Mike Elko bristles at past, urges 9-0 Texas A&M to 'finish' - ESPN

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mike Elko doesn't like talking about the past, so he's doing everything he can to focus on the present.

This Texas A&M team is not the same one that lost its last four games against Power 4 teams last year after starting 7-1. This Aggies team is ranked No. 3 and 9-0 for the first time since 1992, and just the fifth time in school history, after Saturday night's 38-17 win over Missouri.

Texas A&M is the only team in the country with three road wins over teams ranked in the Associated Press poll, including a win over now-No. 10 Notre Dame in South Bend. After seeing what it takes to win games like this on the road late in the year after last year's struggles, Elko struck a familiar refrain.

«Is this our weekly last year question?» he asked. «I don't know about the past. I know that that's four road games that this team has gone on the road and won. We're 4-0 this year on the road and we've only got one left, so we'll finish this year with a winning record if my math is right.»

In Texas A&M's first year in the SEC, it finished 11-2 as Johnny Manziel won a Heisman Trophy. In every season since then, however, the Aggies have won nine or fewer games, with fans' least favorite number being eight — with five 8-5 seasons and one at 8-4. In nine of their 13 seasons in the league, they've appeared in the AP top 10 but finished the season ranked only four times, including just twice in the top 15.

On Saturday, the Aggies finished off a three-game road trip, surviving a 45-42 shootout with Arkansas, then wearing down both LSU and Mizzou until their stadiums emptied out.

They did it by harassing freshman quarterback Matt Zollers, who finished 7-of-22 for 77 yards and a fumble that led to an A&M touchdown. They chipped