Mike Elko assesses ‘unique’ atmosphere at Notre Dame, previews readiness for Week 3 matchup
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Mike Elko has lived the Notre Dame football experience.
He was the defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish for only 1 season, in 2017. But that 1 season is all it took for Elko to understand that Notre Dame is unlike any other college football locale, and that means playing at Notre Dame Stadium is unlike any other challenge.
On Saturday night, Elko’s 16th-ranked Texas A&M team will try to be up for that challenge. The Aggies breezed past UTSA and Utah State at home during the first 2 weeks of the season, and they combined for 86 points in rolling to a 2-0 start.
But in Week 3, Texas A&M’s ability to handle another ranked foe, in its historic home stadium, will be put to the test. Not only will this be 8th-ranked Notre Dame’s home opener when the Aggies and Irish collide in South Bend in the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on NBC. It’ll be Notre Dame‘s first game after a bye week that followed a stinging season-opening loss at Miami on Aug. 31.
That means Texas A&M will be dealing with a lot of factors at Notre Dame Stadium. Elko spoke on Wednesday night during the “Aggie Football Hour” about the atmosphere in South Bend.
“As a college football fan my whole life, there’s a certain level of history and tradition you feel around there. I think it’s a really unique place, and it will be a great trip,” Mike Elko said.
Elko also spoke about his team playing in big games like the one on Saturday night.
“We hosted College GameDay twice last year. We won two games against top-10 teams last year. That’s what it means to play football at Texas A&M. Obviously, this is a big stage and our kids are fired up for it,” Elko said.
It’s also a revenge game for Elko’s program, after Notre Dame went to College Station in Week 1 last season and beat the Aggies, 23-13.
A little over a year later, the programs will collide again in South Bend, amid that special Notre Dame Stadium aura.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
