Photo by: Evan Pilat/Texas A&M Athletics
Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Auburn
Sep 22, 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 ninth-ranked Aggies (3-0, 0-0) return to Kyle Field and open up a three-game homestand--and SEC play--when they play host to the Auburn Tigers (3-1, 0-1). ESPN will bring the game to a national television audience with kickoff 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) "Enjoyed the bye week…good to be back. Good to be back in SEC play. We had a productive bye week. I thought we were able to get a lot of things accomplished last week, just kind of focusing in on ourselves, areas where we can improve, areas where we could get better. We looked big picture at things we've got to do as we head into SEC play to be successful and then transitioned fully into Auburn stuff yesterday. We went out today and practiced and had a really good practice. So excited for the week, excited for SEC opponent number one and just looking forward to this and ready to get started."
You said that last year after y'all got into the top 10 that y'all didn't kind of handle the situation very well. You've been very outspoken about that. Do you have a feel for whether you think that you are going to be able to be more, lack of a better way to put it, more comfortable in that role?
"Well, I certainly hope so. Because that would be better than what happened last year. No, I think it's a hard thing…it's a hard thing to feel. I think you want to feel work ethic and continued growth mindset. I think we felt that. I think you want to feel that the kids are hungry for success. I think we felt that. At the end of the day, they're going to have to run out of the tunnel Saturday and make plays and make plays in an SEC game against a really quality opponent. How we handle that probably remains to be determined. So I can probably get up here and say anything. I think the reality is we're going to have to go out there and do it. And we're going to have to go and do it against one of the teams that beat us last year. So obviously they're very capable of getting the job done against us."
Any updates on Scooby Williams and Bryce Anderson? ?
"Bryce will be out this week. I think he's still recovering. We'll kind of see how that goes from a time frame standpoint. Scooby's day-to-day and getting better every day."
During the summer you were talking a lot about avoiding mental mistakes and things of that sort, especially against the run. You're still seeing those pop up. How did you work on that in the bye week or did you work on that in the bye week?
"Yeah, I think just continuing to the best of our ability to point things out in hopes that at some point you click with a little bit higher level of consistency of performance. Obviously if I had a better answer we would have solved it already. And that's not an excuse. It's just a reality. But yeah, still extremely diligent at it, still working hard at it, still trying to find creative ways to get it--what with how we teach, how we call things, what we call, what we do, what they're comfortable doing--and just still trying to find that that recipe to get that right."
Can you see the strides that Terry Bussey has made now that he's had the full offseason in the offense and just through these first few weeks?
"I think he continues to get better every day. Again, we talked an awful lot about his journey from being a really talented athlete at a small school in Texas where he did everything to being a really fundamentally sound wide receiver in the SEC. And I think that's been the journey that he's been on. Again, it's been hampered at times by injury. I think that's played a role in some of it. But he's been healthy now, knock on wood, for quite a few weeks in a row and I think that's allowed him to really get out there and start to refine his craft. And I think it's good to see that showing up and becoming a reliable playmaker for us on Saturdays."
With A&M looking for another University president now, could you share what in your experience is the dynamic of the relationship between head football coach and University president in this kind of current era?
"I just think you're always looking for alignment. I think you're looking for a guy who understands what football is at this university and will do the things necessary to support that. I've got a lot of confidence in the people making that decision that they'll go out and they'll find the right person to do that."
There's been a lot of talk about Marcel shaking moniker and becoming a passer. But Nate Boerkircher, is it kind of a similar thing with the hands that he has, not just being a blocking tight end? Did you think he kind of was able to prove that on Saturday?
"I mean, I don't know if one catch for 11 yards proves that, but I certainly think he has proven that. He had a couple big catches in the UTSA game. He's a kid we have a lot of confidence throwing the football to. He can make contested catches. He can make strong catches in traffic. And so I'm sure as the year goes on people will start playing us differently and as we have to adjust to that I'm sure that'll create opportunities for tight ends, for running backs, for other receivers. I just imagine all of that stuff is coming down the pipeline here. He'll be ready and I think he'll be a very productive player for us."
With what Auburn's put on film so far this season, is this a game that the pass rush could be kind of pinning their ears back for?
