'Not Maintenance Work!' Halfway Through Season, Aggies Aren't Nearly Done Improving

The Texas A&M Aggies aren't settling on minor improvements week-to-week, but rather, working to substantially build on their recent success in order to keep it going.

Sep 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Le'Veon Moss (8) reacts in front of Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Jayden Johnson (8) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies are halfway through their regular season slate, yet they're far from reaching their full potential.

Coach Mike Elko, having found unprecedented success in his first season with the Aggies, made that clear during the "Aggie Football Radio Hour." Not only were the Aggies not focusing on their 5-1 record, they also weren't content with just doing "maintenance work" week in and week out.

"We've got guys who are stronger now than they were six weeks ago," he said.

For the Aggies, who have been working to recover from a season-opening loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, such a mindset is imperative. For them, it'd be easy to look at the progress they've made since then rather than the progress they've yet to make.

Again, it points back to assumptions. Texas A&M can't assume that the next game is a win, or that it's good enough to make a run at the 12-team playoff. But it can lean on the improvements it's made since Elko first arrived.

Back then, it was just the culture that was changing. The mindset.

Now? It's the performance and the players. And perhaps nobody on the roster has improved more than Le'Veon Moss and Dalton Brooks, who Elko tabbed as the most improved players of the season.

After losing Rueben Owens to a leg injury before the regular season, it fell on Moss and Amari Daniels to pick up the slack. Luckily for the Aggies, Moss, especially, has done exactly that. On the season, he's rushed for 609 yards and six touchdowns on 88 carries.

"He's a talented back," Elko said of the Aggies' leading rusher. "He runs hard. He runs behind his pads."

Brooks, on the other side of the ball, has already passed his tackle total from last season with 19 and recorded seven pass deflections. He hasn't matched his lone interception yet, but with half a season remaining, the chances are likely.

As for the Aggies as a whole, they'll keep working. They won't be doing maintenance work on off weeks, and they won't be taking any part of their recent success for granted.

Texas A&M might be halfway through, but their progression is far from it. On that front, it still has a long way to go — and that's a good thing.