Mike Elko met with reporters in College Station on Monday to preview the team’s trip to Gainesville in Week 3.

Elko covered a lot of ground when talking with the local media, but one noteworthy topic was Texas A&M’s rush defense through 2 games. He was asked for an assessment of that unit so far this season and was blunt in his answer.

“It’s been terrible if we’re being honest,” Elko said. “It’s not been what we want it to be. I think obviously last week it didn’t start going south until we really started getting into some guys who haven’t played a lot of football. And so I think that was good for them.

“I think the first group handled last week the right way. But certainly, giving up 185 yards a game on the ground is not where we want to be at all.”

Notre Dame gashed Texas A&M in the run game back in Week 1, going for 198 total yards on the ground. Last week against McNeese State, the Cowboys managed 180 yards on the ground. And although a lot of that production came during garbage time (as Elko acknowledged), the Aggies will need to be better in this area moving forward.

The issue for Texas A&M has been giving up explosive plays on the ground. The Aggies rank 133rd nationally rush defense explosiveness so far this season, placing above only Central Michigan (via CFBData).

It will be interesting to see if Texas A&M can get that fixed prior to its trip to The Swamp this weekend. Billy Napier and Florida have struggled this year, but the Gators do have a ground game. Through 2 games, Florida ranks 24th nationally in rushing explosiveness and 43rd nationally in rushing success rate.

Texas A&M is a 4.5-point favorite on the road this weekend, according to bet365.