COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - When Mike Elko was at Bowling Green in the early 2010s, third downs became a game within the game for the defensive coordinator.

It was easy to get a free man to the quarterback when you sent seven men in pass rush. However, if you scheme a play just right, could you get an unblocked man on the quarterback without having to send the house? Balancing that equation became a passion of Elko’s

“He’s a mad scientist and I don’t think anyone does it better,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said of Elko on the SEC coaches teleconference. Lea worked under Elko during those days at Bowling Green.

As Texas A&M has jumped out to its first 4-0 start since 2016 this season, they’ve looked more like an Elko defense on third down than his first season as the head coach

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