'I don't pay attention to that': Texas A&M HC Mike Elko previews Missouri

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On Tuesday night, Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC) earned the No. 3 ranking in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and while some believe the Aggies deserved a higher seed, this Saturday’s road test vs. No. 22 Missouri (6-2, 2-2 SEC) will further prove if Texas A&M deserves to be considered the most complete team in the country.

This week, head coach Mike Elko discussed his team’s “desperate” state of mind heading into the final stretch of the regular season, which may have confused some of the fan base, but is another example of the Aggies’ focus on finishing strong in November, as Texas A&M is just 3-9 in November since the 2021 season.

However, after the bye week, Elko is confident his team will be ready to handle another challenging road environment. At the same time, Texas A&M’s 31st-ranked defense will face freshman quarterback Matt Zollers, who has now had two weeks to prepare for an Aggie pass rush that has produced 32 sacks through eight games.

On the other side, Texas A&M star quarterback Marcel Reed has played like a Heisman contender, coming off his four-touchdown performance during the Aggies’ 49-25 road win over LSU. On paper, Missouri’s defense will be the best unit outside of Auburn that could make this a lower-scoring game. Still, no secondary has been able to stop transfer wide receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, who have combined for 1,261 yards and 11 touchdowns.

On Wednesday, Mike Elko spoke during his weekly SEC Teleconference to discuss this weekend’s matchup and reflect on the Aggies’ CFP ranking.

Mike Elko on star WR Mario Craver’s impact

“His explosiveness has been such a huge part of our success. It was a need for us going into this year. People have paid a lot more attention to him, and he’s still found a way to have a major impact in every game we’ve had.”

Mike Elko’s thoughts on Texas A&M’s No. 3 CFP Ranking

“I don’t pay much attention to that. I’m glad he has an opinion on why he put teams where. I think it’s awesome.”

Mike Elko on the state of his defense coming out of the bye week

“This year defensively, we’ve made a lot of strides. When you look at where we are in conference only stats, we’ve made improvement. What we’re shooting for is consistency.”

Mike Elko on facing freshman QB Matt Zollers

“One of the big challenges when you don’t have a ton of film is you’re not 100% certain how they’ll adapt the package around him. He showed against Vanderbilt that he can deliver the ball accurately and lead drives late in the game.”

Did Mike Elko have a reaction to Texas A&M’s CFP ranking?

“Not even a little bit.”

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC Mike Elko said during the SEC Teleconference

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