No. 3 Texas A&M looks to improve before showdown with rival Texas when Aggies host Samford

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- — Most outsiders view No. 3 Texas A&M’s game against FCS school Samford on Saturday as a nice break from the rigors of Southeastern Conference play before a showdown with rival 17th-ranked Texas next week. Coach Mike Elko and the Aggies (10-0) absolutely don’t see it that way. Especially after last week’s awful first half against South Carolina that necessitated the biggest comeback in school history to get a 31-30 win and stay undefeated. “(It’s) an opportunity for us to get back to playing football at our standard,” Elko said. “We talk a lot about playing to our standard, regardless of opponent. I told the guys this (Monday), it’s not something we’ve been good enough at. So, this is an opportunity for us to take a maturity step and go out there and play the game at the level that we’re capable of playing it regardless of who we’re playing. That’s gonna matter a lot, for me, in terms of how we approach this one.” Marcel Reed was asked how last week’s game could help the Aggies moving forward after he threw 316 of his career-high 439 yards passing and three touchdowns in the second half to lead the 27-point comeback. “It will definitely help us clean things up,” he said. "I don’t think it will help us any other way. Because this game is now behind us. We have another opponent to focus on. It will change our mindsets, for sure, because we have Samford and then we have a big one against Texas at Texas.” It will be Texas A&M’s first meeting with Samford, a school of about 6,000 students in Homewood, Alabama, that counts former Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher as an alumnus. The Bulldogs (1-10) have had a tough season and enter this game, which is their season finale, with just one win. They fired coach Chris Hatcher on Nov. 9, and offensive coordinator Scot Sloan took over as interim head coach before last week’s 30-16 loss to Austin Peay. Sloan knows his team will be woefully overmatched on Saturday, but he hopes his players appreciate the opportunity to play in front of a crowd that will likely surpass 100,000. “The SEC is certainly a premier conference and A&M is a brand that they’ve known since they were kids growing up playing in the backyard,” he said. “So I think this is a situation where our approach is let’s have fun. Let’s enjoy this experience. This is an experience of a lifetime for these players because none of them were recruited at that level and had that opportunity. So, trying to keep that in perspective.” He isn’t expecting a miracle Saturday for his struggling team, but he hopes the Bulldogs put on a good showing. “We’re going to go out and be as competitive as we can for as long as we can,” he said. “But also understanding that this is something that these guys will cherish and take with them for a long time.” Getting after the QB The Aggies lead the FBS with 38 sacks this season. On Saturday, they’ll face a team that is last in the FCS by allowing 51 sacks. Cashius Howell leads A&M’s pass rushing attack and his 1.15 sacks a game rank first in the nation. He has 11 ½ this season, which is the most since 2017 first overall draft pick Myles Garrett also had 11 ½ in 2014. In Saturday’s win, Howell had four tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and three pass breakups. His biggest play came when he chased down LaNorris Sellers for a short gain on fourth-and-16 with just over a minute left to seal the victory. “That play he made at the end of the game to win that football game … that is an elite level play,” Elko said. “Obviously we dropped them and that was the scheme, but there’s a lot of people that drop that guy in that spot and he doesn’t make that play. That’s just unbelievable awareness, unbelievable feel to close space and close the gap on the quarterback before he could get going.” Samford vs. SEC and ACC Saturday will mark the 15th straight season in which Samford has played a team in the SEC or ACC. In that time, the Bulldogs have played Florida twice (2024, 2021), Auburn four times (2023, 2019, 2014, 2011), Georgia twice (2022, 2017), Florida State twice (2018, 2010), Mississippi State (2016), Louisville (2015), Arkansas (2013) and Kentucky (2012). It will be Samford's second trip to Texas this season after falling to Baylor 42-7 on Sept. 13. Tough running The Bulldogs have had a tough time running the ball this season and rank last in the FCS, averaging just 72.6 yards rushing per game. Their leading rusher is C.J. Evans and he has managed just 233 yards rushing this season. He’ has really had a tough time in the last two weeks when he has had 20 carries for just 14 yards combined. The Aggies rank 38th in the FBS by giving up 127.6 yards rushing a game and held South Carolina to 121 yards rushing last week. ------ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football