Mike Elko doesn’t want his team to make waves. “We’re not making any big statements,” he said to the ESPN crew following the 21-17 win over Arkansas in the final game between the two at Jerry World in Arlington. “We’re a 2-0 football team.” 

Elko closed the door on the past in the offseason when he asked local media, and by extension the fan base, to stop asking about the Jimbo Fisher tenure. This is the Elko Era. And the residue of his fingerprints are showing up on Saturdays. Texas A&M didn’t win with style, but anyone who has seen the way the head ball coach dresses on game days knows he’s not worried about that. He’s more results than rah-rah, which is exactly why he was hired. 

Texas A&M is on a four-game winning streak since the Week 1 loss to Notre Dame. The Aggies went to The Swamp in Week 3 to snap a 10-game road losing streak dating to 2021 – when Elko was the defensive coordinator. They survived a home upset the following week against a plucky Bowling Green squad. Then they do what they seemingly always do regardless of the coach – beat Arkansas in a weird ass game in Arlington. 

The 12th Man knows this feeling. The Aggies were 4-1 last year after beating Arkansas in a slugfest before losing two of the next three. They were 3-1 after the Arkansas win in 2022 only to lose the next six. Starting well is great, but the Aggies need a finisher. Handling the SEC meatgrinder is the true test, and that exam just began. 

Luckily for Texas A&M, Elko is good at tests. He’s an Ivy League graduate, after all. “Those guys will win the spelling bee,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman conceded in the week leading up to the game. His Razorbacks were outlasted by Elko’s crew on Saturday. That type of resolve and depth will be tested in the coming weeks. How well the Aggies handle one-score games might define the season. This roster doesn’t look equipped to blowout teams.

The formula for 2024 seems obvious – run the ball and win on defense. That’s how the Aggies won in Week 5. They allowed 14 points early against the Razorbacks before the Wrecking Crew settled in and held Arkansas to three points over the final three quarters. Offensively, Le’Veon Moss ran for 103 yards on 11 carries. Marcel Reed ran for a score while completing 50 percent of his passes for 163 yards and two scores. He was sacked three times. 

Next up for Texas A&M is a home game against the No. 11 Missouri Tigers. The Tigers sport the best offense this Aggie defense has faced in 2024. Reed and the offense will need more than 21 points. An idle week and then a road trip against a struggling Mississippi State team await on the other side. Pull the upset, and a 6-1 start is a true reality. And with it, massive stakes in the second-half of the year.