Mike Elko never said Jimbo Fisher’s name. He didn’t have to. His words after Texas A&M beat LSU came off as quite a zinger.
Texas A&M sits all alone atop SEC standings after beating LSU.
Mike Elko’s in-game quarterback change to Marcel Reed pays off.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Jimbo Fisher talked a mile a minute throughout six disappointing seasons at Texas A&M. He spewed more hot air than half the folks on Capitol Hill.
Throughout Fisher’s tenure as Aggies head coach, he portrayed a fast-talking, wheeling-and-dealing auctioneer who masqueraded as a football coach.
All boots, but no cowboy.
More importantly, his Aggies play differently.
They block, and they tackle, and they protect the football, and they’re resilient.
They win.
Two months into Elko’s first season, he’s made Fisher’s persistent shortcomings look even worse.
Elko laid waste to Fisher Saturday night after No. 14 Texas A&M rallied past No. 7 LSU, 38-23, at a roaring Kyle Field.
‘This is a real program. It’s not fake,’ Elko said after a win that positioned the Aggies (7-1) alone atop the SEC standings. ‘It’s not a politician running this program, talking fast and BS’ing everybody. This is a real program.’
Yowza. Now, that’s a quote.
Eyebrows shot up when Elko said that.
Elko, who previously worked under Fisher, never spoke Fisher’s name. To these ears, though, his words sounded like a direct shot at his predecessor and former boss.
Or, perhaps it slipped out as an unintentional jab, but anyone who heard Elko’s phrasing must have pictured Fisher, the motormouth who scooted off last fall with a $77 million buyout and not a single season with 10 victories.
Elko, in his first season, is on pace for 10 wins before Thanksgiving.
What gives?
‘Elko era, that’s really what’s going on,’ said the Aggies’ BJ Mayes, who intercepted LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier twice during a second-half comeback that crippled the Tigers’ playoff hopes.
Mayes, a transfer defensive back, never played for Fisher, so he can’t speak to that.
But, he can speak to Elko. He’s happy to, in fact.
‘He’s a no-tolerance type of coach, you feel me?’ Mayes said.
Tough love looks good on Texas A&M.
Who needs patience? Not Mike Elko or Texas A&M
Patience remains the loser’s battle cry, and Elko obliterates the fictional narrative that a program takes years to turn. He previously won 16 games in two seasons at Duke, and if you don’t think that qualifies as a warp-speed elevation, Google Duke’s history.
If Elko’s Aggies can beat rival Texas next month – and why should anyone think they can’t? – they’ll probably be playing in the SEC championship game, something Fisher never did.
The Aggies never lacked for talent during the Fisher era, nor did they lack for funds once donors could funnel money to athletes via NIL deals.
They did lack for production, particularly on offense. Fisher once earned acclaim as a quarterback whisperer, but he’d spent all of his pearls of wisdom before he came around these parts.
‘When I got here, the whole rhetoric about this program was, ‘NIL and mercenaries and selfishness.’ To see where we are now … you don’t see those things,’ Elko said. ‘That’s a credit to those kids in the locker room. It’s a credit to their character.’
Absolutely, it is.
Reserve a little credit for the coach, too.
Awards aren’t handed out in October, but after this victory, Elko enjoys front-runner status for SEC coach of the year.
Mike Elko changes Texas A&M’s culture – and its quarterback
Elko installed more toughness – mental and physical – to accompany Texas A&M’s talent.
‘He knows the game, and he changed the culture,’ quarterback Marcel Reed said.
Fisher’s Aggies perfected the art of the narrow loss.
Elko’s Aggies find ways to win.
On Saturday, that meant winning with two quarterbacks who combined to complete eight passes.
The Aggies’ defense got nasty and rattled Nussmeier in the second half, after LSU’s quarterback tormented Texas A&M in the first half. Elko deftly changed quarterbacks in the third quarter, benching Conner Weigman in favor of Reed.
When Weigman plays at his best, his passing ability gives the Aggies their highest offensive ceiling. He was far from his best against LSU. The Tigers persistently harassed Weigman, and when he wasn’t succumbing to sacks, he was throwing incompletions.
Midway through the third quarter, LSU led 17-7.
‘There was no panic on our sideline,’ Elko said.
Still, he recognized the Aggies needed to change the triggerman.
Reed’s skill set differs from Weigman’s. He’s a read-option maestro, and he used deception and speed to twist the Tigers into knots.
‘I started a spark,’ Reed said.
Now, fire catches behind a coach who says fewer words per minute than his predecessor, while the Aggies’ record speaks volumes.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.