Mike Elko addresses Texas A&M’s struggles in the run game vs. Arizona State
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Texas A&M Aggies rolled to a 48-20 home victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils this past Saturday in front of a packed Kyle Field to move to 2-0 on the season.
A&M struggled over the first 3 frames of play, entering the fourth quarter holding a narrow 24-20 lead, but scored 24 unanswered over the final 15 minutes of play to secure the win.
Despite the victory, the ‘Aggies’ performance over the first 3 quarters exposed a glaring issue in the run game, as they couldn’t get anything going on the ground. Head coach Mike Elko was asked about his team’s struggles in this area on Monday afternoon and said that it was “not good enough” against ASU.
“Obviously not good enough, for sure,” Elko said. “Certainly an area that needs to improve. We have to be able to run the ball more effectively than that. I think that when you look at that tape, you know, there’s a lot of reasons. I think that we have got to do a better job of blocking up front; that’s a part of it. We’ve got to do a better job of running behind the blocks; that’s a part of it… I think that it’s just something that we’ve got to continue to address, for sure.”
The Aggies only managed to put up 92 yards on the ground against Arizona State, and much of that production came in the second half of the game. A&M ball carriers also only managed to average 2.6 yards per carry on the day, a mark that will not hold up against the rigors of SEC play.
History has shown that a 1 dimensional offense is a recipe for disaster in the SEC, especially for teams looking to compete for a national title. As such, Elko and his staff will have to find a way to get the ground game going moving forward if they want any hope of making a second straight College Football Playoff appearance.
Subscribe to the Saturday Football Newsletter — Get the latest news and updates on your team, your conference, and the college football nation straight to your inbox.
Having trouble seeing the signup form? Some privacy or ad-blocking tools can prevent it from loading. You can subscribe directly here.
