Elko sees Florida matchup as tough task
If you think Texas A&M coach Mike Elko might feel comfortable with a 5-0 start and being ranked fifth in the nation, you can forget it. He’s taking this weekend’s opponent very seriously.
“We have an enormous challenge this week with Florida coming in. I think Florida’s by far and away the most talented team that we’ve played this year,” he said during his Monday press conference. “They’ve got an excellent group of players. They’ve played a very competitive schedule. They’ve played in two top-10 road environments already, so they’re going to be well-versed in what this is like and what it’s going to be like coming into Kyle Field.”
The Gators are only 2-3 (1-1 SEC), but their first conference win was an eye-opener as they bashed then-No. 9 Texas 29-21 at home this past Saturday. Florida picked up 457 yards of total offense and sacked Texas quarterback Arch Manning six times in a game in which they never trailed. Elko said the Gators have the ability to cause problems for any opponent with the quality of players they have on both sides of the ball.
“I think they’re really physical. I think they have really talented pieces on the outside. They create a lot of stress on you in terms of how you commit numbers to the run versus commit numbers to coverage, and they’re able to kind of take advantage of you in a lot of different ways,” he said.
The Gators are led by quarterback DJ Lagway, who bounced back from a five interception outing against LSU to complete 21 of 28 passes for a season high 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Texas. The Willis native and former Rivals 5-star is no stranger to Elko or the Texas A&M program, even before he faced the Aggies in relief last year in Gainesville.
“DJ’s obviously a kid that we’ve known. Tried very hard to get him here,” Elko said. “(He’s) an extremely talented quarterback. I think, again, media narratives to me are so funny. I think he’s playing so much better. I think he’s made a lot of growth and taken a lot of strides. You see him very, very comfortable back there. And so, yeah, I think he’s playing at a really, really high level. He’s a really talented kid.”
Lagway and the Florida offense will face an Aggie defense that has hit its stride in the last two games, holding the offenses of Auburn and Mississippi State to a combined total of 19 points and 396 yards of total offense while racking up 9 sacks. When it comes to crunch time, the A&M defense has been even more impressive, holding the Tigers and Bulldogs to a combined 1 for 25 on third- and fourth down conversions.
“One of the hidden stats in there is 3rd-down distance. Our ability to create some negative plays on first- and second down, our ability to create some sacks or some pressures or some tackles for loss in the run game puts people behind the sticks and forces them into tougher third down situations,” Elko said. “As much as we’ve been good on third down the last two games, I also think a large part of our success is we’ve been very much in advantageous third down situations.”
The Aggies also have the top sack man in the Power 4 conferences and second nationally in defensive end Cashius Howell, who picked up his second hat trick of the season against Mississippi State to give him 7 sacks for the season. Howell, who was limited in his playing time due to the presence of Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart last year, is now receiving first round buzz himself as he has become a leader on the defense with his example.
“Kids decide to come back for that last year of school and some handle it a lot of different ways. Some guys come back and they kind of go into coast mode … They maybe don’t take the work ethic or the practice habits to the level you would like to see,” Elko said. “He was the exact opposite. He has done this thing as well and as good as you could ever hope for a kid. He’s changed his body. He put in a ton of work with (strength & conditioning) Coach (Tommy) Moffitt. He’s practicing better. He’s preparing better. And I think the players see that.”
Howell’s 3 sacks won him recognition as the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week, but a teammate did him one better. With his 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception, linebacker Daymion Sanford was named the SEC’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Sanford, who has been filling in for the injured Scooby Williams in the starting lineup, is already second on the team in sacks and tackles for loss.
“Daymion has stepped up and played two really, really big games for us as a starter the last two weeks. He also played a really big second half for us on the road at Notre Dame. He’s a kid that we have a lot of confidence in,” Elko said. “I told the guys this this morning, ‘It’s not lost on me that our two players of the week this week weren’t necessarily starters game one (with running back Reuben Owens being the other).’ When you talk about what it really takes to build a program, to build a program that can go the distance in this conference week in and week out, you need a lot of kids to be bought in. You’re going to need a lot of kids to be able to come in and have success. Fortunately, Daymion was a kid who was ready when his number was called.”
While Elko is obviously pleased with an unbeaten start and a 2-0 record in the SEC, he reminded reporters that the Aggies were also flying high last year at 7-1 before stumbling down the stretch. This year, however, he believes the team has a greater belief due to the offseason emphasis on finishing strong.
“I just think they’re becoming more and more confident. We talk about this a lot; it’s an empowering feeling to know that you have control of the outcome of things. It’s also a very nervous feeling when you’re not sure if you do. When I can do my absolute best, and it might not actually work out for me, is a really scary place to live,” he said. “I think one of the mindsets that we’ve really tried to instill in them, and I think they’re starting to understand and embrace is, ‘You control this.’ How you play, how you prepare, you ultimately can put in the work. You ultimately can play the game at a level that will make you unstoppable. And I think they’re starting to believe that that’s real.”
