Photo by: Jack Coil/Texas A&M Athletics
Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: LSU
Oct 20, 2025 | Football
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION--Texas A&M football coach Mike Elko met with the media on Monday in his latest weekly press conference.
The third-ranked Aggies (7-0, 4-0) head to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge this weekend to battle 20th-ranked LSU (5-2, 2-2). Kickoff on ABC is set for 2:30 p.m. Fans can also listen to the game along the Texas A&M Sports Network (1620 AM/94.5 FM locally) or worldwide inside the 12th Man Mobile App or at 12thman.com.
Opening Statement...
"First, we'll start by recapping the Arkansas game, with our players of the week. Our offensive scout team player of the week was Chase Burton. Our defensive scout team player of the week was Lucas Pernas. Our special teams scout player of the week was Tiger Riden. It's been good to see him get back healthy and get out there. He's kind of back on the travel roster, starting to get himself involved in some special teams, and so it's good to see him healthy and doing his thing.
"In terms of players of the week, our offensive lineman of the week was Chase Bisontis. Our offensive player of the week was Marcel Reed, and our special teams player of the week was Bravion Rogers. I thought Chase had another phenomenal game. I think he continues to do a really, really good job of creating movement. Obviously, our offensive line, again with no sacks, continued to play really, really well. I said this after the game, Marcel played his most complete game. I thought he did what we had asked him to do consistently throughout. He ade plays with his arms, he made plays with his legs, distributed the ball really well. I thought he did a really good job. Then Bravion Rogers continues to be a major factor for us on special teams. He does a great job as a gunner, getting down against what was a very dangerous punt returner. He made one big tackle and also drew a penalty that backed them up on the second-to-last drive of the game. Really excited with how he's playing. Defensively there was nobody, which I think just kind of speaks to the game.
"Offensively, I thought we played really, really well. We answered the call every time we needed to. I thought it was really great the way we went out in the second half and just continued to make plays to find a way to win the game. Defensively it was a very poor game. We didn't play well, didn't play up to our standard, didn't do the things that you need to do to be successful at all. So obviously we've got to go back to work and get that fixed.
"And so we now turn our attention to LSU. Obviously a big opportunity, a big stage, a chance to go down to Baton Rouge for what will be a very big game and a hostile environment. Another opportunity for this program to take a step forward. We're looking forward to the challenge and excited. And I'll just say this for all of the Aggies traveling down there, Coach Morrison and (the volleyball) team are playing Friday night at 7 o'clock down in Baton Rouge. So if you can make it a double dip while you're down there, we would love to get out there and support the girls as well."
Can you talk to me about the collaborative effort of what you all do at halftime? Because it seems like every game you guys diagnose a problem and then come out in the second half--and I know you weren't happy with the defense--but you did limit their running in the second half. Can you kind of talk about that process?
"I think it's a combination of a lot of things. One, it's trying to identify how people are attacking us and having a defensive system that's flexible enough to adapt on the run, which I think we've always kind of been able to do. I think it's the ability to get some information to the players in a more calm way. The sideline is so frenetic during the game. You adjust and you talk, but sometimes it doesn't always register when they're calling the hogs or they're going crazy. It's just not the easiest environment for a 19-year-old to focus on what you're saying. You can get them in the locker room and you can kind of settle them down, and so I think some of that plays a role in it. Then obviously you try to predict where the game's going--moving forward--and I think we've always had a good feel for what's coming and how to adjust to it. It certainly didn't feel like we did a great job of that on Saturday, but I do think over our time here it's something we've been very good at."
Ashton Bethel-Roman has a breakout game. E.J. Smith a huge game. Can you talk about how cool it is that you've got guys that maybe don't get all the headlines that are stepping up and making big plays to help this team win?
"I think (it is) on a lot of levels and I try to point it out to those guys. I pointed out in the locker room after the game. I pointed out in the team meeting today. When you talk about what a championship program looks like, that's what it looks like. It looks like a bunch of guys bought into being ready when it's time. On offense, this happens all the time. Everybody wants the ball, every play. I have had this conversation with our skill kids all year. I said you don't have to tell me you didn't get the ball enough. I'm all set. Whether you're the guy who got it the most or you're the guy who didn't get it at all, I'm all set that everybody needs it more. It's coaches need more this, players need more…that's just how the world works. I'm good. But there's gonna come a time where when the game's on the line, the ball's gonna come to you, and your challenge is you have to be ready to make that play. I don't know when it's gonna be. I don't know how it's gonna happen, but you have to be ready to make that play, because inevitably that play might be the difference between us winning and losing, and might be the difference between us going to the playoffs or not. That's what football is.
"When you think about it, E.J. Smith's not having all of the limelight he dreamed of having going into his senior year I'm sure. I'm sure he wishes he was the feature back carrying the ball 20 times a game. But…here it is, fourth and one at Arkansas, in our own territory, and he's got to convert, and that's a championship play. That play and that player will have as much to do with our success as anyone, right? It's the same thing with Ashton. We need a play on a 2nd and 10, and we throw a 50-50 jump ball, and he goes up and comes down with it. That ultimately leads to the touchdown that stretches it out. That ultimately is the game-winning score. Those things matter. And in this world, where we try to identify every player to be selfish, and every player to only be out for himself, I think within this program right now, we have a lot of players that are breaking that, that are showing you that they really are here for Texas A&M. They are here for this team and they're going to compete and they're going to be ready when their number's called."
This year y'all have ended some dubious streaks for Texas A&M. I wonder how much satisfaction do you allow yourself to have in that? Or do you just approach those things as just another day of at the office for a coach?
"Probably as another day at the office as a coach. We came here with a vision of what this program should be. We knew in order for that to become a reality, we were gonna have to do that. The vision of this program has not been this program's reality. We've talked about that since I got here, that we can't just keep saying we want to be something. We're actually at some point going to have to go out and do it. That was gonna require us winning on the road, winning SEC games on the road, beating top-10 teams…all of that was part of why we haven't been able to chase this elusive title that we've been searching for so long or do any of those things. I don't know that I find tremendous joy, it's just good to see the program continuing to move in the right direction. I think that's how I take all of that."
Only because y'all won, is there any silver lining in the defensive performance that you can have this visual aid to show your guys what they have to do to be effective defensively the rest of the of the year?
" 'I hope so' is probably the right answer to that. Obviously, the silver lining is much bigger than a silver lining. We won the football game. We won't win very many games playing football and defense like that. I know that. I think our players know that. I was talking to one of them today, though. I feel like this generation sometimes has to get burned on the stove over and over and over again before they stop putting their hand on it. That was kind of how I talked to them today. Can we please make the corrections and make the adjustments before we don't get the silver lining to adjust with? Hopefully that creates some urgency. Obviously this game and this opponent should create a lot of urgency. But it is certainly concerning. It's concerning that we would do that on a Saturday with everything at stake the way it was. Hopefully it's a lesson learned."
A&M's had a tough time beating LSU on the road since they've been in the SEC...
"By tough time, you mean we've never done it?"
To that point…from your experience, what makes it so challenging to play at Tiger Stadium?
"For a large period of time we didn't go down there physically and stand up to the challenge. When you when you saw some of the early games, that was kind of always the…okay, this is what the SEC looks like. I think as our program grew, we started to get closer and closer. Obviously my first experience was going down there and playing the 2019 team. That wasn't a lot of fun but that was historically one of the best teams in college football. I think when we went down there in '21 it was obviously a much more competitive game from a physical standpoint. That's the gap that we've tried to close as a program. Obviously the series has been very balanced since I've been here in 2018. Someone's gonna crack through at some point on the road and Saturday's an opportunity for us to be the team that does it."
And then there's multiple national reports out that you're a possible candidate for the Penn State job. I'm just curious your thoughts on that, how you handle your name being linked to that kind of job and if that's something you even discussed with your players…
"I don't discuss it with my players. I think it's absolutely hilarious how you guys cover coaches. I think three weeks ago I was getting fired. Now I'm getting hired. You don't want me to stay, now I'm leaving…it's just, it's absolutely hilarious. It is a waste of brain space to spend any time talking or thinking about any of that stupidity."
Thinking back on Ashton Bethel Roman's recruitment, seems like he could have gotten pulled a lot of places. What do you remember about that and being able to ink him here?
"Yeah, I remember watching his tape when we got hired, before he signed with Arkansas, and thinking he was a really talented player and I wish we had recruited him. And so we did everything we could in the final hours to try to get him to flip to us. We just couldn't get him over the hump. The relationship was too short. We didn't know him. I was at Duke. Coach Wiggins wasn't even here yet, so we didn't have a wide receiver coach and Coach Klein didn't really know him. It was such a challenge to try to get it done in such a short period of time. He wound up signing with Arkansas and I guess for whatever reason, while he was there, it didn't work the way he had hoped it would. And so he wound up here."
How does the stadium environment at LSU play into the preparation for this Saturday? You mentioned the impact of the crowd noise on your player communication last week.
