No. 10 Texas A&M is on the first of two bye weeks this season, as coach Mike Elko and his undefeated team will officially shift focus to the Auburn Tigers, who the Aggies will host next weekend to open SEC play. After defeating Notre Dame in South Bend 41-40, Texas A&M’s season truly begins with three consecutive home conference games before three successive road tests.
Through three games, Texas A&M’s passing offense, led by starting quarterback Marcel Reed’s significant improvement in the pocket, appears to be the program’s predominant strength, primarily due to the offseason additions of wide receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion.
Advertisement
After reeling in his career-high 207 receiving yards against the Fighting Irish, Craver leads the nation in receiving yards (443). At the same time, Conecpcion has been equally reliable, finishing Saturday’s win with four receptions for 82 yards. While the run game is still finding its footing, senior back Le’Veon Moss looks back to form, rushing for 80 yards and three scores against Notre Dame.
Still, Texas A&M’s defense has been an issue, but knowing that coach Mike Elko is calling the defensive plays, these problems should hopefully be resolved by the middle part of the year. While the Aggies are off this week, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban praised the Aggies during ESPN’s College GameDay panel discussion, stating that he is “really impressed” with Texas A&M through the first three weeks.
“You know, the team that I’m really impressed with is Texas A&M” Saban stated. “Marcel Reed has done a fantastic job. I mean, to go to Notre Dame and having played them for years and years, being at Michigan State, a big rivalry, game, that’s a hard place to win.”
Saban continued to praise the Aggies’ “mental toughness” after pulling off the victory, which included Marcel Reed’s game-winning drive.
“If you’re going there and have mental toughness, to be able to sustain and come back in the game, it speaks a lot about the competitive character of this team, and if Marcel Reed stays healthy, they’re gonna be hard to beat.”
Nick Saban is widely regarded as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, having won seven national championships, including six with the Crimson Tide. While praise from any college football analyst is meaningful after a victory, Saban’s words ring true, knowing that Mike Elko’s cultural shift is steadily underway.
Advertisement
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Nick Saban praises Texas A&M’s ‘competitive character’ amid 3-0 start
