The last head coach at Texas A&M to beat a ranked non-conference opponent on the road was Tom Wilson in 1979. Jackie Sherrill and R.C. Slocum never did it. Neither did Dennis Franchione, Mike Sherman, Kevin Sumlin, or Jimbo Fisher. But Mike Elko has. He led the Aggies into South Bend and emerged victorious, 41-40. The type of result that serves as an origin story to big season, and maybe as the catalyst to a new reality in College Station. 

Texas A&M emerged out of the shadow of rival Texas as newfound SEC members in 2012. The program quickly paid off the gamble, winning 11 games while Johnny Manziel claimed a Heisman Trophy. The Aggies were 6-0 on the road that season, knocking off No. 1 ranked Alabama. They had arrived. And with the added resources and recruiting advantages in the SEC, they were to be what Clemson, and to a lesser extent Oregon, became – nationally relevant. 

Road woes kept Texas A&M from breaking through the grass ceiling and remedying its lot in college football’s caste system. The Aggies became in the SEC what they typically were in the Big 12 – very good. The program won between seven and nine games in 11 of the 12 seasons from 2013-24. They only missed a bowl once during that time. A 20-29 record in true road games since 2013 was the main culprit. That record drops to 16-28 when the 2020 Covid season is removed. 

Texas A&M’s football program became what they always loathed. The Aggies were all style and no substance. All hat, no cattle. The facilities looked like the Taj Mahal and the recruits were thoroughbreds. The results never matched the hype, however. Elko was hired to provide that stereotypical no-nonsense toughness that helped Slocum, a defensive coordinator at A&M turned head coach like Elko, bring conference championships to Aggieland. Texas A&M was sick of winning press conferences. It was time to win games. 

Winning big games at home was never the issue. Texas A&M beat two Top 10 teams in Elko’s inaugural season before fading down the stretch and finishing at an all-too-familiar 8-5. The trip to Notre Dame in Week 3 offered him and the Aggies a chance to write a new script. To change perception and narratives of what Aggie football is. Mission accomplished. 

The old Texas A&M loses this game. The old Aggies get blown out after a slow start that included a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, an interception from Reed, and a missed field goal. Even if they had hung around, the final blow would’ve been the 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Notre Dame touchdown to give the Fighting Irish a 40-34 lead with 2:53 left. 

This doesn’t seem to be the same old Texas A&M, however. Notre Dame left the door open by botching the point after attempt and the Aggies smashed it open with their own 13-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a Marcel Reed touchdown pass to tight end Nate Boerkircher on 4th and 11 from the 11. Reed finished the game with 360 passing yards and two touchdowns. Le’Veon Moss scored three times on the ground. 

Now 3-0 with an idle week ahead to regroup for the upcoming SEC slate, the Aggies should flirt with a Top 10 ranking. They’ll receive praise and adulation from local and national media alike for the next two weeks. If Auburn beats Oklahoma in Week 4, the Tigers’ trip to College Station in Week 5 could host ESPN’s College GameDay. 

The win against Notre Dame puts Texas A&M in the discussion. To compete for an SEC title, for a spot in the College Football Playoff, heck, to win the whole damn thing. If college football has proven anything over the first three weeks of the season is that there aren’t many great teams left. Everyone has a flaw. The Aggies surely do on defense, but that’s a worry for a different day. Today, the story is of Elko’s signature road win and what it could mean for the future of Texas A&M football.