"If we're starting to prepare for that now, we lost. The preparation for this started in Spring ball. I think it's been an ongoing process for us. It's certainly not news to us that we're going to have to go play in some hostile environments on the road. So you do a lot from a preparation standpoint through Spring. You do a lot of preparation in Fall camp. We certainly have been preparing weekly for this. What you hope is that when you get into that environment, everybody's able to focus at the level they need to. Now, until you're in the environment, you can't recreate it. There's zero chance that on a Tuesday morning I can recreate what it's going to be like Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. You do the best you can to create as many obstacles and hurdles as you possibly can for your kids to overcome, that you just have to have confidence in them and in who they are that they're going to be able to go out there and do it the right way Saturday night."
Last year against LSU was obviously kind of Marcel Reed becoming, I guess, the man for A&M. And so just one year later, kind of coming full circle, what would you say is like the biggest difference you've seen in him especially after a great performance against Arkansas?
"Um...I'm running out of ways to answer the question on Marcel Reed's growth. When he went out there last year against Arkansas he made so many plays with his legs but I don't know that he was a complete quarterback yet. He had had some success. He had done some good things, but there just was a lot of inconsistency in his ability to go through the passing game progressions. I think now what you see is a kid so much more confident, so much more comfortable, still the same athlete, still capable of making plays with his feet, but also now able to sit in a pocket and deliver the football at a much, much higher level. And so I think that's probably the growth that he's made the most."
This past week aside the defense has been playing pretty well. Albert Regis is now four tackles away from 100 in his career. What can you say about his performance and time and what he means to this line?
"I think that's really cool for him. I wasn't aware of that, so thanks for sharing that. I've said this before, I do believe he's one of the most unsung members of this defense. What he does for us, being stout in the middle, being physical at the point…he's a challenge to block. Double teams struggle to move him. He does a really, really good job of anchoring our run defense. Obviously he's had a lot more success this year rushing the passer and getting pressures too. When you're a defensive tackle, stats don't come easy. I think it's just a tremendous credit to how hard he plays and how much he throws his body around for this program that if he can get to a hundred tackles, that's a really cool accomplishment."
Last year we saw Garrett Nussmeier have a lot of highs and a lot of lows here. What have you seen from him this year on tape when you've been evaluating this week?
"An extremely talented quarterback with a lot of weapons and the ability to distribute the football. He'll be a high draft pick. He'll be a successful NFL quarterback for a really long time. I just have a ton of respect for who he is as a player and the way he goes out there and competes."
You're playing former A&M commit Harold Perkins this week. How do you look to scheme your offense around him?
"Um…I mean…I don't know how to answer that question. 'Former A&M commit', that was like six years ago. Howard Perkins is a really good player. They've got a really good defense. Obviously, I know Harold, we recruited him, spent a lot of time talking about him. I would classify him at this point in his career as just an LSU linebacker. He's had a really good career. It's great to see that he's back healthy. That was a bad injury that he suffered last year and I'm just happy for him that he's back and playing really well."
This team hasn't been 7-0 in over 30 years. How is the idea of finishing helped get this team back to this point?
"I think you've seen us make some plays in the fourth quarter that have certainly made the difference. If you look at our games, I think there's been, what, three games now that have come down to one score in the fourth quarter. For us to be 3-0 in those games, I think the feelings in and around this room and the questions about my job security would be a lot different if I was on this podium at 4-3 than me standing here at 7-0. The way we finish games, the way we've made plays down the stretch, that matters. But again, we talk consistently about how success is rented. We've got to make sure that we continue to do it and continue to do it at a really high level."
You guys have used some pretty funky formations in 4th-and-short situations, and you've talked about doing a lot of research in the offseason. Without asking you to reveal any secrets, how much went into that research and that preparation for what you guys have kind of shown so far in those situations?
"A lot. We have a tremendous pride in what we do, and I've said this before. We're not the kind of staff that just points fingers when things don't go well. We certainly had our 4th-and-1 failures down the stretch last year. You can point to a variety of reasons as to why each of those plays failed, but at the end of the day the first thing you do is you take a look internally at, what are we doing? Are we doing the right things? What's out there across the country between college football and the NFL that's creatively giving you the best opportunity to be successful? And you try to make the proper tactical adjustments to give your kids the best opportunity to go out and be successful. I just think that's leadership and that's coaching, right? It doesn't do anybody any good for us to just sit here and point the finger. That's just not how we function. We obviously had a lot of different things we challenged our staff with this offseason, but that was certainly one of them--to go out and find a way to get better in those situations. And I think for the most part we've been able to do that and do it well. Obviously being 3-for-3 on Saturday was a huge piece of why we won that football game."
Last time A&M went to LSU, you were hired the next day here at A&M. Looking back, did you expect that the turnaround or maybe the start that you've had to be this quick? And just how validated do you feel about the decision to come and coach here?
