Mike Elko faces quite a challenge in his first SEC game as head coach.
The Texas A&M Aggies make their first road trip of the 2024 season, traveling to Gainsville, Florida to face Bill Napier and the Florida Gators in the opening game of conference play.
Both teams have one win and one loss this season, and both secured their first wins of the year in dominant fashion last week. The Gators beat the Samford Bulldogs 45-7 at home last week and the Aggies defeated the McNeese State Cowboys 52-10 at Kyle Field.
Conner Weigman seemed to improve against McNeese after a forgettable opener against Notre Dame, throwing two touchdowns and completing 11 of 14 pass attempts. Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels were great in Rueben Owens’ absence, also running for two touchdowns each last week and contributing to the Aggies’ 333 rushing yards against the Cowboys.
One downside for A&M? The run defense. Averaging 182 yards on the ground would have been unthinkable for this defense last year. For now, we’ll chalk it up to first-game nerves and hope Mike Elko and Jay Bateman made quick changes to the team before the SEC opener.
Florida could have two options at the quarterback position against A&M. Graham Mertz was named the starter earlier this week, but freshman DJ Lagway has turned heads in his brief stint in a blue and orange uniform.
Can the Aggies leave The Swamp with a 1-0 conference record? Or will the Gators pull out the win? Check back at 2:30 for live updates as the game unfolds.
