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Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko pregame against the UTSA Roadrunners at Kyle Field. Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

Mike Elko Meets With The Media Ahead of Auburn Matchup

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Kolton Becker | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 10:52 AM ET

The last two weeks for Texas A&M football have been incredibly eye-opening after the massive 41-40 win in South Bend, Indiana, against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, with a much-needed bye after a hard-fought matchup.

After the road win, the Aggies went from No. 18 overall to No. 10 nationally. Then, the bye week occurred, and the Maroon and White were able to sit back, relax, and prepare for the first SEC home game of the 2025 season at Kyle Field, where AP voters moved the Aggies up one spot.

With plenty of time to prepare and watch film on the Auburn Tigers, head coach Mike Elko has high expectations for his program and shared them in Monday’s press conference in College Station, Texas.

Auburn Analysis

In 2024, Texas A&M traveled to Auburn, Alabama, to take on a struggling Tigers’ team that didn’t have much of an identity but was looking to build on head coach Hugh Freeze’s leadership to rebuild the program back to national prominence.

Late in the season, A&M had its eyes set on making the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, Georgia, and had the clear pathway to get there, controlling its own destiny. Those dreams faded over the last three weeks of the season when Auburn knocked off A&M 43-41 in overtime. For Elko, that is behind him as he touched on the physicality that Auburn plays with.

“I think they are extremely talented upfront,” Elko said. “I think we have a ton of respect for them. Human psychology says absolutely without a doubt, the best unit on the field Saturday will be the Auburn offensive line. I can promise you that.”

While quarterback Jackson Arnold had a difficult week heading back to Oklahoma University, where he was greeted unwelcomely by a ton of Sooners’ fans, the challenge of coming off the 24-17 loss makes Arnold eager to win against A&M. Elko acknowledged that and shared some thoughts over the emotions that the Denton, Texas, product likely faced.

“That was probably a really challenging environment for him Saturday, just going back there and all the emotions coming back with that, so I’m sure he’s going to be very hungry to come back and play really well Saturday,” Elko said. “They will be a team that has their backs against the wall. I’m sure they’ll put their best foot out there.”

Elko also added what makes Arnold an exceptional athlete for the Auburn offense and a challenge for the A&M defense.

“Really talented kid,” Elko said. “I think he can make a lot of throws. He’s got really good arm talent. He’s got the ability to beat you with his legs and can run around.”

Strides For A&M Players

Several different athletes within A&M’s football program are slowly beginning to come out of their shells and show strides when it comes to their performance on the field. Several of those players Elko has been impressed with have been the work of wide receivers Terry Bussey, Mario Craver, and KC Concepcion, along with defensive players Will Lee Ⅲ and Dez Ricks.

Bussey was one of Elko’s returners from last season, whom he has valued within his program. This season, the Timpson, Texas native has contributed to the passing game with seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.

“I think he continues to get better every day,” Elko said. “We talked an awful lot about his journey being a really talented athlete at a small school in Texas where he did everything to being a really fundamentally sound wide receiver in the SEC, and I think that’s the journey he’s been on,” Elko said.

Elko also iterated how time will tell if Craver and Concepcion have exceeded expectations, saying it has to play out, but he likes what he’s seen from the connection with QB Marcel Reed.

“It’s obviously really good that they’ve gone out there and made the plays that they’ve made,” Elko said. “We had tremendously high expectations for those guys. I know everyone likes to create their own mindset of who the good guys are in the portal and who the guys are that you have to get and who you lose. We felt very confident with what we did, and what we accomplished, and who we brought in. It’s been great to see those guys be what we hoped and thought they could be for us.”

On the other side of the ball, Elko got questioned over the Lee and Ricks matchup against Eric Singleton and Cam Coleman.

“I think it’s been really good to see Dezz,” Elko said. “I think he’s taken some really positive steps forward.”

Lee also got credit from Elko at the podium, stating how much he enjoys having him as a player.

“Will’s a very consistent player for us and a kid we have a ton of confidence in,” Elko said. “This is a very talented wide receiver core and so we will see how we do on Saturday, but there is a bunch of other teams I would rather try to match up on Saturday at wide receiver than this group.”

Defense’s Identity

Figuring it out.

According to Elko, the Aggies’ defense is still building toward finding an identity after giving up points that he’d rather not have on the scoreboard.

“I think we’re still working through it,” Elko said. “Obviously, we haven't had the level of success or didn’t have the level of success that we wanted to have in the Notre Dame game, and this would be hard to sit here and tell you what we’re holding our hat on.”

A&M’s defense is No. 66 in total defense as it stands currently. The defense has given up 1,052 total yards in its three games and has allowed opponents to average 5.16 yards per game, in addition to surrendering 350.7 yards per game.

While that’s not the standard for Elko’s defensive mind, he knows that there have to be adjustments made.

“We’ve played one Power 5 game and it didn’t go great, but obviously that’s something we’ve got to fix moving forward,” Elko said.

This article first appeared on Texas A&M Aggies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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