"Probably two separate questions. I've said this on multiple occasions, in the modern era of college football--and you're seeing that play out across the country right now with some of my colleagues in what's happening--there's not a lot of time. Nobody has time. You don't have time to build, you don't have time to look at the future. You've got to hit the ground running and you've got to do everything you can to have eyes in two different directions, right? Building the foundation of a program that will last for a really long time, while doing things that give you an opportunity to win right away. And that's what we tried to do. Obviously it's very validating to have the success that we've had doing it. In terms of validation, in terms of taking the job and coming here, that shows up in a lot of different ways, a lot more than just winning football games. I think the support of the 12th Man, the support of this Athletic Department, the support of the University, what we're able to be building from a marketing standpoint, a recruiting standpoint…I think all of those things are validation that this place truly does have the potential that I thought it did when I took the job. Each day that those things continue to elevate and grow, I think that's the validation to that part of it."
Wednesday's international Stuttering Awareness Day, and I wanted to ask if you had some insight into KC Concepcion as a communicator, as a leader, or any examples that you might be able to share of him speaking up and what you've seen from him dealing with stuttering?
"I think it's a credit to him how he handles himself. Being a prime-focus player on a high level program that's competing for high level things, he's forced to be in the media a lot. Him and I actually had a conversation over the summer about just how comfortable are you doing this, is this something you're comfortable with, before we got into you guys asking (to talk to him). What is his comfort level? And he was like, coach, I'm good. I'm going to go up and I'm going to do it. And I thought that was really mature of him. And then just in terms of his leadership with the players, he really kind of jumped right into this thing. He was a kid who has been on a mission to kind of recenter his career. He had a great freshman year. Didn't have the sophomore year that he wanted to. Since all the way back when he showed up in January, I think he's been on a mission to build some chemistry with himself and the quarterbacks, build some chemistry with him and the other receivers, and do the things he needed to do to show that he was here for Texas A&M, not just here for KC Concepcion. That's been really, really cool to see and I think the kids gravitate to him for that reason."
I think that was Reuben Owens' first career start. Can you talk a little bit about his evolution here the last few weeks?
"Yeah. I was obviously very well aware of who Rueben was. Rueben was a big-time high school player when I was still here as a defensive coordinator. As much success as he had at the high school level, there's still a transition when you get to the college, right? Learning how to carry the ball at the college level, run the ball at the college level, is different. I wasn't here with him in his freshman year, so I don't really know how that went for him. But from the time we got here, you saw development, you saw evolution, and then unfortunately he goes through the foot injury. He has not played a lot of football in this system. I think he's one of the kids who gets a lot better every week that he goes out there because those reps are so valuable for him. He's getting more and more comfortable with what we're asking him to do in the run game with the run lines and the run angles. You saw him have a big pickup and pass protection on Saturday, which was really big. I just think he continues to develop every week and to be more of more of a complete back. Obviously we need him to continue to do that."
A guy like E.J. Smith wanting more opportunities than he was getting, but making the most of it when he did get them, when it comes to putting him in a spot like that on fourth and one…what is your thought process of keeping that rotation of backs there?
"What happens is you get into kind of a rank order of who's carrying the ball in what situations. Le'Veon goes down in the Florida game, and so we get to the end and he gets some carries. It's really his first extended action of the year against high-level competition. He goes out there and he runs the ball really well to close out the game against Florida. So then you evaluate that and you say, okay, well, let's give him a chance in some of these short-yardage situations so if his number gets called or we run the play and we feel good about him being back there, we'll go put him back there. That's where it goes. He did a nice job at the end of the Florida game, which led to more carries last week against Arkansas. He did a really good job with that, which I'm sure will lead to more action this week. That's kind of how the progression goes."
Arkansas' run game, did they do anything that maybe you didn't expect? And with that in mind, Nussmeier isn't very mobile. So what's the challenge then in stopping the LSU run game?
"(laughs) I'm gonna try to use the right filter when I answer this question, because we just discussed this with the defense this morning. I never want to be the coach who doesn't give credit to the other team. Arkansas had a plan. They went out, they executed their plan. They had a ton of success. So credit to them. We can't play defense like we played on Saturday against anybody and be successful. Anybody. So if we don't fix our own issues, we won't stop anybody. That was the message that was delivered very clearly to our defense this morning. The challenge is on us as a staff to do a better job of getting that through to them before Saturday. Clearly I didn't and we didn't do a good enough job with that last week. I don't know that the challenge of Arkansas is what ultimately led to our issues. I think Texas A&M led to Texas A&M's defensive issues on Saturday. And again, that's not to be disrespectful to Arkansas. They have great players. But that's what I think. We've got to get a lot better."