"Oh I don't think so at all. I think they're extremely talented up front. I think it was a little bit of an anomaly on Saturday. We've got a ton of respect for them. I said this to the guys this morning. Human psychology says absolutely, without a doubt, the best unit on the field Saturday will be the Auburn offensive line. I can promise you that."
During the off season your big emphasis was to finish. How proud were you of the guys (against Notre Dame) that they had to drive the length of the field and literally finish on the last offensive play?
"Obviously that was a huge step for our program. I think that's the biggest thing…when you get in those moments, you've got to ultimately find a way to get the job done in order to move the program forward. We had an opportunity to do that at Auburn last year. We had an opportunity to do that in the bowl game last year. And we weren't able to finish it the right way. It was good to get into a game and finish it. Now, three weeks does not make a finish. We've still got a lot of football left and a lot of things that we've got to do in order to accomplish what we want to accomplish. We have zero SEC wins right now. We've got a lot of things we've got to do still."
Do you have a reaction to the three teams that will be on your schedule the next four years, Texas, LSU and Missouri?
"Not really. I mean it's good, obviously, that we're playing the in-state rivalry. It's always good to play LSU. Missouri, I'm not sure how that fit in, but it is what it is. And so however they did that it'll be fine."
What have you seen from (Auburn QB) Jackson Arnold as you study him?
"A really talented kid. I think he can make a lot of throws. He's got really good arm talent. He's got the ability to beat you with his legs and can run around and do some things. I think obviously that was that was probably a really challenging environment for him Saturday, just going back there and all of the emotions that come with that. And so I'm sure he's going to be very hungry to come out and play really, really well Saturday. They'll be a team that's got their backs against the wall and I'm sure they'll put their best foot out there."
We talk about the psychology of football a lot. A big win against Notre Dame then straight into a bye week. Do you wish you could just get back out there or are you okay with kind of just re-centering, talking to your guys and kind of moving forward like that?
"Yeah, I don't know…it's not so much about what the schedule is. I think it's just how your guys handle it. And so the challenge to our guys is to handle the psychology of success and to continue to stay grounded, to continue to keep working, continue to move forward and continue to focus on the things we've got to focus on to become the best team we're capable of becoming. And I don't know that that's any easier or harder, honestly, based on whether you have a bye week or don't have a bye week. It just kind of is what it is. The challenge is on them and us as a staff to continue to drive this thing. That's the challenge. So we had two weeks to accomplish that as opposed to one and hopefully we'll get that done and hit that recipe the right way."
Any updates on Reuben Fatheree? Where he kind of is in his recovery?
"He's getting really close. He was able to go out there and practice today. So we're hopeful that we'll have him in some capacity on Saturday, but he's kind of right at that spot. If I had to guess, he'll be listed as questionable or probable on Wednesday."
How would you kind of assess how Dezz Ricks and Will Lee have done this season and how would you say they match up against Eric Singleton and Cam Coleman?
"I think it's been really good to see Dezz. I think he's taken some really positive steps forward. Obviously Will is a very consistent player for us and a kid that we have a ton of confidence in. You've heard my story on matchups. I'd way rather be playing guys who weren't big, athletic, fast, and 10.2 in the 100 meters. This is a really, really talented wide receiver corps. We'll see how we do on Saturday. But there's a lot of other teams I would rather try to match up with on Saturday at wide receiver than this group."
Speaking of talented wide receiver corps…obviously you expected some great things from your guys or you wouldn't have brought them in. But have KC Concepcion and Mario Craver exceeded expectations by any means, to do what they've done so quickly?
"Yeah…I don't know. It's obviously really good that they've gone out there and made the plays that they made. It was really good in the game like that against a secondary like that last week that they were able to make the plays that they did. Obviously we had tremendously high expectations for those guys. I know that everybody likes to kind of create their own mindset on who the good players are in the portal, and who the guys are that you have to get, and who you lose, and all of those things…everybody writes their own stories on them. But we felt very confident with what we did and what we accomplished and who we brought in. But obviously it still has to play out, right? And until it plays out, you don't know. So it's just been great to see those guys be what we hoped and thought they could be for us."
Do you feel your defense has an identity? A lot of people say like, bend but don't break…is it too early? Do you feel your defense has an identity?
"I think we're still kind of working through it. Obviously we didn't have the level of success that we wanted to have in the Notre Dame game. It would be hard to sit here and tell you what we're holding our hat on right now. We've played one Power 5 game and it didn't go great. But obviously that's something we've got to fix moving forward."
