Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko on Wednesday's Aggie Football Hour
Texas A&M's College Football Playoff hopes seem to be on the line every week now as the Aggies are currently 5-1 and 3-0 in SEC play but will need to likely finish with a 10-2 or even 11-1 record to earn a spot in the new 12-team structure. However, anything is possible going forward after Alabama and Tennessee sustained losses.
On Wednesday, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko continued his preview of the Aggies' Week 8 road test against Mississippi State this weekend. The 1-5, last-place Bulldogs are much tougher than their record shows after nearly attempting a comeback on the road vs. No. 5-ranked Georgia in Week 7.
For Texas A&M to take control of the game early, starting quarterback Conner Weigman will need to hit tight windows and set the tone against Mississippi State's secondary, which should open up A&M's ground game and junior RB Le'Veon Moss to break the game wide open.
Here's everything Mike Elko had to say during the weekly Aggie Football Hour ahead of facing Mississippi State.
Elko on what the Aggies focused on during the bye week
We don't spend much time talking about where we are, what we've done." "This was an opportunity for us to take a breath, get the body rested. ... We knew if we could get through the first six in this position, the back half would set up pretty well. We're excited to go chase it."
Elko on the challenges ahead during SEC play
"The competition in our league, the competition among teams, every single one of these games is a battle."
"Now, it's an SEC team, another SEC team and another SEC team. The grind and the wear and tear are a challenge, too. That will always make the back half of our schedule a challenge."
Elko on the Aggies practing on two fields during Wednesday and Thursday practice
"I thought it was really good for the whole program."
Elko on the internal focus on improving within the program
"We have so much to do and get better and improve and fix."
Elko on the Aggies' 5-1 star this season
"Your fan base, your players, your coaches, we all talk about the process. ... That's ultimately what leads to success, but at the end of the day, that message only goes so far if you don't get validation."
Elko on the natural inclination to fight human nature on the field
"You're fighting human nature. Human nature is, 'I've got this. I can relax.' You can never do that in football. You can never do that in the SEC."
Elko on Texas A&M S&C program under Tommy Moffitt
"Our lifting regimen in season is still going. It's not just maintenance."
"We've got guys that are stronger now than they were six weeks ago. That's where you want your strength program to be. ... You want that growth, and the kids feel that."
Elko on his emphasis of "earning" success
"It's something we wanted to instill when you talk about building your program around the core values of your university. ... We want to embrace that too."
"Don't let entitlement keep in because it will be the death of you."
Elko on the importance of developming a Championship mindset
"This is the big-boy league. The margins for success and failure are just so small. ... What differentiates it is the mindset and how you emphasize it and how you pour into it and pour into your teammates. All of that stuff separates the teams."
Elko on chasing "perfection"
"You have no way of knowing which is going to be 'the' play. ... The only thing you know is for the history of football, there is going to be those four or five plays that make or break the game."
"We want to chase perfection on every single rep."
Elko on how the Aggies learn from other's success
"We study successful people a lot in your building because you're naive if you don't."
"A lot of them are obsessed. A lot of them pour everything they have into what they do. ... That's where the champions come from."
Elko on the position group that has improved the most this season
"If you say 'overall improvement counting additions,' I think it's DB. ... We've made strides. A lot of that was what we did in the transfer portal."
Elko noted that RB Le'Veon Moss is the team's MVP so far this season
Elko on safety Dalton Brooks' progress this season
"He's a really good football player."
Elko reflects on the Aggies' 41-10 win against Missouri
"You get into this profession, and it's like immediately, 'Next task.'"
"You're still focused on the five or six plays that you screwed up on to make sure you don't do that again. ... It was a good day."
Elko on the importance of winning before a bye week
"There's two games you always want to win. If you play at 11 a.m., you want to win because if you don't, you're wearing it all day."
"You want to win going into the bye week because if you don't, you have to wear that one for a long time."
Elko praises sophomore DE Rylan Kennedy
"Every single time we put the film on, it's like, 'OK, we have to find more ways for this kid to impact the game.' ... He just impacts the game every single time he's out there."
Texas A&M DL Albert Regis has been one of the Aggies' most consistnet run stoppers
"He's the most unsung player that we have that is playing at a really, really high level."
"He has been a force for us on the defensive line."
Elko on the biggest issue Mississippi State presents on Saturday
"What you don't want to see is a team that is getting better every week or a team that is coming together. They're doing both."
"They're really talented. ... They lit up Georgia in the second half, and that will get your attention really quick."
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko on Wednesday's Aggie Football Hour