The third-ranked Aggies (7-0, 4-0) head to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge this weekend to battle 20th-ranked LSU (5-2, 2-2). Kickoff on ABC is set for 2:30 p.m. Fans can also listen to the game along the Texas A&M Sports Network (1620 AM/94.5 FM locally) or worldwide inside the 12th Man Mobile App or at 12thman.com.
Opening Statement...
"First, we'll start by recapping the Arkansas game, with our players of the week. Our offensive scout team player of the week was Chase Burton. Our defensive scout team player of the week was Lucas Pernas. Our special teams scout player of the week was Tiger Riden. It's been good to see him get back healthy and get out there. He's kind of back on the travel roster, starting to get himself involved in some special teams, and so it's good to see him healthy and doing his thing.
"In terms of players of the week, our offensive lineman of the week was Chase Bisontis. Our offensive player of the week was Marcel Reed, and our special teams player of the week was Bravion Rogers. I thought Chase had another phenomenal game. I think he continues to do a really, really good job of creating movement. Obviously, our offensive line, again with no sacks, continued to play really, really well. I said this after the game, Marcel played his most complete game. I thought he did what we had asked him to do consistently throughout. He ade plays with his arms, he made plays with his legs, distributed the ball really well. I thought he did a really good job. Then Bravion Rogers continues to be a major factor for us on special teams. He does a great job as a gunner, getting down against what was a very dangerous punt returner. He made one big tackle and also drew a penalty that backed them up on the second-to-last drive of the game. Really excited with how he's playing. Defensively there was nobody, which I think just kind of speaks to the game.
"Offensively, I thought we played really, really well. We answered the call every time we needed to. I thought it was really great the way we went out in the second half and just continued to make plays to find a way to win the game. Defensively it was a very poor game. We didn't play well, didn't play up to our standard, didn't do the things that you need to do to be successful at all. So obviously we've got to go back to work and get that fixed.
"And so we now turn our attention to LSU. Obviously a big opportunity, a big stage, a chance to go down to Baton Rouge for what will be a very big game and a hostile environment. Another opportunity for this program to take a step forward. We're looking forward to the challenge and excited. And I'll just say this for all of the Aggies traveling down there, Coach Morrison and (the volleyball) team are playing Friday night at 7 o'clock down in Baton Rouge. So if you can make it a double dip while you're down there, we would love to get out there and support the girls as well."
Can you talk to me about the collaborative effort of what you all do at halftime? Because it seems like every game you guys diagnose a problem and then come out in the second half--and I know you weren't happy with the defense--but you did limit their running in the second half. Can you kind of talk about that process?
"I think it's a combination of a lot of things. One, it's trying to identify how people are attacking us and having a defensive system that's flexible enough to adapt on the run, which I think we've always kind of been able to do. I think it's the ability to get some information to the players in a more calm way. The sideline is so frenetic during the game. You adjust and you talk, but sometimes it doesn't always register when they're calling the hogs or they're going crazy. It's just not the easiest environment for a 19-year-old to focus on what you're saying. You can get them in the locker room and you can kind of settle them down, and so I think some of that plays a role in it. Then obviously you try to predict where the game's going--moving forward--and I think we've always had a good feel for what's coming and how to adjust to it. It certainly didn't feel like we did a great job of that on Saturday, but I do think over our time here it's something we've been very good at."
Ashton Bethel-Roman has a breakout game. E.J. Smith a huge game. Can you talk about how cool it is that you've got guys that maybe don't get all the headlines that are stepping up and making big plays to help this team win?
"I think (it is) on a lot of levels and I try to point it out to those guys. I pointed out in the locker room after the game. I pointed out in the team meeting today. When you talk about what a championship program looks like, that's what it looks like. It looks like a bunch of guys bought into being ready when it's time. On offense, this happens all the time. Everybody wants the ball, every play. I have had this conversation with our skill kids all year. I said you don't have to tell me you didn't get the ball enough. I'm all set. Whether you're the guy who got it the most or you're the guy who didn't get it at all, I'm all set that everybody needs it more. It's coaches need more this, players need more…that's just how the world works. I'm good. But there's gonna come a time where when the game's on the line, the ball's gonna come to you, and your challenge is you have to be ready to make that play. I don't know when it's gonna be. I don't know how it's gonna happen, but you have to be ready to make that play, because inevitably that play might be the difference between us winning and losing, and might be the difference between us going to the playoffs or not. That's what football is.
