Mike Elko: Weekly Press Conference Quotes

Mike Elko met the press on Monday at his weekly press conference inside the Kyle Field Media Center as the Aggies begin preparation for their College Football Playoff first-round game with Miami at Kyle Field.

Talk about the importance of making Carson Beck feel uncomfortable and getting to him every play.

"I think he's an extremely talented quarterback. You see that throughout the year. Obviously he does a really, really good job of delivering the football. They've got a really explosive passing attack, different variety of screens, short game, pushing the ball down the field, and I think he delivers it all very well, very accurate. They're very talented at wide receiver, and obviously trying to figure out a way to get that out of rhythm will be critical. Not a lot of teams have been successful doing that. And so we have to go to work and come up with a good plan on how to try to create a little bit of indecision for him, at least try to muddy the waters a little bit as best we can."

After the Texas game, I think we were talking about rushing defense and you said we're going to have to look at what we're asking our guys to do and if they're able to do it. So I was wondering if you're able to reveal any evaluations that y'all came to.

"I don't know that there's any evaluations to reveal. I think that's obviously an ongoing conversation that you have as a coach. When you're not doing things at the level you want to see them get done, I think you have to explore it. You can't just point fingers. I don't know that there's any magical revelation to it. I think it's just an ongoing target that we're trying to make sure we pay a lot of attention to."

I know you guys have much bigger goals than simply getting to the playoffs, but has there been any moment of reflection or appreciation for getting the Aggies to the playoffs for the first time and doing something that hasn't been done at the school?

"No, not really. Obviously there was excitement yesterday to sit in the watch party and see our name go up on the screen and that moment's not lost on the team or on me, but we have aspirations to do a lot more than just sit in a room and see our name get put on a screen. I think very quickly it shifted to now we have an opponent, we have a focus. I think you could feel the energy lift. We kind of went right out of there into a team meeting and to get to work on kind of where this thing was going. So yeah, obviously first step is getting in, but I think we want to try to do a little bit more than that."

I know this time of year, football teams are banged up and maybe time off is good, but are there any challenges to not playing for several weeks?

"Yeah, for sure. I think you've seen that over the years all the time in the bowl season and how you handle the balancing act of keeping your team fresh, keeping your team excited, practicing hard so that you maintain the physicality that you need to and the fundamentals that you need to. I think that's a balance that you spend a lot of time trying to get right. We've had that recipe for four years now, this is year four as a head coach. We've tinkered it. We've tweaked it. But I think we've got a pretty good rhythm of what we're trying to get done. This morning was great. It was great to get back on the grass. I think the kids had a lot of energy running around this morning."

With Cashius Howell and his journey from no one at power-4 school wanting him out of high school to where he is today…can you just reflect on his journey and what he means to your team?

"I think it's awesome. For him to be a kid that we recruited very early on…I've referenced him at times as the O.G. on this defense because he was one of the first kids to believe in and buy into us—him and Will (Lee)—and what we were doing here and what we wanted to be about. He came here to grow and develop and challenge himself. And then to see him rise to those challenges where he's on a plane going to an awards banquet as the defensive player of the year in the country, right? It's a phenomenal story. He's a great kid. The work ethic that he has and what he's put into this thing has been awesome and I know he's excited to try to finish this thing the right way, but it is. It been a really, really cool journey to see him on."

We heard Collin Klein talk in his press conference up (at Kansas State) about how he's delegating his time. As the CEO, did you bring in other guys in the offense to kind of help with some of those preparations? What does that kind of look like moving forward with the offensive side preparations?

"One, it's probably a lot more collaborative to begin with. Collin's not the only one, obviously. I think it's a very collaborative process that we go through on offense. I have a ton of confidence in Collin, in who he is as a man and who he is as a competitor, that he'll give the focus and energy that he needs to to ensure that this thing is done the right way and finished the right way. And so I have no questions about that. I think all in, we'll be able to manage this thing pretty well."

And in finding the next guy to fill that role, what does that kind of timetable process looks like as you manage everything else that's going on?

