COLLEGE STATION — For the first time in months, Texas A&M football hasn’t been doing much practicing.
NO. 7 TEXAS A&M VS. NO. 10 MIAMI
When/where: 11 a.m. Dec. 20 in College Station.
TV/radio: ABC/ESPN; 1370 AM.
Head coach Mike Elko said Monday the Aggies have been on the field only once since their Week 14 loss to Texas. However, with a College Football Playoff game on the horizon, the plan is to ramp up the intensity.
Article continues below this ad
“We’re getting ready to go,” Elko said. “Miami, obviously, is a really good team.”
The last time A&M players went close to 10 days without practicing was August. That means they had an extended break after suffering their first loss of the season.
RELATED: Texas A&M football not worried about modest CFP seed ahead of matchup with Miami
Elko is ready to move forward from a defeat that ended A&M’s hopes of reaching its first-ever SEC title game.
Article continues below this ad
“Very quickly, it shifted to now we have an opponent, we have a focus,” Elko said. “You could feel the energy lift.”
He told reporters Sunday during his teleconference that the team is treating this upcoming week as if it were a bye, with a focus on giving players valuable rest ahead of a hopefully prolonged playoff run. The No. 7-ranked Aggies host No. 10 Miami in a first-round CFP game at Kyle Field on Dec. 20.
“We had a good practice,” Elko said. “We’re excited for the opportunity.”
Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko celebrates after a win against South Carolina on Nov. 15, 2025, in College Station.
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
MORE AGGIES: Aggies fall, suffer third loss of season in OT thriller to SMU
Article continues below this ad
A&M crank up intensity, look to play with urgency vs Miami
Finding normalcy in uncharted territory is probably easier said than done, but it’s the place Elko and A&M find themselves in. This is the first time the Aggies have ever qualified for the CFP, and with that comes a feeling of intensity that can’t be duplicated in practice or any old bowl game.
“You can’t play tight in the game of football because if you play tight, you’re going to get beat,” Elko said. “The more opportunities we get to play in those times of games, the better it will be for our program.”
In Year 2, Elko has the program in position to win a national championship for the first time since 1939. The New Jersey native is 19-6 in his two seasons. He said he knows that all the positive vibes surrounding this year’s team could be lost in one game if they don’t prepare adequately.
Article continues below this ad
“We have to understand the urgency of the moment,” Elko said. “We have to understand what it takes to focus, play in and play out.”
[Aggies’ updated College Football Playoff path]
Aggies hope Longhorns’ loss was a lesson learned
The last time A&M left a football field, it was after losing to its bitter rival and ruining its perfect season.
Article continues below this ad
Elko hopes somber feelings from the trip to Austin will serve a higher purpose.
“When you’re winning, you talk a lot about what needs to get fixed and changed,” Elko said. “Sometimes, when you get slapped in the face a little bit, you have to readjust. That will happen from the loss.”
It felt like the team had a different bounce in their step at practice Monday, he said.
A&M might be disappointed after falling from a No. 3 ranking to a No. 7 seed. But there are only 12 teams in the country that have a chance to become national champions, and A&M is one of them.
Article continues below this ad
What more needs to be said?
“The natural reaction to not getting done what you wanted to get done is usually a new energy, a new intensity and a new focus to get better,” Elko said. “I’m happy to see that from our guys, but obviously expected that to be the case.”
Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.
Article continues below this ad