"When you think about it, E.J. Smith's not having all of the limelight he dreamed of having going into his senior year I'm sure. I'm sure he wishes he was the feature back carrying the ball 20 times a game. But…here it is, fourth and one at Arkansas, in our own territory, and he's got to convert, and that's a championship play. That play and that player will have as much to do with our success as anyone, right? It's the same thing with Ashton. We need a play on a 2nd and 10, and we throw a 50-50 jump ball, and he goes up and comes down with it. That ultimately leads to the touchdown that stretches it out. That ultimately is the game-winning score. Those things matter. And in this world, where we try to identify every player to be selfish, and every player to only be out for himself, I think within this program right now, we have a lot of players that are breaking that, that are showing you that they really are here for Texas A&M. They are here for this team and they're going to compete and they're going to be ready when their number's called."
This year y'all have ended some dubious streaks for Texas A&M. I wonder how much satisfaction do you allow yourself to have in that? Or do you just approach those things as just another day of at the office for a coach?
"Probably as another day at the office as a coach. We came here with a vision of what this program should be. We knew in order for that to become a reality, we were gonna have to do that. The vision of this program has not been this program's reality. We've talked about that since I got here, that we can't just keep saying we want to be something. We're actually at some point going to have to go out and do it. That was gonna require us winning on the road, winning SEC games on the road, beating top-10 teams…all of that was part of why we haven't been able to chase this elusive title that we've been searching for so long or do any of those things. I don't know that I find tremendous joy, it's just good to see the program continuing to move in the right direction. I think that's how I take all of that."
Only because y'all won, is there any silver lining in the defensive performance that you can have this visual aid to show your guys what they have to do to be effective defensively the rest of the of the year?
" 'I hope so' is probably the right answer to that. Obviously, the silver lining is much bigger than a silver lining. We won the football game. We won't win very many games playing football and defense like that. I know that. I think our players know that. I was talking to one of them today, though. I feel like this generation sometimes has to get burned on the stove over and over and over again before they stop putting their hand on it. That was kind of how I talked to them today. Can we please make the corrections and make the adjustments before we don't get the silver lining to adjust with? Hopefully that creates some urgency. Obviously this game and this opponent should create a lot of urgency. But it is certainly concerning. It's concerning that we would do that on a Saturday with everything at stake the way it was. Hopefully it's a lesson learned."
A&M's had a tough time beating LSU on the road since they've been in the SEC...
"By tough time, you mean we've never done it?"
To that point…from your experience, what makes it so challenging to play at Tiger Stadium?
"For a large period of time we didn't go down there physically and stand up to the challenge. When you when you saw some of the early games, that was kind of always the…okay, this is what the SEC looks like. I think as our program grew, we started to get closer and closer. Obviously my first experience was going down there and playing the 2019 team. That wasn't a lot of fun but that was historically one of the best teams in college football. I think when we went down there in '21 it was obviously a much more competitive game from a physical standpoint. That's the gap that we've tried to close as a program. Obviously the series has been very balanced since I've been here in 2018. Someone's gonna crack through at some point on the road and Saturday's an opportunity for us to be the team that does it."
And then there's multiple national reports out that you're a possible candidate for the Penn State job. I'm just curious your thoughts on that, how you handle your name being linked to that kind of job and if that's something you even discussed with your players…
"I don't discuss it with my players. I think it's absolutely hilarious how you guys cover coaches. I think three weeks ago I was getting fired. Now I'm getting hired. You don't want me to stay, now I'm leaving…it's just, it's absolutely hilarious. It is a waste of brain space to spend any time talking or thinking about any of that stupidity."
Thinking back on Ashton Bethel Roman's recruitment, seems like he could have gotten pulled a lot of places. What do you remember about that and being able to ink him here?
"Yeah, I remember watching his tape when we got hired, before he signed with Arkansas, and thinking he was a really talented player and I wish we had recruited him. And so we did everything we could in the final hours to try to get him to flip to us. We just couldn't get him over the hump. The relationship was too short. We didn't know him. I was at Duke. Coach Wiggins wasn't even here yet, so we didn't have a wide receiver coach and Coach Klein didn't really know him. It was such a challenge to try to get it done in such a short period of time. He wound up signing with Arkansas and I guess for whatever reason, while he was there, it didn't work the way he had hoped it would. And so he wound up here."
How does the stadium environment at LSU play into the preparation for this Saturday? You mentioned the impact of the crowd noise on your player communication last week.
"If we're starting to prepare for that now, we lost. The preparation for this started in Spring ball. I think it's been an ongoing process for us. It's certainly not news to us that we're going to have to go play in some hostile environments on the road. So you do a lot from a preparation standpoint through Spring. You do a lot of preparation in Fall camp. We certainly have been preparing weekly for this. What you hope is that when you get into that environment, everybody's able to focus at the level they need to. Now, until you're in the environment, you can't recreate it. There's zero chance that on a Tuesday morning I can recreate what it's going to be like Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. You do the best you can to create as many obstacles and hurdles as you possibly can for your kids to overcome, that you just have to have confidence in them and in who they are that they're going to be able to go out there and do it the right way Saturday night."
