Texas A&M football is back in the win column after its dominant 34-7 win over Arkansas, but a massive challenge awaits the Aggies in Columbia, Missouri, in Week 6.
In his third year as the head coach of the program, Mike Elko has led his team to a 3-2 (1-2 in SEC) record through the first five weeks of the 2026 season.
The Aggies looked much improved against the Razorbacks, just one week after being held to under 200 total yards of offense for the first time since 2022 against the LSU Tigers. Texas A&M's deep running back room was on display in the 27-point victory, as freshman KJ Edwards, Rueben Owens II and Carsyn Baker combined for 135 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M's defense held Arkansas to just 214 total yards,
the second-lowest allowed to a Power Five team in the Elko Era. The unit will need to be sharp as it travels to face one of college football's most explosive offenses this weekend.
Here is everything Elko said during Monday's game-week press conference ahead of Saturday's matchup against No. 14 Missouri in Columbia:
Elko's review of his team's Week 5 performance
"The story of the game was really simple: We did the things we needed to do to win football games," Elko said. "When you're able to play like that, you're going to win football games, so it was nice to not have an Arkansas game come down to the wire."
Elko's evaluation of Missouri's strong run defense
"They're playing really, really good football. They're 12th in the country at only giving up 2.6 yards per carry," Elko said. "They did a good job in shutting down an elite tailback last week."
Elko's thoughts on freshman running back KJ Edwards' performance
"We wouldn't play him if we weren't (comfortable). Credit him for rising to the challenge. Credit Troop (Taylor) for making sure he's ready," Elko said. "He's got to be able to do it all for him to be on the field. There were a couple of times on Saturday night when he picked up some blitzes."
Elko on what defensive tackle Landon Rink brings to the table
"He continues to get better, continues to grow. He's a young kid we had a lot of expectations for this year. He earned the right to go out there with the first group on Saturday," Elko said.
Elko on wide receiver TK Norman's offensive contribution
"We knew Mario (Craver) was going to be limited, and we wanted to get TK some opportunities, and the opportunities would be in the slot. Credit to him for shifting over and learning," Elko said. "You have to have guys step up, and he was able to do that and make some explosive plays."
Elko's evaluation of Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons
"He's really good and delivers the ball really accurately. He's comfortable throwing it into tight windows, and he's confident in his arm," Elko said. "They have a lot of really talented outside receivers that can stretch the field as well."
Elko on what the bounce-back win over Arkansas does for momentum
"When you win, things are better. I don't think there's any dispute about that. We never stop working, but you feel the mojo and more positive vibes when you win," Elko said.
Elko on the joy of an SEC win and getting back on the right track
"That means we're not listening to you guys, if I'm being honest. When I say 'you guys,' I mean the noise. We talk about isolating ourselves from everybody's thoughts," Elko said. "When you play college football these days, the noise gets so loud."
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 'They're playing really good football': Texas A&M HC previews Missouri