"Yeah, I think we're in a pretty good place with it. Our intentions right now are to try to get through the season and let that thing play out. But I think we're in a really good place with knowing which direction we want to go with that."

We've seen the highs and the lows, way more highs this season, with y'all's play. What do you think for a four-game stretch will need to kind of happen for you guys to be that consistent high that y'all have been at?

"I think we have to understand the urgency of the moment. We have to understand what it takes to focus play in and play out and to know that you've got to be on the right side of the balancing act. I say this all the time…you can't play tight in the game of football. If you play tight, you're going to get beat because you're not going to play your best. But if you're not aware of the moment and you don't rise your focus level to the moment, then you won't be able to match the intensity you need to play at your best either, right? And that's a really, really fine line balancing act. The more opportunities we get to play in those types of games, the better it is for our program. It'll be great to be back at home in front of the fans at Kyle Field. And it's just another opportunity for us to go out and try to get it right."

And on the OC discussion, as the co-OC, what does Coach Wiggins' role kind of look like? And then is he kind of part of the consideration for that new role?

"I probably won't get into the specifics of it all. I've got a ton of respect for Holmon. I think he does a phenomenal job. Again, no different than when I was a defensive coordinator--and this is to take nothing away from Collin, Collin's phenomenal--but I think sometimes there's a belief that it's a one man show. It's never a one-man show. As a defensive coordinator, you're only as good as the people around you. As an offensive coordinator, you're at times only as good as the people around you. Obviously, Collin's phenomenal and did a phenomenal job for us. But I also think there's a lot of other really talented coaches in that room too."

More on the OC, do you anticipate the next person in that role running a similar system to what Collin has run and what you guys have run so far these first two years?

"I think if you look at our program, from the two years at Duke to the two years at Texas A&M, there's some very strong similarities in terms of what we look like on offense. Those are probably the philosophical things that I would like a Texas A&M football offense to look like. Obviously every coordinator is going to have their own slant, twist, things, so there's a base part of the fundamental principles that won't go anywhere. And then there's obviously some of the smaller details that they'll be able to put their twist on however they want."

Marcel said on RG3's podcast that he is planning to return next season. I know you said earlier that you guys had a lot of those draft type discussions after the season, but I'm curious if you had any kind of conversation with him about next year and how much he may benefit from maybe another season in college?

"No, not yet. You don't want to confuse the two. It's one of the challenges. For us being in the playoffs, we don't want to get into next-year conversations and rock the boat on this year. We want to keep our focus on the main thing, which is right now, and that's what we're trying to do to the best of our ability. There's going to be time for those conversations, hopefully that's sometime after January 20th or so. For now it's focus on Miami and playing our best football."

Obviously, finishing the game has been kind of the mentality for the year. Now that it's playoff time, have you seen kind of a change or a step up in mentality through practice since the Texas game?

"We've only been out there once. But yeah, certainly a better urgency as we went through it today. Again, I think part of that is the positive sometimes of a loss is it refocuses and recenters everything. When you're winning, you talk a lot about what needs to get fixed and changed and it doesn't always seem to happen at the rate you want it to. Then sometimes when you get slapped in the face a little bit, you kind of have to readjust. And I think that's maybe what will happen from the loss."

You talked about Miami's offense, and you talked about how many NFL guys are on this roster. What kind of challenges does that defense present? And does it remind you of or is it similar to maybe an opponent you've already played?

"I try not to draw a lot of similarities. I think it's the best combination of defensive ends that we've seen in my time here, probably going all the way back to 2018. These two kids can absolutely destroy a game. They're really, really talented. And then they've got a lot of really big, long, athletic inside bodies. I think they've only given up 79 runs or four yards or more in 12 games. So that's unbelievably impressive in terms of how they're controlling the line of scrimmage. And then there's just a lot of length and athleticism in the back two levels of the defense. They're really, really talented. I don't think they've given up 20 points in over about a month and a half. It'll be a big challenge for our offense."

You touched on a little bit earlier the energy at practice today and being able to kind of turn the page. How pleased are you with their response after facing a little bit of adversity, knowing what they have ahead?

