COLLEGE STATION — Don’t let head coach Mike Elko’s slip of the tongue Monday fool you. Texas A&M football knows the challenge that Auburn presents this week and are not looking past this tough road test for a second.
“When the time is right, we’ll turn our attention to that one (Texas Longhorns). It’s obviously a big one,” Elko said during Wednesday’s SEC weekly teleconference when asked about next weekend’s Lone Star Showdown. “My juices are flowing for Auburn right now.”
The Aggies have a season-defining two-game stretch with the regular season capped off against their in-state foe, and the rivalry will renew at Kyle Field. However, for that game to have the true meaning everyone in Aggieland hopes it does, A&M will have to take care of business on the road under the lights against a sneaky, talented Tigers team.
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“Our focus is single-handedly on Auburn right now and locked in on what we have to get done,” Elko said on Monday.
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Despite the 4-6 overall record and being 1-5 in the SEC, Auburn boasts the 20th-ranked scoring defense in the country, only allowing 18.7 per game. The talent is there, even if the record doesn’t show the full picture, and the Aggies know they can’t afford to take the Tigers lightly.
“They have a really talented front. They’re good at the second level,” Elko said when asked about the Tigers’ defense. “They have good players, a good scheme, and they’re playing really well together.”
A&M is 2-1 in away games this year, dropping its latest road test against South Carolina before their Week 11 bye week. Now they are preparing to face another tough environment, with the stakes even higher.
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Despite the outside noise and the challenging opponent in front of them, Elko understands that his team is talented enough to control the situation within. Saturday night in Auburn is a chance to further demonstrate that.
“There’s a misbelief that you can just want it, or it’s chance, or you can’t control it,” Elko said Wednesday night during his weekly radio show. “You absolutely can control it. You absolutely can control your own success. As long as you’re talented enough, which we are, you have the ability to control your own success.”
With two SEC games left, the Aggies’ path to the SEC championship game is clear: win, and you’re in.
Questions have begun to be asked about next week’s matchup against the Longhorns, and they will only intensify as the days go on. But nothing substantial can be achieved if they let this week’s game against Auburn slip through their fingers.
The messaging is clear: A&M controls the narrative, and they would like to keep it that way.
“It’s the first time in the SEC in November where it is in our hands,” Elko said.
Saturday’s game
No. 15 Texas A&M (8-2, 5-1) at Auburn (4-6, 1-5), 6:30 p.m., ESPN, 1370
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M vs Auburn: Why Aggies aren’t overlooking Week 13
