Mike Elko Praises Texas A&M Offensive Line Despite Sluggish Start in Opener

Texas A&M’s season opener against Missouri State ultimately turned into exactly what everyone expected.

The Aggies won 50-0, with the defense barely allowing the Bears to move the football one inch. Getting to that point required Texas A&M’s offense to work through an opening stretch that was considerably less comfortable than the final score would suggest.

For head coach Mike Elko, some of those early struggles started up front.

“I thought we grew into the game on offense, especially on the offensive line,” Elko said. “There were a few guys out there who were really anxious at the beginning, and by the second, third and fourth series you could see them slowing down and playing the way that they did through fall camp.”

Aggies’ Offensive Line Settles In After Slow Start

Sep 5, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts during the first quarter against the Missouri State Bears at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That growth was encouraging. It will also need to happen considerably faster moving forward.

Missouri State afforded Texas A&M the luxury of figuring things out on the fly. The Aggies could stumble through the early goings of the game and not face too big of consequences. Against Arizona State, which represents a significant jump in competition, those mulligans become considerably more expensive.

“I thought there was a lot of good, but certainly some things to clean up,” Elko said. “It was a lot of things that we had not practiced with a lot of guys out there playing, and we certainly did not play to the standard we needed to early in the game.”

The good news is that Texas A&M did eventually find that standard. As Elko said, the offensive line settled down as the game progressed, allowing the offense as a whole to find its footing and surge like everybody believed it would prior to the beginning of the contest.

Elko was particularly impressed with offensive lineman Tyree Adams, who helped anchor the group in the opener.

“I thought he graded out really well,” Elko said. “Both in the passing and the run game, he played really physical.”

Bigger Test Awaits Texas A&M Against Arizona State

Sep 5, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham after the game against the Morgan State Bears at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Performances like Adams’ become even more important now.

Arizona State provides the Aggies with their first opportunity to find out how much of what worked against Missouri State actually translates against a Power Four opponent. The offensive line doesn’t need to be perfect, especially this early in the season, but Texas A&M can ill afford to spend several possessions waiting for everyone to get comfortable while Kenny Dillingham and company promptly steal its lunch.

“There are big challenges coming up, and that group is going to have to continue working hard to get better every time they go out there,” Elko said.

Against Missouri State, Texas A&M had the luxury of growing into the game. The next opponent might not be nearly as patient.

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