The ninth-ranked Aggies (3-0, 0-0) return to Kyle Field and open up a three-game homestand--and SEC play--when they play host to the Auburn Tigers (3-1, 0-1). ESPN will bring the game to a national television audience with kickoff 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) "Enjoyed the bye week…good to be back. Good to be back in SEC play. We had a productive bye week. I thought we were able to get a lot of things accomplished last week, just kind of focusing in on ourselves, areas where we can improve, areas where we could get better. We looked big picture at things we've got to do as we head into SEC play to be successful and then transitioned fully into Auburn stuff yesterday. We went out today and practiced and had a really good practice. So excited for the week, excited for SEC opponent number one and just looking forward to this and ready to get started."
You said that last year after y'all got into the top 10 that y'all didn't kind of handle the situation very well. You've been very outspoken about that. Do you have a feel for whether you think that you are going to be able to be more, lack of a better way to put it, more comfortable in that role?
"Well, I certainly hope so. Because that would be better than what happened last year. No, I think it's a hard thing…it's a hard thing to feel. I think you want to feel work ethic and continued growth mindset. I think we felt that. I think you want to feel that the kids are hungry for success. I think we felt that. At the end of the day, they're going to have to run out of the tunnel Saturday and make plays and make plays in an SEC game against a really quality opponent. How we handle that probably remains to be determined. So I can probably get up here and say anything. I think the reality is we're going to have to go out there and do it. And we're going to have to go and do it against one of the teams that beat us last year. So obviously they're very capable of getting the job done against us."
Any updates on Scooby Williams and Bryce Anderson? ?
"Bryce will be out this week. I think he's still recovering. We'll kind of see how that goes from a time frame standpoint. Scooby's day-to-day and getting better every day."
During the summer you were talking a lot about avoiding mental mistakes and things of that sort, especially against the run. You're still seeing those pop up. How did you work on that in the bye week or did you work on that in the bye week?
"Yeah, I think just continuing to the best of our ability to point things out in hopes that at some point you click with a little bit higher level of consistency of performance. Obviously if I had a better answer we would have solved it already. And that's not an excuse. It's just a reality. But yeah, still extremely diligent at it, still working hard at it, still trying to find creative ways to get it--what with how we teach, how we call things, what we call, what we do, what they're comfortable doing--and just still trying to find that that recipe to get that right."
Can you see the strides that Terry Bussey has made now that he's had the full offseason in the offense and just through these first few weeks?
"I think he continues to get better every day. Again, we talked an awful lot about his journey from being a really talented athlete at a small school in Texas where he did everything to being a really fundamentally sound wide receiver in the SEC. And I think that's been the journey that he's been on. Again, it's been hampered at times by injury. I think that's played a role in some of it. But he's been healthy now, knock on wood, for quite a few weeks in a row and I think that's allowed him to really get out there and start to refine his craft. And I think it's good to see that showing up and becoming a reliable playmaker for us on Saturdays."
With A&M looking for another University president now, could you share what in your experience is the dynamic of the relationship between head football coach and University president in this kind of current era?
"I just think you're always looking for alignment. I think you're looking for a guy who understands what football is at this university and will do the things necessary to support that. I've got a lot of confidence in the people making that decision that they'll go out and they'll find the right person to do that."
There's been a lot of talk about Marcel shaking moniker and becoming a passer. But Nate Boerkircher, is it kind of a similar thing with the hands that he has, not just being a blocking tight end? Did you think he kind of was able to prove that on Saturday?
"I mean, I don't know if one catch for 11 yards proves that, but I certainly think he has proven that. He had a couple big catches in the UTSA game. He's a kid we have a lot of confidence throwing the football to. He can make contested catches. He can make strong catches in traffic. And so I'm sure as the year goes on people will start playing us differently and as we have to adjust to that I'm sure that'll create opportunities for tight ends, for running backs, for other receivers. I just imagine all of that stuff is coming down the pipeline here. He'll be ready and I think he'll be a very productive player for us."
With what Auburn's put on film so far this season, is this a game that the pass rush could be kind of pinning their ears back for?
"Oh I don't think so at all. I think they're extremely talented up front. I think it was a little bit of an anomaly on Saturday. We've got a ton of respect for them. I said this to the guys this morning. Human psychology says absolutely, without a doubt, the best unit on the field Saturday will be the Auburn offensive line. I can promise you that."
