Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is putting everyone on notice. Forget the logos, forget what you *think* you know about Arizona State, because this team just dropped **70 points in three quarters** during their Week 1 rout over Morgan State. Elko is making it clear, the Sun Devils are coming to Kyle Field with dreams of a major nonconference road victory, and he’s not letting his Aggies overlook them.
The Sun Devils’ Offensive Avalanche Is for Real
Look, Arizona State is not a traditional football blue blood, but don’t let that fool you. They’re only two years removed from making the College Football Playoff, and they have a young, highly regarded offensive mind leading the program in Kenny Dillingham. They are stacked with NFL talent, including multiple guys at wide receiver and cornerback. Their Week 1 numbers? Absolutely insane. Quarterback Cutter Boley, a transfer from Kentucky, tore it up with 387 yards passing and six touchdowns. The team averaged a whopping 7.1 yards per carry on the ground. Seven of their ten touchdown drives needed five plays or less, and they lasted 100 seconds or less to reach the end zone. The game was so out of hand, the fourth quarter was cut down to just ten minutes!
Elko nailed it when he said, “This is a really, really talented team, I know a lot of people like to look at logos and think logos mean things. They really don’t. This is a really talented team that’s been producing a lot of NFL players, has a bunch of them on the field this weekend, and this will be a really big challenge for us.” This is exactly the kind of early season test that reveals what a team is truly made of.
Aggies Are Dominant, But the “Wrinkle Mode” Is On
Of course, Texas A&M isn’t exactly slouching. They also had a dominant Week 1 victory, dropping 50 points on Missouri State. After some first-half nerves, the Aggies found their rhythm and absolutely locked down on defense in front of more than 107,000 fans at Kyle Field. Their defense truly stole the show, allowing a measly 67 total yards, which is the lowest total number of yards given up by an Aggies defense since 1978.
But both coaches know the Week 1 tape against overmatched opponents doesn’t tell the whole story for Saturday’s showdown. “It’s hard for us to look at that film. I’m sure it’s hard for them to look at our film from last week,” Elko admitted. Both teams are deep in the film room, looking at tapes from last year, and even earlier. Dillingham mentioned watching film from when Elko was at Duke, when offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins was at Alabama, and when defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill was at James Madison. As Dillingham put it, “You never know in a new year what the wrinkle is. We’re still in wrinkle mode. You can create these great plans, but you don’t know what their new wrinkle is.” He has a ton of respect for Elko’s ability to build a tough, physical program while still evolving.
This Saturday at 11 a.m. at Kyle Field, two dominant Week 1 teams are going to clash. Expect both sides to bring their best, because for Arizona State, it’s about proving their 70-point explosion wasn’t a fluke, and for the Aggies, it’s about shutting down an absolute force.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply