Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC) remains the No. 3-ranked team in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Even after completing the most significant comeback win in program history after defeating South Carolina 31-30 in a game where the Aggies trailed 30-3 at halftime, No. 2 Indiana and No. 1 Ohio State are also undefeated, and will both likely finish 12-0.
Head coach Mike Elko is focused on Saturday’s home matchup against Samford, which also serves as Senior Day, where the coaching staff will honor over 30 seniors, including redshirt senior edge Cashius Howell, who leads the SEC in sacks (11.5) through nine games. Still, it’s hard not to reflect further on the Aggies’ historic comeback, which may never happen again.
On Wednesday night, Elko spoke during his weekly Aggie Football Hour appearance, praising the Aggie fan base who stayed throughout the entire game despite the massive halftime deficit, as the 12th Man deserves this season more than most, given that previous coaching regimes never took the next step until Elko arrived.
Before hosting the Samford Bulldogs on Saturday, here is everything Mike Elko said during the Aggie Football Hour.
Mike Elko with some praise for the 12th Man that stood strong during the comeback win
“It was a nice morning with 108,000 of our closest friends. They stuck with us and helped us win a football game.”
Mike Elko on why he signed his 6-year extension with Texas A&M
“That’s what it sounds like. For all the loyal fans here, the boss lady said it weeks ago.”
“Once it became clear the university wanted the things we wanted, there wasn’t much stress on our end in terms of it getting done… We are here and happy to be here for a while.”
Mike Elko on senior Edge Cashius Howell’s elite season
“It’s really fun. He eats it up. He’s really put himself in a position to not only be one of the most dominant players in college football, but also to be great beyond college football.”
Mike Elko’s official assessment of Texas A&M’s comeback win over South Carolina
“We turned the ball over, get down 17-3, and then our kids are feeling it slip away in a game that shouldn’t be slipping away, so they’re pressing, and you can feel it on the sideline. Everybody is trying so hard that we’re doing things our kids don’t normally do. All you’re trying to do is to get them to be themselves again. At halftime, we talked a lot about our identity. We had to get back to playing Texas A&M football one snap at a time.”
Mike Elko on redshirt freshman WR Izaiah Williams’ impact against South Carolina
“We talk about it all the time, without those kids being ready, we don’t win games. He was ready when his name was called. He just keeps working. Mario goes down, that creates an opportunity, and next thing you know he’s the reason we’re coming back and winning a football game.”
Mike Elko has more love for the 12th Man’s steadfast dedication
“What’s this now 11 or 12 straight games with over 100,000 fans? We have a shot to set a single season attendance record on Saturday. One last time in Kyle Field, it will be a lot of fun.”
Mike Elko on Texas A&M needing to play a complete game on Saturday
“We have worn people down in the second half. We have worn people down at the line of scrimmage. At the end of four quarters, we’ve found a way to come out on top in the physicality battle. That’s going to be critical moving forward.”
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M HC Mike Elko previews Samford during the Aggie Football Hour
