Mike Elko praises the 12th Man for ‘impressive’ Red, White and Blue Game atmosphere
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Mike Elko had plenty to say to reporters in the postgame press conference after his 10th-ranked Texas A&M team pulled away for a 48-20 victory over Arizona State on Saturday afternoon to improve to 2-0.
There was a lot for the Aggies head coach to say about his team’s performance — mostly good but not perfect, of course, as the Sun Devils hung around until the 4th quarter. But Elko also took some time in the postgame to call out the 12th Man, as those rabid Texas A&M fans showed out in full force on Saturday during the red, white and blue out at Kyle Field.
Those fans, considered annually some of the loudest in all of college football, came to play like the Aggies did, and Elko was appreciative afterward.
“What a scene. Thank you to the 12th Man. … Just the scene of red, white and blue when we ran out of the tunnel and what it stands for on the anniversary of 9/11,” Mike Elko said. “I just thought that was another really, really impressive thing by the 12th Man.”
It was just another example of Texas A&M having one of the most passionate fan bases in all of college football, and when thrown in with the emotion of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the atmosphere in College Station was off the charts. The Aggies players eventually followed suit and pulled away for the blowout victory to stay undefeated.
Texas A&M is off and running this season at 2-0, as the Aggies try to contend for an SEC title and a return trip to the College Football Playoff. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about how many victories that Texas A&M can pile up before the 2026 season is over:
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.
