Arkansas football continues its 2024 season against No. 24 Texas A&M in just four days at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and Aggies head coach Mike Elko spoke to the media Monday to preview the matchup.
Texas A&M opened its season with a 23-13 home loss to then-ranked No. 7 Notre Dame before picking up a dominant 52-10 victory over McNeese State in Week 2. The Aggies opened SEC play with a 33-20 road win against Florida, but won Saturday in ugly fashion against Bowling Green, 26-20.
Now in his first season as head coach at Texas A&M, Elko led the Duke Blue Devils to a combined 16-9 overall record from 2022-23 before leaving for the SEC. The defensive-minded coach was also a defensive coordinator for Bowling Green (2009-13), Wake Forest (2014-16), Notre Dame (2017), Texas A&M (2018-21) and other programs throughout his career.
This will mark the 81st meeting between the two teams, as Arkansas leads the series 42-35-1. The last time Arkansas won was in 2021, when the Razorbacks defeated the Aggies at AT&T Stadium, 20-10.
Here's everything Elko had to say about head coach Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks:
On Arkansas' offense:
Elko: "Very similar to us. Everything they want in front of them. The offense is obviously very familiar with offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and 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.
"They went out in the transfer portal and got a really good quarterback who's a dual-threat kid. Can throw the ball around really well, has 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. Big, physical running back and has been extremely productive this year for them.
"They got an elite wide receiver corp with Andrew Armstrong and Isaiah Sategna. Both 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 got an experienced offensive line and Sam Pittman, 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."
On Arkansas' defense:
Elko: "Defensively, on the defensive line they bring back both defensive tackles. Two experienced players. Two big, physical guys at the point of attack. Landon Jackson is another kid that feels like he's played an awful lot of football in the SEC. I remember his recruitment and he's certainly 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. In the secondary, it just seems to be a really good mix. A couple of returning starters, a couple transfers, kind of blending it all together and playing good football."
On playing at AT&T Stadium:
Elko: “It's going to be a big challenge for us. It's a quasi-road-home game, which is always cool. It's the last year that we're going to play the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium. 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 play a game in Cowboys Stadium.
"If you're not a Cowboys fan, it's the last chance you get to beat Jerry Jones' team in Cowboys Stadium.' It works both ways whether you like the Cowboys or not."
On Bobby Petrino's offense:
Elko: "Obviously he's been an offensive coordinator for a really long time. I went up against him back in the ACC when he was at Louisville and I was at Wake (Forest). I think he's really sound in what he does, he's got a really good plan for how they want to run the football.
"He's got a really good plan for how they want to create shot plays down the field. They do a good job creating different looks and he's a really good play caller. He's been really successful for a long time as an offensive coordinator and so, that's just kind of continued."
On using a "spy" to defend Arkansas QB Taylen Green:
Elko: "That's always an interesting question because that's a word fans have used, 'Oh you just spy the quarterback.' It's way more complicated than that because when you look at it, we're running an 11-man defense, it takes 11 people to fit the run.
"They're going to call a play, they may run the football. We can't just say, 'Oh, you spy the quarterback.' So I think what you try to do, first and second down within each of your coverage structures, each of your defenses, is you're trying to identify as the play goes out, who kind of becomes the guy paying attention to him if he does pull that ball down.
"So, I don't know that it's specific to this guy spies him. It's kind of as the play unfolds, as the route concept develops, as the coverage develops, who winds up in that spot that has to make sure he keeps secondary eyes on him. I think we're a little bit fortunate because we had some preparation with this with Notre Dame.
"I think we faced a dual-threat quarterback against Notre Dame that was a very similar type mindset in terms of how you have to go about this. So, that helps, but still they present different challenges."
On crazy finishes between Arkansas and Texas A&M:
Elko: "I think the environment plays a role. I think the kids play their best football on that stage. I think everybody gets excited to play in that stadium. Obviously this game means a lot to both teams. We always seem to get their best and we always try to give them our best.
"I think when two teams do that, you wind up with a lot of close, entertaining football games. Obviously as a coach, I don't remember too many of them to be entertaining when I was here, they were all way too close for my liking. From a fan's perspective, they're entertaining games and I certainly expect this to be another one."
On his favorite memory between Arkansas and Texas A&M:
Elko: "Oh, gosh. I don't know if I have a favorite memory. I felt like every one of those games was down to the wire. If I remember right, my first one, they kind of came back on us and Donovan Wilson made a heck of a pick in the fourth quarter to ice it and give us the win.
"I just remember him ranging across the field and when he came down with it, it was like, 'Ugh, thank God.' I remember that feeling, but no, they've been very competitive games and they've had a lot of really talented players, so have we and it's been fun."
