Texas A&M’s Elko wary of Arkansas’ explosive offense as Southwest Classic looms

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko is well aware that some of his players love the Dallas Cowboys, some don’t and that America’s Team owner Jerry Jones’ home state, his alma mater and passion is Arkansas.

So he decided to use that as motivation ahead of his Aggies (3-1, 1-0) facing the Razorbacks (3-1, 1-0) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Southwest Classic at the Cowboys AT&T Stadium.

It is scheduled to be the last neutral site game in a series that has been played in Arlington for 12 of the last 13 seasons with the game returning to home sites and schedule to be played in Fayetteville in 2025.

“…It’s going to be a big challenge for us,” noted Elko, who is in his first season as Texas A&M head coach after a successful run at Duke. “You know, it’s a quasi home/road game, right? Which is always cool. The last year that we’re going to play the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium.

“So I told our guys this morning in kind of a joking manner, if you’re a Cowboys fan, it’s the last chance you get to go up there and play a game in Cowboys Stadium. And if you’re not a Cowboys fan, it’s the last chance you go up to get to beat Jerry Jones’ team in Cowboys Stadium.

“It works both ways, whether you like the Cowboys or not. And so we’re excited for the opportunity, excited to go up there and put our best brand of football on display.”

Arkansas leads the all-time series 42-35-3, but is just 4-8 in Arlington.

Texas A&M has dominated the Southwest Classic lately by winning 9 of the last 10 games, but most of the games have been close.

Elko, who is 2-1 against Arkansas as a former Aggies defensive coordinator, wouldn’t be surprised if it’s that way again this season.

“I think the environment plays a role,” Elko said. “I think kids play their best football on that stage. I think everybody gets excited for playing in that stadium. Obviously this game means a lot to both teams. And we always seem to get their best. We always try to give them our best. And when two teams do that, you wind up with a lot of really close, entertaining football games.

“You know, obviously not as a coach, I don’t remember any of them to be very entertaining. When I was here, they were all way too close for my liking. But, from the fans perspective, they’re entertaining games and I certainly expect this to be another one.”

Elko enjoys the setting, but understands why the athletic directors want to have it on campus.

“You know me,” Elko said. “We’ll play wherever we got to play. I don’t have a strong opinion on that. It’s been a cool game. Obviously, the opportunity to go up there and play this game. It’s always a cool environment when you have the split field fans.

“But I also understand the benefit of getting a fourth home game for both sides. It’s a lot of things. There’s positives on both ends of it. Whatever the big people decides is what we’ll do.”

Elko believes that the Aggies and Razorbacks are in similar situations as the team’s reach week five of the current season.

“As we turn our attention to Arkansas, 3-1 football team, 1-0 in the SEC, very similar to us, everything that they want in front of them,” Elko said. “Offensively, obviously very familiar with offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Right now they’re a top-10 total offense in the country. They’re second in third-down efficiency nationally. So he’s got those guys playing at a really high level.

Elko is well aware of Arkansas offensive standouts in quarterback Taylen Green (927 yards passing, 355 rushing), tailback Ja’Quiden Jackson (472 yards rushing and 8 TDs) and wide receivers Andrew Armstrong (23 catches, 348 yards) and Isaiah Sategna (10 catches, 213 yards).

“They went out in the transfer portal and got a really good quarterback who’s a dual-threat kid that can throw the ball around really well,” Elko said. “He’s got an extremely big arm that jumps off the tape and can do a lot of things with his feet as well.

“Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, who I remember from when I was here as a defensive coordinator leading Duncanville as their quarterback, a big physical running back, has been extremely productive this year for them.

“They’ve got an elite wide receiver corps in Andrew Armstrong and Isaiah Sategna. Both of those guys are dangerous. Like always, Arkansas has a lot of big dual-threat tight ends that can block and get out and catch the football.

“They’ve got an experienced offensive line. Sam Pittman, their head coach, I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Not only the job he does as a head coach and the kind of coach he is, but he’s also an offensive line background. And so even going back as a defensive coordinator, just this offensive line is always extremely well-coached and does a great job.”

Ahead of the matchup, Elko credited Arkansas’ ground game.

“Arkansas’ running game is a challenge,” Elko said. “When they have dual threats in the backfield, it makes it harder,” Elko said on the Aggie Football Hour on Wednesday evening. “The biggest thing, like always, is we have to win the line of scrimmage. Our defensive line has to control the line of scrimmage, and then we have to be good tacklers.”

Elko also sees a lot to like about Arkansas’ defense.

“They bring back both defensive tackles, two experienced players, big physical guys at the point of attack,” Elko said. “Landon Jackson at defensive end is another kid that feels like he’s played an awful lot of football in the SEC. I remember his recruitment and he certainly has blossomed into an elite player.

“I thought they did a really good job in the transfer portal at the linebacker position. Xavian Sorey stands out, a kid who transferred in from Georgia, another high-profile recruit who’s doing a really good job for them at the linebacker position.

“In the secondary it’s another good mix, which seems to be what everybody is…a couple of returning starters, a couple of transfers, kind of blending it all together and playing good football.”

Elko has started quarterback Marcel Reed the past two weeks after Connor Weigman started the season-opening loss to Notre Dame (28-13) and was injured against McNeese State.

Reed has completed 32 of 57 passes for 422 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 217 yards in wins over McNeese State (52-10), at Florida (33-20) and Bowling Green (26-20).

“He (Weigman) is taking reps on the side (in practice) right now,” Elko said during the SEC Teleconference. “He is progressing and getting better. We are hopeful that we are going to have him available on Saturday. It will kind of be more of a game-time decision in that regard.”

Reed is a work in progress, but an improving one per Elko.

“I think the one thing I want to say that I just think is so ironic, if you look at his stat line between the two games, they’re almost identical,” Elko said. “I think the difference in total yards between the Florida game and the Bowling Green game was a few yards. I think it’s funny what expectations do, and it’s funny what people think when they just…they hear Bowling Green so they anticipate a certain type of thing because of it.

“He’s got a big arm. He’s got tremendous athleticism. I still think there’s some progressions, reads, checks that he’s still working through. Those things have made tremendous strides from spring ball through fall camp, through playing against McNeese, Florida, and last week, the multiplicity of defenses and learning how to maneuver through all of that. And I just think he’s a young quarterback who gets better every time he takes snaps under center.”

Elko wasn’t pleased with his team’s play at times during last week’s close win over visiting Bowling Green, but was happy with the result.

“Going back and reviewing the game, it’s not a whole lot different than what we talked about after the game,” Elko said. “I’m proud of how we played to win. Winning a football game when you’re not playing your best is something that doesn’t always happen, and we were able to do that.

“But I think every aspect of the game we were just very choppy. Offensively we scored on six of nine possessions, but four of those scores were field goals and three times when we didn’t score we went three and out. Then we came out with a chance to ice the game and we fumble, right? And so if you look at it from a big-picture standpoint, it’s just choppy all over the place. So a lot of areas to get better there.”

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