Everything Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said previewing matchup with South Carolina

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko met with the media on Monday to look back at the Aggies’ win over LSU and begin to preview the team’s upcoming matchup with South Carolina on Saturday. Here’s everything he had to say.

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Opening statement

“Recapping the LSU game, again, I think, even two days later, still a thank you to the 12th Man. It seems worth it – it really was. It was a great night in Kyle Field and uh an unbelievable atmosphere.

“I think our players of the game – O-line, we gave it to Trey Zuhn and Dametrious Crownover. I thought that was Dametrious Crownover’s best game of the week, for sure.

“Defensive line-wise, we gave it to Shemar Turner and DJ Hicks. (I’m) really proud of DJ. I think he’s really starting to come into his own. Probably, the last three weeks, I think you’ve seen a real upward trajectory from him. And (he’s) starting to really play the way he’s capable of. (He’s) an extremely productive player for us, so it’s been great to see his development.

“Offensively, we gave it to Marcel Reed. Obviously, the big spark that he provided coming in off the bench with three touchdowns. He was also named SEC Freshman of the Week. So, (I’m excited for him. (I) also gave a shout out though to Amari Daniels. I thought that was his best game of the year here – the way he ran the ball and the way he carried himself. And (I) thought that was great.

“Defensively we gave it to BJ Mayes. Two interceptions obviously shifted the game completely – we talked about that after the game.

“And then, the one guy that I didn’t talk about after the game who certainly needs some mentioning is Tyler White. Again, he was our special teams player of the game. He was also the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week again for the third time. He had five punts last week – three of them netted over 50 yards, one of them was pinned on the seven-yard line. So, he just continues to be a weapon for us.

“When you look at the game, I think it comes down to the critical factors. I think we won the critical factors. We won the turnover margin 3-1 – that’s always going to be a really good indicator. We won on special teams – we were plus-seven on our special teams game changers chart. A lot of that was how we did punting the football. So, at the times when we weren’t playing the way we necessarily wanted to, we were able to control field position and flip the field with some great net punts. We won the fourth quarter 17-6. And when you do that, that’s going to win you a lot of football games. I just think the line-of-scrimmage running game in this league still matters. When you can out-rush a team by close to 200 yards, it’s going to lead to a successful night.

“So, we’re excited with where we’re at, and now we kind of turn our attention ahead to to an extremely big challenge. I think this will be the biggest challenge of the year to date. This (South Carolina) is going to be an extremely talented team – 4-3 coming off of a bye week, certainly could be 6-1 easily. I just think they’re a team that has grown every week. They’re playing a lot of really talented young guys mixed in with a blend of talented veterans. This is going to be an enormous challenge for our program; so, it’s back to work. It’s, ‘Do the things we got to do this week to prepare to give ourselves the best chance to kind of move forward and and kind of go where we want to to go as a program.’

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The last thing – and this is comical that I actually have to do this, but it’s necessary – in the postgame, I was asked to kind of give a synopsis on how we sell culture to our program. In doing so, I made a statement that seemed like a very benign statement that somehow managed to be taken as a shot directly at people. You guys gave me multiple opportunities in nine months to take shots at people, and I’ve never done it.

“I’ve nothing but respect for Coach (Jimbo) Fisher. I’ve said nothing but positive things about Coach Fisher. I’m the head coach at Texas A&M because of Coach Fischer. I appreciate who he is, everything that he’s done. And for anybody in the media to think that that was what I was doing post-LSU is – I mean, it’s asinine. And for it to be about any other head coach who gave me an opportunity and hired me, that’s not who I am. I’ve never been that person. It’s ridiculous, but it is what it is. So, I wanted to make sure that everybody knows I wasn’t talking to anybody directly.”

On how/whether Elko has made a decision at quarterback

“I think the possibility is there for a lot of things. I think we’re going to look at, this week, kind of figure out what we think the right thing is for us, what we think gives us the best chance to win moving forward. It’s probably too early in our mind to kind of make that decision. And even if we did, we probably wouldn’t tell you right now, anyway.