Last year against LSU was obviously kind of Marcel Reed becoming, I guess, the man for A&M. And so just one year later, kind of coming full circle, what would you say is like the biggest difference you've seen in him especially after a great performance against Arkansas?
"Um...I'm running out of ways to answer the question on Marcel Reed's growth. When he went out there last year against Arkansas he made so many plays with his legs but I don't know that he was a complete quarterback yet. He had had some success. He had done some good things, but there just was a lot of inconsistency in his ability to go through the passing game progressions. I think now what you see is a kid so much more confident, so much more comfortable, still the same athlete, still capable of making plays with his feet, but also now able to sit in a pocket and deliver the football at a much, much higher level. And so I think that's probably the growth that he's made the most."
This past week aside the defense has been playing pretty well. Albert Regis is now four tackles away from 100 in his career. What can you say about his performance and time and what he means to this line?
"I think that's really cool for him. I wasn't aware of that, so thanks for sharing that. I've said this before, I do believe he's one of the most unsung members of this defense. What he does for us, being stout in the middle, being physical at the point…he's a challenge to block. Double teams struggle to move him. He does a really, really good job of anchoring our run defense. Obviously he's had a lot more success this year rushing the passer and getting pressures too. When you're a defensive tackle, stats don't come easy. I think it's just a tremendous credit to how hard he plays and how much he throws his body around for this program that if he can get to a hundred tackles, that's a really cool accomplishment."
Last year we saw Garrett Nussmeier have a lot of highs and a lot of lows here. What have you seen from him this year on tape when you've been evaluating this week?
"An extremely talented quarterback with a lot of weapons and the ability to distribute the football. He'll be a high draft pick. He'll be a successful NFL quarterback for a really long time. I just have a ton of respect for who he is as a player and the way he goes out there and competes."
You're playing former A&M commit Harold Perkins this week. How do you look to scheme your offense around him?
"Um…I mean…I don't know how to answer that question. 'Former A&M commit', that was like six years ago. Howard Perkins is a really good player. They've got a really good defense. Obviously, I know Harold, we recruited him, spent a lot of time talking about him. I would classify him at this point in his career as just an LSU linebacker. He's had a really good career. It's great to see that he's back healthy. That was a bad injury that he suffered last year and I'm just happy for him that he's back and playing really well."
This team hasn't been 7-0 in over 30 years. How is the idea of finishing helped get this team back to this point?
"I think you've seen us make some plays in the fourth quarter that have certainly made the difference. If you look at our games, I think there's been, what, three games now that have come down to one score in the fourth quarter. For us to be 3-0 in those games, I think the feelings in and around this room and the questions about my job security would be a lot different if I was on this podium at 4-3 than me standing here at 7-0. The way we finish games, the way we've made plays down the stretch, that matters. But again, we talk consistently about how success is rented. We've got to make sure that we continue to do it and continue to do it at a really high level."
You guys have used some pretty funky formations in 4th-and-short situations, and you've talked about doing a lot of research in the offseason. Without asking you to reveal any secrets, how much went into that research and that preparation for what you guys have kind of shown so far in those situations?
"A lot. We have a tremendous pride in what we do, and I've said this before. We're not the kind of staff that just points fingers when things don't go well. We certainly had our 4th-and-1 failures down the stretch last year. You can point to a variety of reasons as to why each of those plays failed, but at the end of the day the first thing you do is you take a look internally at, what are we doing? Are we doing the right things? What's out there across the country between college football and the NFL that's creatively giving you the best opportunity to be successful? And you try to make the proper tactical adjustments to give your kids the best opportunity to go out and be successful. I just think that's leadership and that's coaching, right? It doesn't do anybody any good for us to just sit here and point the finger. That's just not how we function. We obviously had a lot of different things we challenged our staff with this offseason, but that was certainly one of them--to go out and find a way to get better in those situations. And I think for the most part we've been able to do that and do it well. Obviously being 3-for-3 on Saturday was a huge piece of why we won that football game."
Last time A&M went to LSU, you were hired the next day here at A&M. Looking back, did you expect that the turnaround or maybe the start that you've had to be this quick? And just how validated do you feel about the decision to come and coach here?
