Texas A&M Mike Elko shares secret sauce behind the Aggies elite defensive and offensive success following Florida win
Mike Elko highlights both sets of trenches as the key to success on each side of the ball for Aggies
The Texas A&M Aggies are top five college football team in the country. They’re red hot, coming off of six straight wins to open the year. How did this happen? How did Mike Elko and his staff take a team that lost four out of their last five to end the 2024 season and turn them into a College Football Playoff contender?
Coach Elko shared exactly where he believes the secret sauce to success is coming from, and it begins in the trenches.
Mike Elko shares how pass rush has unlocked entire Texas A&M defense
Texas A&M continues to dominate along their defensive front thanks to the talents of elite future NFL star defensive end Cashius Howell and his surprisingly talented surrounding cast. Both in pass rush (as has been the case all year), and now in run defense, which makes the entire defensive unit look special. Elko talked through the success of that defensive group after the game on Saturday:
“We’re pressuring the quarterback a lot. I think that’s where it all starts from. If you look at some of the things that the front did–stopping the run tonight, I think that’s three straight now against the SEC opponents where we held them under 100 yards rushing. That will win you football games. There were times where we were stopping the runs without extra bodies. If we can do that obviously that makes things a lot better for us.”
The media continued asking more questions on the “how” behind the success for Texas A&M’s wild defense that’s allowed just two third down conversions in the last three SEC games combined. Elko couldn’t deny just how easy a talent like Cashius Howell makes things:
“It makes [getting after the passer] real easy. I do think we try to do some creative things with Cashius Howell, and our defensive line coaches do a really good job each week of formulating a strong rush plan where we have answers if they start chipping him. We just try to create ways, to make sure that they can’t just focus on him. But yeah, it helps when you have a difference maker like that on the edge.”
The Aggies now have five players with multiple sacks on the season. Cashius Howell somehow already has 24 pass rush pressures and eight sacks at the halfway point. This defensive front is looking ready to beat the best in the country.
Mike Elko emphasizes offensive line improvement carrying offense
No sacks. One pressure. No tackles for loss. That’s how clean the Texas A&M offensive line kept things for quarterback Marcel Reed and the entire offense on Saturday against Florida’s tough defense. When these ridiculous stats were brought up by one savvy media member, Elko was initially seemed surprised, until he talked through just how clean he’s seen Marcel Reed operate as A&M’s offense continues heating up:
“I didn’t know that. That’s not on our stat sheet. We’re starting to come into our own on the offensive line and you’re starting to really hear it on Tuesdays in practice. Tuesdays in practices, we’re starting to get really physical. Our offensive line is getting into their groove. I think our defensive line is getting into their groove. We’re starting to play like a physical SEC football team needs to play…Marcel [Reed] was kept really clean most of the night. We talk a lot about how much that matters. Keeping your quarterback from getting hits. Keeping your quarterback from taking the wear and tear. He sits in some really clean pockets to deliver the football.”
Marcel Reed has dropped back to pass 198 times on the season so far and he’s taken just five sacks. That’s a wild, wildly low sack rate for an SEC quarterback. A&M’s pressure rate surrendered is nearly 10 full percentage points better than FBS average. Reed’s pressure to sack rate is another 8 percentage points better than FBS average. That combination of solid blocking and elusiveness from Reed is going to make things nearly impossible for opposing defenses all year long if it continues.
In short, based on Mike Elko had to say, the unbelievable trenches for Texas A&M might just be what carries them to the College Football Playoff (and possibly deep into it).
We’ll be back with more Texas A&M Aggies coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
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