Dec. 13, 2025, 5:30 a.m. CT

Before Texas A&M (11-1, 7-1 SEC) hosts Miami (10-2) in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday, December 20, head coach Mike Elko made an appearance on the popular Pat McAfee show to preview his team’s most significant challenge yet, facing a Hurricanes roster filled with NFL-level talent on both sides of the ball.

Elko has earned the respect of the Aggie fan base after leading the Aggies to their first 11-win season since the 2012 campaign, and their first appearance in the CFP since the tournament’s inception. However, it wasn’t easy, and certainly not stress-free for the second-year head coach, who is also the team’s defensive playcaller since the start of the year.

Texas A&M’s defense finished 19th nationally, tied for first in sacks (41) and first in 3rd-down defense, which has been Elko’s specialty for a majority of his coaching career. Still, it took several weeks for this unit to play consistently, and during the Week 3 41-40 road win over Notre Dame, Elko memorably threw a folding chair onto the sideline after his defense gave up a touchdown, which, according to Elko (jokingly), helped turn this unit around.

All jokes aside, Elko stated on Friday that his defense challenges itself after allowing 40 points against the Fighting Irish, and outside of allowing 42 points against Arkansas, 30 points against South Carolina, and 27 points during the road loss to Texas, the Aggie defense has willed the Aggies in several games, aiding the offense, led by star quarterback Marcel Reed, with excellent field position and scoring opportunities.

To beat a talented team like Miami, Texas A&M’s defense, especially senior edge Cashius Howell, who finished the season with an SEC-leading 11.5 sacks, will need to have a bounce-back performance compared to his poor showing against Texas. In contrast, the secondary will need to limit explosive plays through the air.

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