“But no, I think we just want to see how this week plays out, kind of see what we think gives us the best shot to go into this environment and be successful, and then, then kind of go forward from there.”

On the Aggies’ ability to refocus after big wins and losses

“I like what I hear from them when they talk to you – I think that means the messaging is getting through. I think we’ve tried to attack this thing from a mindset of, ‘We need to improve every week, we need to get better every week. We need to approach every challenge and and give ourselves the opportunity to earn success every week.’ You say those things a lot. Sometimes, they get up, and you hear them talk. And you don’t hear those those words come from them, right?

“I saw Albert (Regis) today. You hear even guys like Marcel and BJ on national TV after the game talking about the next opportunity. So, yeah, I think they’re locked in and focused on what we’re capable of. And I think what we’re capable of is has got to be the next step – growth, development – because I think, if we finished 5-3 in the SEC, I don’t think anyone in our locker room would be real happy with that.”

On Chase Bisontis’ status

“I mean, he was out last week. He’s probably going to be out for a couple weeks until we get him back. We’ll kind of see where that one progresses coming out of the bye week.”

On mixing aggressiveness with discipline and a pre-game incident

“I got nothing on the pre-game thing. Obviously, that’s something we’ll handle internally and make sure that doesn’t become an issue.

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“The penalties are a concern. We addressed it again this morning. We continue address it – we address it every day. But until you get it fixed and corrected, you’re not doing it the right way. So, as a staff, I think we got to look at ourselves and figure out ways (to fix this). And the two areas that are most concerning and most frustrating to me are pre-snap and post-snap (penalties).

“You’re going to play football in the SEC, and there’s going to be a holding penalty. There’s going to be a defensive PI. Those things are going to happen. You don’t want a lot of them, but they’re not going to completely ever go away. Our pre-snap procedural penalties on offense and our post-snap penalties are going to kill us, so we’ve got to do a better job, as a staff, making sure that our players understand that. We certainly try, but we’re not getting it done. So, we got to get it done.”

On the Aggies’ ability to dominate the line of scrimmage

“I think, one, it’d be hard-pressed to not give a shout out to (director of strength and conditioning) Tommy Moffitt in that regard and what our kids did with him. It’s certainly a mindset in terms of how we practice and talking a lot about stressing, straining and effort throughout the course of practice. We make a huge emphasis on the last team period of practice every time we go out there.

“And then, I think it’s just a credit to our kids. I think, when you look at us, we’re playing the game in a way that we’re playing very level. We’re not an emotional roller coaster. We’re not starting like a fire plug, and then, all of a sudden, we kind of fade away – we’re coming in prepared for a three-and-a-half hour fight. And I think that maybe has shown itself a little bit in the fourth quarter. There hasn’t been panic. There’s just been a stick-to-itiveness to just stay with what we’re doing, and maybe, find a way to elevate it and do it a little bit better.

On South Carolina’s defense

“They’re extremely talented. Their front is phenomenal. The two kids on the edge – they got the transfer from Georgia Tech (Kyle Kennard) and then the freshman (Dylan Stewart) playing for him on the edge. Both those kids are going to be first-round draft picks – if not, top-10, five picks in the draft. They’ve got an interior kid who’s extremely dominant, plays very physical. They’re athletic at the second level. They got a first-round safety (Nick Emmanwori) who’s 6-foot-3, 225 pounds back there.

“And I apologize right now – it’s a lot of numbers in my head, not a lot of names. But watching them, they allow their defensive line to impact the game. When you look at them, what they’ve done is successfully turn people over and create opportunities for their offense. In the games that they’ve been really successful, the defense has taken the game over in so many ways. I think it’s by far the best group that we’ve played to date. And playing them coming off of a bye, where they extra preparation and are going to be really dialed in on what they want to do against us, it’s going to be a huge challenge.”

