the huge self-promotion business. He's the winningest coach in Notre Dame football history. I don't know that that's something that rolls off of everyone's tongue. And so he's been successful everywhere he's been. He had a similar... My defensive coordinator path married his head coach path. Started D2, worked its way all the way up through. He had success everywhere he went. And so, yeah, a ton of respect for him, who he is. Certainly appreciate him giving me the opportunity he did to be the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. And he's a really good coach. He does a really good getting the best out of his team."

Similarities Between LSU and Texas A&M:

"I think eerily similar in some ways. Both had a big stage in the opener. Both played a really close game all the way down to the fourth quarter and didn't make the plays at the end that they needed to to be successful. Probably in some ways, both got written off a little bit and then just went to work to get better and improved every week and continued true to their process and believing in who they were. Then again, all of a sudden, you pick your head up and here you are. That's usually where success comes from when you do things like that. In terms of where they've gotten better, I don't know. Those things are always hard to measure because you just look at this whole body of work that they have, and you see this extremely talented team.

"I don't know that I studied closely exactly where they came up short against USC versus where they didn't against Ole Miss. I just think they're extremely talented. I think they've gotten more and more comfortable on defense with the system. I think Blake Baker does a great job, and I think they're each week getting more and more comfortable in what he's asking them to do. The quarterback certainly is getting more comfortable as a starter. That was his first season going into the season as the established starter. It wasn't his first start, but it was the first season he was the established starter. I just think some of the natural progression of growth you've seen from them start to finish."

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