Undefeated after a 4-0 start to the year, with double-digit wins to open the season against UTSA and Utah State before winning one-possession games against Notre Dame and Auburn the past two weekends, there is a lot of optimism surrounding Mike Elko and the Aggies as they enter the second half of their schedule.
After three games against unranked opponents - home against Mississippi State and Florida, and then a road trip to Arkansas - Elko and A&M face two tough road trips at LSU and at Missouri during a key end of season stretch.
As you'd expect under a Mike Elko coached team, the Aggies are among the top ten programs in college football on third-downs, allowing opponents to convert on just under 25% of their attempts. At his presser yesterday, Elko credited the fact that they put a real premium on that down in practice, in the game planning process, and all season long for that success, combined with the fact that he personally finds joy in planning for the situation.
One area the Aggies will need to make some serious improvement in though before those key road games against a pair of Tiger teams is in penalties.
Texas A&M is currently one of the most penalized teams in college football, averaging close to ten per game. In their four games this season, they've committed 38 penalties for just over 77 yards per game.
Now in his fourth season as a head coach (two at Duke and now in year two at A&M), plus six stops as a defensive coordinator, Elko shared he's no stranger to creative strategies to fixing penalties issues.
With players getting NIL deals and revenue sharing opportunities now, he and the Aggies staff are rolling out a unique approach that had traditionally been reserved for professional sports.
"Alright, so I'll let you guys in on something," Elko started his response off when asked about their approach to limit penalties.
"I have tried all kinds of things. So, today, what we started was the Texas A&M Football Coaches Cabo Fund. So what is going to happen now is every time one of our players gets a penalty, they are going to contribute to the Coaches Cabo Fund."
"So we will see if that works," he added with a grin, as chuckles from the media could be heard in the background.
Whether that's a real thing where players will see fines in their lockers, or this is just a fun tongue-in-cheek comment is anyone's guess.