During the off season your big emphasis was to finish. How proud were you of the guys (against Notre Dame) that they had to drive the length of the field and literally finish on the last offensive play?
"Obviously that was a huge step for our program. I think that's the biggest thing…when you get in those moments, you've got to ultimately find a way to get the job done in order to move the program forward. We had an opportunity to do that at Auburn last year. We had an opportunity to do that in the bowl game last year. And we weren't able to finish it the right way. It was good to get into a game and finish it. Now, three weeks does not make a finish. We've still got a lot of football left and a lot of things that we've got to do in order to accomplish what we want to accomplish. We have zero SEC wins right now. We've got a lot of things we've got to do still."
Do you have a reaction to the three teams that will be on your schedule the next four years, Texas, LSU and Missouri?
"Not really. I mean it's good, obviously, that we're playing the in-state rivalry. It's always good to play LSU. Missouri, I'm not sure how that fit in, but it is what it is. And so however they did that it'll be fine."
What have you seen from (Auburn QB) Jackson Arnold as you study him?
"A really talented kid. I think he can make a lot of throws. He's got really good arm talent. He's got the ability to beat you with his legs and can run around and do some things. I think obviously that was that was probably a really challenging environment for him Saturday, just going back there and all of the emotions that come with that. And so I'm sure he's going to be very hungry to come out and play really, really well Saturday. They'll be a team that's got their backs against the wall and I'm sure they'll put their best foot out there."
We talk about the psychology of football a lot. A big win against Notre Dame then straight into a bye week. Do you wish you could just get back out there or are you okay with kind of just re-centering, talking to your guys and kind of moving forward like that?
"Yeah, I don't know…it's not so much about what the schedule is. I think it's just how your guys handle it. And so the challenge to our guys is to handle the psychology of success and to continue to stay grounded, to continue to keep working, continue to move forward and continue to focus on the things we've got to focus on to become the best team we're capable of becoming. And I don't know that that's any easier or harder, honestly, based on whether you have a bye week or don't have a bye week. It just kind of is what it is. The challenge is on them and us as a staff to continue to drive this thing. That's the challenge. So we had two weeks to accomplish that as opposed to one and hopefully we'll get that done and hit that recipe the right way."
Any updates on Reuben Fatheree? Where he kind of is in his recovery?
"He's getting really close. He was able to go out there and practice today. So we're hopeful that we'll have him in some capacity on Saturday, but he's kind of right at that spot. If I had to guess, he'll be listed as questionable or probable on Wednesday."
How would you kind of assess how Dezz Ricks and Will Lee have done this season and how would you say they match up against Eric Singleton and Cam Coleman?
"I think it's been really good to see Dezz. I think he's taken some really positive steps forward. Obviously Will is a very consistent player for us and a kid that we have a ton of confidence in. You've heard my story on matchups. I'd way rather be playing guys who weren't big, athletic, fast, and 10.2 in the 100 meters. This is a really, really talented wide receiver corps. We'll see how we do on Saturday. But there's a lot of other teams I would rather try to match up with on Saturday at wide receiver than this group."
Speaking of talented wide receiver corps…obviously you expected some great things from your guys or you wouldn't have brought them in. But have KC Concepcion and Mario Craver exceeded expectations by any means, to do what they've done so quickly?
"Yeah…I don't know. It's obviously really good that they've gone out there and made the plays that they made. It was really good in the game like that against a secondary like that last week that they were able to make the plays that they did. Obviously we had tremendously high expectations for those guys. I know that everybody likes to kind of create their own mindset on who the good players are in the portal, and who the guys are that you have to get, and who you lose, and all of those things…everybody writes their own stories on them. But we felt very confident with what we did and what we accomplished and who we brought in. But obviously it still has to play out, right? And until it plays out, you don't know. So it's just been great to see those guys be what we hoped and thought they could be for us."
Do you feel your defense has an identity? A lot of people say like, bend but don't break…is it too early? Do you feel your defense has an identity?
"I think we're still kind of working through it. Obviously we didn't have the level of success that we wanted to have in the Notre Dame game. It would be hard to sit here and tell you what we're holding our hat on right now. We've played one Power 5 game and it didn't go great. But obviously that's something we've got to fix moving forward."
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