On whether Reed’s performances raised Elko’s confidence in him

“I would say a lot. I think there was questions asked in the opener. And I don’t know that it ever crossed our mind in the opener, for a variety of reasons. But probably just because that’s not the right place to put a young kid in. When you see him go out and play the way he does – we talked after the Missouri game. He made it an extremely challenging decision. It was not an easy decision where to go with this thing.

“We think we have two very quality quarterbacks. You know Marcel can do, and it was not on Conner (Weigman) completely. It wasn’t. There were a lot of faults on our offensive failures on Saturday night, from coaching to play-calling, to me, to Colin (Strittmatter), to our O-line, to our wideouts. It was everywhere, and, certainly, Connor played a piece of it. But you know you have this guy who is an extremely quality, capable kid and is a different dynamic. So, when the opportunity presents itself to make a change and try to inject some life into it, you’re certainly comfortable that he can do it.”

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On what Elko wants Texas A&M’s offense to improve upon

“We’re still just looking for some consistency in the throw game. It feels like we’re still working through a lot of the timing elements of it. That sounds like coach speak, but it’s the reality. We’re not in a really good timing rhythm of the quarterback going through his progressions in the right timing, the wideouts being in the right windows in the right timing. And then, when all of those things are happening, then, sometimes, the O-lines fail. That happened more Saturday night than it has in previous weeks. But then, all of a sudden, ‘Okay, we we’ve got it, and the quarterback’s about to throw it.’ And then, we get sacked. I just think we have to get our passing game working in a rhythm – that it can be more productive and more efficient for if we wanted to go down the road the way we want to.”

On what went into the decision to switch out quarterbacks in the third quarter against LSU

“Ultimately, it’s my decision. I think (offensive coordinator Collin Klein) and I kind of go into every week. He comes up with the plans, but I think we have to have a plan for Marcel ready at all times because you never know, injury-wise, how the game is going to play. We go into the game and Conner is our starter, and we develop a game plan around Conner and the best way we think Conner can attack LSU. But then, you also have to have in the back of your mind, ‘Okay, well, what happens if Conner goes down and Marcel’s got to go out there and win us this game? What does that look like?’

“I think it’s a credit to Collin that he’s able to do that in a way that doesn’t create a lot of volume for our offensive players. It’s real subtle tweaks and differences that you can change that don’t change a lot for a lot of people, so it’s not like we’re practicing two completely different offenses. We just have enough wrinkles within our system that we can tailor it to who the quarterback is. So, you have that plan ready, and you know it’s there, so then, when the offense isn’t isn’t firing or isn’t being efficient enough, and you feel like you have an opportunity to try to inject some life into the game, that’s kind of what you do.”

On how difficult it is to prepare for both Reed and Weigman

“I think it’s a challenge because I think their strengths are kind of contrasting. I think Conner’s strength is his ability to see things, his quick release, his ability to function and operate in the RPO game. So, based on how you rotate, based on where you create access, if you are trying to outnumber the box, Conner has the ability to beat you with his arm. And then, he’s certainly athletic enough that he can do some things with his feet and be a weapon in that regard, as well.

“Marcel is kind of the exact opposite, right? (He) can do enough in the RPO game. He can throw the ball enough in the RPO game. And then, certainly, (he) has the arm talent to throw the drop-back in the play action game. But he has a different dynamic in terms of his ability to to run the zone-read game and the different types of read plays that you can run. When you’re doing all of that, you’re really touching the entire gauntlet of offense, right? You’re kind of attacking it from every different angle. So, as a defensive coach, I’d imagine that that’d be challenging to try to get your kids ready for all of that.”

On what goes into decision to start one quarterback over the other

“I think we’ll kind of come to those decisions. I think we’ve got to try to figure out what’s best for this offense, what’s best for those two young kids, what’s best for this program for the rest of this season. So, I think that that’ll take some conversation this week as we go through the week and try to figure out the best way to go.”

