Texas A&M Aggies Not Taking New Mexico State Lightly

The Texas A&M Aggies don't want to overlook any opponent.

New Mexico State Aggies wide receiver Kordell David (11) catches a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone during the first quarter as Auburn Tigers take on New Mexico State Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

On paper, the Texas A&M Aggies' home matchup against the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday looks like a blowout waiting to happen. A&M is 7-2, tied atop the SEC standings and ranked No. 15 in the country, while New Mexico State is 2-7 and at the bottom of Conference USA.

That said, the phrase "any given Saturday" exists for a reason. The Aggies, who lost a similar game against Appalachian State in 2022 (admittedly a better team than New Mexico State) won't let hubris be their downfall.

"I do not know that I want to go on record saying they are a smaller school," head coach Mike Elko said Wednesday. "They went into Auburn last year and beat Auburn in Jordan-Hare (Stadium). I think these games make a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. Having been at some of those schools, it is an opportunity to take their kids onto a really big stage. I am sure they are going to be extremely excited about the opportunity to play in Kyle Field in front of 100,000 people. 

"The majority of kids who are in the Group of Four level have a chip on their shoulder. That is why I think you see elevated play in these games because they play with something to prove. We expect to have our hands full Saturday for sure."

It is true that New Mexico State did walk into Jordan-Hare and crush Auburn 31-10 last season, but there are some caveats. That upset was led by head coach Jerry Kill and quarterback Diego Pavia, both of whom are now at Vanderbilt. This year's team, led by head coach Tony Sanchez, has unfortunately not been able to produce the same results.

That said, A&M is playing for its playoff life from here on out, so it can't afford to take any opponent lightly.

"I think we do not have any margin for error, so there is nothing to get ahead of," Elko said. "Our playoffs start Saturday. We are at a point now where we do not have any room for error. So our ability to accomplish everything that we wanted to accomplish this season requires an unbelievable amount of focus for us to play our best football Saturday, three straight weeks. That starts this Saturday at home. 

"It is not a hard challenge. I think there are harder challenges when you are trying to keep the team motivated down the stretch. We know what is at stake. We know what is in front of us. We know how important every game we play is, so I expect us to handle it the right way."

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