Texas A&M Faces McNeese St.

The Mike Elko era began in defeat last Saturday when the Texas A&M Aggies lost their season opener to Notre Dame, 23-13, in College Station.

The game was tied 6-6 at halftime. But the Fighting Irish pulled away in the second half to secure the victory.

Elko was brought in as Texas A&M coach last November, however, he is no stranger to the Maroon and White. Before his stint as the Duke Blue Devils head coach, Elko served as defensive coordinator with the Aggies from 2018-21.

After his team’s loss to Notre Dame, Elko emphasized the Aggie fans “deserve better.”

“To the Aggie fans out there, y’all deserve better and we didn’t give it to you.”

– Mike Elko pic.twitter.com/jGgqMy5Yfv

— Harris Hicks (@harrishicks_) September 1, 2024

Elko also touched on the performance of his quarterback, Conner Weigman, who went 12-of-30 in the loss.

“He knows [the problems]. He saw it,” Elko said. “He’s confident in the corrections he needs to make and he’ll have a great week of practice and put himself in position to make the improvements we need to make.”

Weigman said he’s confident that one off game will not get him down.

https://twitter.com/TexAgs/status/1831029716079288322

A&M Vs. McNeese State Preview

The Aggies will look to bounce back Saturday against McNeese State (1-1) at Kyle Field at 12:45 p.m. EST (SEC Network).

While McNeese does not have as high expectations or talent as Notre Dame, Elko said his team will not take anyone lightly, highlighting the Cowboys’ starting quarterback.

“They’re led by quarterback Clifton McDowell, who led Montana State to a FCS national championship appearance last year,” coach said. “(McDowell) is a dual thread kid. He’s their leading rusher as well. He’s completing 63% of his passes, and so he kind of makes the offense go.”

The Cowboys lost their opener to Tarleton State 26-23 and then responded by defeating the Southern Jaguars last Saturday, 21-7.

While McNeese will face a tough opponent in the Aggies, they feel they have many positives from their first win that will help to fuel them Saturday. The Cowboys produced more yards of offense, 272-198, as well as held the Jaguars to only 66 rushing yards on the night.