On how Texas A&M’s veterans have responded to slow starts and coming up just short

“I think a lot of that comes back to what they did throughout the offseason. I think we’ve gotten into a lot of these games, into a lot of these moments, into a lot of these high-stress situations down the stretch and spent a lot of time focusing on the things that they’ve done, the work they put in the different things they’ve done with Coach Moffitt, what they’ve done to prepare themselves for those moments. We ask them to think about all the things that they’ve invested and put into this. And then, trust it and rely on it. And I think, to this point, they’ve done a good job with that.”

On what the 12th Man has meant to Elko

“I just think, standing there, sawing them off, that was such an impressive scene. The energy that that student section brought that whole game just kind of the whole way through – it was just in my mind. I didn’t know the right way to thank them. And that (a “Gig ‘Em”) was the best thing that I could think of.

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“It was certainly still on my mind when I came to the podium. It’s still on my mind when I came to the podium today. I just think, for everything that they do for our program, I want them to understand how much we appreciate it. We appreciate their support, and we appreciate how they’re there for us through thick and thin, no matter what. For me, this is year five, really, with that support – four as the DC, one as the head coach, obviously – and the first time I’m really at ground level with the opportunity to show my appreciation. So, I think that’s kind of where some of that stuff has come from.”

On what Elko has seen from Regis and the Aggie’s defensive line

“I’ll flip it, and I’ll tell you that he’s a main reason why it’s the best defensive line he’s played on. I think he is one of the most unsung heroes on this team, in terms of the level that he’s playing at. He’s immovable in there right now. He’s extremely physical, he’s making a lot of plays in the interior run game. I think he, and to some degree, Shemar Turner, too – but I think Albert, just because of his being at the nose guard and being in the center of it, are really altering people’s game plans because they’re having such a hard time running the ball between the tackles.

“And then, when you talk about the depth, the ability to bring in DJ Hicks, the ability to bring in Cashius Howell, the ability for Rylan Kennedy to show up all of a sudden in the fourth quarter fresh and go get a sack – just what we’re able to do rotating people around. Rodas Johnson comes in and gets a pressure that leads to the first turnover, interception, right? There’s a lot of quality in that group, which allows us to rotate – which, I think, allows them to to stay fresh and continue to get stronger as the season goes on.”

On Texas A&M’s third-down success on offense

“I think one of the things we do probably a little different as we get to third down early in the week. So, we started installing our third-down game plan on Tuesday. That’s different – a lot of teams don’t do that. I think, for us, or me as a coach, I understand. And I’ve always wanted to kind of give our kids the best chance to get their head wrapped around the different blitz packages, the different looks you’re going to get on third down. It’s different, right? And you get to a point in the season where, ‘Okay, we’ve blocked inside zone enough. One less rep of blocking inside zone on first down and one more rep at some exotic third-down pressure maybe helps us. So, that’s been a big part of it, I think.

“It’s an emphasis point, obviously, across the board. It is for most programs. But I think we do a good job of getting our kids to understand it. And I think we’ve done a good job of trying to manage the down and distances we get into. That always helps, as well.”

On what Weigman can improve upon

“I think, and I think he would tell you this – I think he gets sped up sometimes. His clock starts moving faster when he’s not having success. And his eyes are going through the progressions a little too quick. He’s getting the ball out of his hand a little bit too quick. I think we saw that on a couple of the throws. And he rushes his mechanics a little bit, and the ball sails on him. So, I just think he’s still got it – he still has a ton of growth. He’s still got a ton of repetition that he needs and experience that he needs to gather to just be able to consistently go through the progressions at the pace and speed that you need.

“Again, everything in the passing game is about your eyes and feet being on time with the wideouts. And if the wideouts aren’t there, then that’s a problem. If your eyes and feet aren’t there, that’s a problem. I think, sometimes, our wideouts are a little too slow getting where they need to be. And I think, sometimes, Conner is a little too fast um as goes through his progressions.”