BATON ROUGE, La. — Texas A&M coach Mike Elko isn’t concerned with what the Aggies have been or what they failed to perform throughout many years of underachievement. He’s all in regards to the 2025 Aggies, who’re 8-0 after beating LSU 49-25 on Saturday night time.
Texas A&M scored 35 straight factors to tug away, empty out Tiger Stadium and have a good time with a big contingent of its followers within the southeast nook of the stadium.
“I maintain saying this: It’s not in regards to the previous,” Elko stated. “We bought to cease, like, worrying in regards to the previous, interested by the previous, speaking in regards to the previous. I’m excited for what this crew is doing proper now.
“This crew is performing some actually particular issues.”
The third-ranked Aggies are 8-0 for the primary time since 1992, after their first win at LSU as an SEC member. Texas A&M has scored 40 or extra factors in 4 consecutive highway video games for the primary time in crew historical past, tying the SEC document, and completed with essentially the most factors towards a ranked LSU crew at Tiger Stadium since Georgia scored 52 in 2008.
“They tried to place a quote up there that I stated that Demise Valley was underwhelming,” Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed stated. “And shoot, I suppose it was. They didn’t do a lot to me.”
What stood out about Texas A&M’s rout was how unlikely it appeared at halftime, when No. 20 LSU led 18-14. The Aggies had gone by a depressing, albeit traditionally acquainted, second quarter, after they had a punt blocked by the tip zone for a security, threw two interceptions and have been outscored 11-0.
Texas A&M outgained LSU 258-189 on the half, however its errors created a halftime deficit for the primary time this season. The Aggies’ solely win of their earlier 10 video games whereas trailing on the half got here towards LSU final season.
“I stated, ‘You’re the higher crew, however you must play higher soccer, and if you happen to don’t play higher soccer, you’re going to let one slip away tonight,'” Elko stated of his halftime message.
Added Reed: “Elko positively stated some issues. I can’t actually keep in mind each element. It was aggressive, although, for certain.”
Reed felt Texas A&M was the superior crew from the beginning of the sport, however the Aggies needed to show it. They did it with their most full quarter of the season, outscoring LSU 21-0 and outgaining the Tigers 132-14. The spotlight got here from star broad receiver KC Concepcion, who returned a punt 79 yards for a landing.
Texas A&M punted simply as soon as within the second half and compelled 4 consecutive LSU punts. Elko credited the sturdy end to power and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt, who held the identical function at LSU from 2000 to 2021 till being ousted in the course of the teaching transition from Ed Orgeron to Brian Kelly.
“Moffitt needed this recreation simply as dangerous as anybody else,” stated Reed, who completed with 202 passing yards and a couple of touchdowns, and 108 dashing yards and a couple of scores. “I keep in mind Thursday, he form of introduced in a tackling dummy with Brian Kelly’s face on it. Yeah, this one was an necessary one to him.”
Some LSU followers chanted for Kelly’s firing within the closing minutes because the Tigers, who started the season with nationwide championship aspirations, misplaced for the third time in 4 video games. LSU had been 20-1 in night time video games below Kelly.
“20-2,” Elko stated when a reporter requested about Kelly’s document.
LSU is 4-5 in its previous 9 SEC video games.
“Our followers are disillusioned like every fan base can be,” stated Kelly, who turned 64 on Saturday. “It stops with the pinnacle coach, in order that accountability falls with me.”
Elko is keenly conscious of what Texas A&M has been, and what locations like Tiger Stadium have represented for this system. He was the Aggies’ defensive coordinator in 2019 when LSU thumped the Aggies 50-7 in Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow’s last house recreation on the best way to the nationwide championship. Texas A&M had different losses on this stadium, large and small, stretching again to 1994, when it received 18-13.
“I advised the children this the opposite day, ‘I used to be the place to begin guard on my highschool basketball crew the final time [Texas A&M] received right here,'” Elko stated.
He stopped wanting saying he anticipated an 8-0 begin, or such a dominant win in such a home of horrors for previous Aggies groups. However Texas A&M’s totally different paths to victory this season — a last-minute comeback at Notre Dame, hard-nosed victories towards Auburn and Arkansas, a number of blowouts — make Elko assured that his crew can examine all of the containers of a championship contender.
Texas A&M enters an open week earlier than a November that can decide whether or not it secures its first School Soccer Playoff look.
“There’s positively nonetheless a variety of issues to be confirmed, and I really feel like lots of people on this nation nonetheless don’t respect us as a crew,” Reed stated. “So no, we’re not attempting to show anyone mistaken. We’re simply going to go show ourselves proper.”
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