"I think that's what we're trained for. Every time it happens, you're excited that it happens, but certainly expect it to. I've said this before, the natural reaction to things is usually a little bit different than what everybody anticipates them being. The natural reaction to not getting done what you want to get done is usually kind of a new energy, a new intensity, a new focus to improve and get better. And that's just usually how it works in this sport. Happy to see that from our guys, but certainly anticipated that would be the case."

What have you seen from Malachi Toney? And then from a kind of schematic perspective, what kind of difficulties does a guy who they move around the formation present you?

"What an unbelievably talented football player. They move him all around. They're very creative in how to get him the football. He's electric when he gets it in his hands. For a young kid, he runs routes exceptionally well. He makes contested catches. He's an absolute dude of a young player and certainly will grow into being a top-5 pick, I'm sure, before this thing's all over. And then when you can't identify where he's going to be all the time, obviously that makes it a lot more challenging for a defense to find ways to leverage him and corral him. Certainly we'll have our hands full with him."

You talked about this being the first step for this team, and you talked a lot this season about creating the mindset with the players that they have the ability to make game-winning plays. What is it like talking to them now that they have the ability to win games in the college football playoff?

"I think it's all the same. The magnitude is larger. The process is the same. What it takes from a mentality standpoint is us executing championship-level football at the rate we need to to be successful. That's regardless of who, when, how you play the game of football. Obviously the opponent makes it a lot more challenging. The magnitude of the game makes it a lot more challenging. The finality of it all makes it a lot more challenging. So it's controlling all of that and still focusing on the things that ultimately will matter when it comes to being successful. Again, we've been in this stage quite a few times since I've been here. We've had our successes, we've had our failures. It's exciting to get out there and get another opportunity to play a big football game."

What is the conversation going to look like for y'all on deciding kicking duties for this next game, going into the playoffs?

"I think we'll make that decision when the time is right. We're trying to do the best we can to get both of those guys into a place where they're capable of performing at the level they're capable of performing at. Certainly both of them want to go out there and be very, very successful. We'll kind of see what that looks like here through the next couple weeks."

You've got to play four good games, 'not tight', so to speak. When you look back at the Texas game, do you think some of the players played tight or was that just a product of a rivalry game maybe being a little bit different than any other game?

"I think it's just a product of playing good football teams. At the end of the day, they made more plays than we did in the second half. There's a lot of reasons for that from our end, but at the end of the day that's going to happen at times when you play in this league and you play night games on the road in this league. It's just part of it. It sucks the magnitude of it. It sucks that it happened against those guys. But sometimes you just have to understand that it's going to happen a little bit in this conference."

We've talked about moving calendar dates and whatnot, but if this was a year ago the transfer portal would have opened tomorrow. It's not going to be open until the first week of January. I'm curious now that it's here, what your perspective is on how that kind of unfolds as you guys are preparing for a playoff game.

"I feel like what we're in is the best we can get. I really do. I feel like the windows that we have, the way they're set up right now, it's the best we can get. Everybody will continue to point out all of the fallacies within the system but there's not really a solution. Again, I've said this on multiple occasions. When you talk about what we're actually trying to balance--which is a TV contract that mandates games be played at a certain time in conjunction with academic calendars and conjunction with two different types of recruiting (high school and transfers) to try to find a window to make all of that work is not ideal. Again, I don't know how well we actually study sometimes the reality of the world that we're actually living in. For years there have been coaching changes going on in the NFL while the playoffs were going on. The beauty of it is it hasn't happened within the teams that are currently playing, right? That's just a different structure that we have. You can't change free agency windows in college football because you have semesters and when the semesters start is critical. I just think we're (bound) by a lot of things that we can't fix and can't control. From my perspective, I think this is about as good as we could ask for."

11 a.m. kickoff, is that an advantage to the home team or no?

"Nah, not really. I think playing in Kyle Field is an advantage to the home team. I'm excited for that. I'm excited to see our students turn out. I'm excited to see our fans turn out. It'll be really cool to see that number post on the screen with how many people showed up for an 11 a.m. kick because I still think that's what makes college football unique here at Texas A&M. I think that, more than anything."

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Players Mentioned

Cashius Howell

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