COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M made program history Sunday morning when the Aggies learned they had earned their first-ever College Football Playoff berth. Head coach Mike Elko said the team was energized to return to practice Monday morning as they prepare for their historic postseason run.
"This morning was great. It was great to get back out on the grass. I think the kids had a lot of energy running around this morning," Elko said.
The Aggies will face a formidable challenge when they host Miami, a team that brings one of the nation's top defenses to College Station. Over the last month of the season, the Hurricanes have held opponents to under 20 points per game, and their front seven has been particularly dominant, allowing an average of just under 82 rushing yards per game.
"I think it's the best combination of defensive ends that we've seen, you know, 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," Elko said.
The Miami defense has been exceptionally disciplined, giving up only 79 runs of four yards or more in 12 games this season.
"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," Elko said.
While Texas A&M has shown the ability to play complete football in all three phases at different times throughout the season, Elko emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and intensity throughout the postseason.
"We have to understand the urgency of the moment. I think we have to understand, what it takes to focus play in and play out and to know that, you got to be on the right side of the balancing act," Elko said. "You can't play tight in the game of football. If you play tight you're gonna get beat because you're not gonna 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," Elko said.
Adding another layer to the team's preparation, offensive coordinator Collin Klein was named the next head football coach at Kansas State last week. Despite his new role, Klein will continue calling plays for the Aggies throughout their playoff run while also building his new program in Manhattan.
Elko expressed confidence in the collaborative approach to offensive play-calling and Klein's commitment to finishing the season strong.
"I think one, it's probably a lot more collaborative to begin with, and so I don't know that Collin's you know, he's not the only one. Obviously, I think it's a very collaborative process that we go through on offense," Elko said. "I have a ton of confidence in Collin, 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 ensure that this thing is done the right way and finished the right way. And so I have no questions about that. And so I think, all in we'll be able to manage this thing pretty well," Elko said.
The seventh-seeded Aggies will begin their quest for a national championship at Kyle Field on December 20 when they host 10th-seeded Miami. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
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