Gift in Mind, Mike Elko, Texas A&M Aggies Focused on Finishing Season 'With A Bang'

The Texas A&M Aggies have at least one more game to prove they belong in the conversation for the College Football Playoff, and that's solely where their focus lies.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko watches on from the sideline as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies know how it looks.

They know losing on the road after an accidental blunder from their coach about the state of their focus is slightly condemning. And that perhaps they got carried away on what could be.

But, as defensive lineman Albert Regis explained, it's Monday. The loss to Auburn — and anything that came before it — is gone. Wiped from memory.

What's left is the acknowledgment of a gift from the Oklahoma Sooners, and one more regular season game in front of them.

“A very disappointing Saturday," Aggies coach Mike Elko said. "It’s very challenging when you let the ball go over your head ... (but) the football gods gifted us with another chance.

“We have a chance to right the last two wrongs in SEC play and go out with a bang.”

The two wrongs in question? Two road losses: one each to South Carolina and Auburn.

Both of those games, the Aggies entered expecting to play competitively. Four overtime periods at Jordan-Hare Stadium and a near-tie at the end of the first in Columbia, S.C. is hard to argue against, but both times shared one key attribute. Both times, Elko's squad found itself down big early on.

When the Texas Longhorns come to town, avoiding such a slow start will be key to pulling out a victory, as will understanding the gravity of the renewed rivalry.

Last week, the Aggies couldn't have admitted their minds were focused on Texas, but this week, it's a completely different story. In fact, Elko is preaching the game's importance.

“It doesn’t take you very long to figure out that these two schools matter a lot to people,” the coach said. "(We're) making sure they understand the magnitude of what this game means to Aggies.”

If Texas A&M emerges victorious, it'll earn more bragging rights than it's had since its last win over the Burnt Orange. That, and a ticket to the SEC Championship with College Football Playoff implications.

One of the above is logistical. The other is emotional, though both are equally pressing. They'll also both be equally pivotal for the Aggies to end the season "with a bang."

This week, that's where their focus will lie.

"When you have two programs as large as these two programs are as close to each other as they are, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them not to play," Elko said of the matchup. ”To finally be playing and to be playing for what we’re playing for, it’ll be pretty electric on Saturday.”

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