"Probably two separate questions. I've said this on multiple occasions, in the modern era of college football--and you're seeing that play out across the country right now with some of my colleagues in what's happening--there's not a lot of time. Nobody has time. You don't have time to build, you don't have time to look at the future. You've got to hit the ground running and you've got to do everything you can to have eyes in two different directions, right? Building the foundation of a program that will last for a really long time, while doing things that give you an opportunity to win right away. And that's what we tried to do. Obviously it's very validating to have the success that we've had doing it. In terms of validation, in terms of taking the job and coming here, that shows up in a lot of different ways, a lot more than just winning football games. I think the support of the 12th Man, the support of this Athletic Department, the support of the University, what we're able to be building from a marketing standpoint, a recruiting standpoint…I think all of those things are validation that this place truly does have the potential that I thought it did when I took the job. Each day that those things continue to elevate and grow, I think that's the validation to that part of it."
Wednesday's international Stuttering Awareness Day, and I wanted to ask if you had some insight into KC Concepcion as a communicator, as a leader, or any examples that you might be able to share of him speaking up and what you've seen from him dealing with stuttering?
"I think it's a credit to him how he handles himself. Being a prime-focus player on a high level program that's competing for high level things, he's forced to be in the media a lot. Him and I actually had a conversation over the summer about just how comfortable are you doing this, is this something you're comfortable with, before we got into you guys asking (to talk to him). What is his comfort level? And he was like, coach, I'm good. I'm going to go up and I'm going to do it. And I thought that was really mature of him. And then just in terms of his leadership with the players, he really kind of jumped right into this thing. He was a kid who has been on a mission to kind of recenter his career. He had a great freshman year. Didn't have the sophomore year that he wanted to. Since all the way back when he showed up in January, I think he's been on a mission to build some chemistry with himself and the quarterbacks, build some chemistry with him and the other receivers, and do the things he needed to do to show that he was here for Texas A&M, not just here for KC Concepcion. That's been really, really cool to see and I think the kids gravitate to him for that reason."
I think that was Reuben Owens' first career start. Can you talk a little bit about his evolution here the last few weeks?
"Yeah. I was obviously very well aware of who Rueben was. Rueben was a big-time high school player when I was still here as a defensive coordinator. As much success as he had at the high school level, there's still a transition when you get to the college, right? Learning how to carry the ball at the college level, run the ball at the college level, is different. I wasn't here with him in his freshman year, so I don't really know how that went for him. But from the time we got here, you saw development, you saw evolution, and then unfortunately he goes through the foot injury. He has not played a lot of football in this system. I think he's one of the kids who gets a lot better every week that he goes out there because those reps are so valuable for him. He's getting more and more comfortable with what we're asking him to do in the run game with the run lines and the run angles. You saw him have a big pickup and pass protection on Saturday, which was really big. I just think he continues to develop every week and to be more of more of a complete back. Obviously we need him to continue to do that."
A guy like E.J. Smith wanting more opportunities than he was getting, but making the most of it when he did get them, when it comes to putting him in a spot like that on fourth and one…what is your thought process of keeping that rotation of backs there?
"What happens is you get into kind of a rank order of who's carrying the ball in what situations. Le'Veon goes down in the Florida game, and so we get to the end and he gets some carries. It's really his first extended action of the year against high-level competition. He goes out there and he runs the ball really well to close out the game against Florida. So then you evaluate that and you say, okay, well, let's give him a chance in some of these short-yardage situations so if his number gets called or we run the play and we feel good about him being back there, we'll go put him back there. That's where it goes. He did a nice job at the end of the Florida game, which led to more carries last week against Arkansas. He did a really good job with that, which I'm sure will lead to more action this week. That's kind of how the progression goes."
Arkansas' run game, did they do anything that maybe you didn't expect? And with that in mind, Nussmeier isn't very mobile. So what's the challenge then in stopping the LSU run game?
"(laughs) I'm gonna try to use the right filter when I answer this question, because we just discussed this with the defense this morning. I never want to be the coach who doesn't give credit to the other team. Arkansas had a plan. They went out, they executed their plan. They had a ton of success. So credit to them. We can't play defense like we played on Saturday against anybody and be successful. Anybody. So if we don't fix our own issues, we won't stop anybody. That was the message that was delivered very clearly to our defense this morning. The challenge is on us as a staff to do a better job of getting that through to them before Saturday. Clearly I didn't and we didn't do a good enough job with that last week. I don't know that the challenge of Arkansas is what ultimately led to our issues. I think Texas A&M led to Texas A&M's defensive issues on Saturday. And again, that's not to be disrespectful to Arkansas. They have great players. But that's what I think. We've got to get a lot better."
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/ FootballLSU Game Week Press Conference: Mike Elko
Monday, October 20
Arkansas Postgame: Mike Elko
Saturday, October 18
Arkansas Postgame: Marcus Ratcliffe
Saturday, October 18
Arkansas Postgame: Ashton Bethel-Roman
Saturday, October 18
