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    Mike Elko destroys Jimbo Fisher after Texas A&M beats LSU
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    Mike Elko destroys Jimbo Fisher after Texas A&M beats LSU

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    • Mike Elko never said Jimbo Fisher's name. He didn't have to. His words after Texas A&M's win over LSU were a real eye-opener.
    • Texas A&M sits alone at the top of the SEC standings after beating LSU.
    • Mike Elko's quarterback change in the game to Marcel Reed pays off.

    COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Jimbo Fisher talked a mile a minute in six disappointing seasons at Texas A&M. He blew out more hot air than half the people on Capitol Hill.

    During Fisher's tenure as the Aggies' head coach, he portrayed a fast-talking, hustling auctioneer posing as a football coach.

    All boots, but no cowboy.

    Mike Elko sounds different.

    More importantly, his Aggies play differently.

    They block, they tackle, they protect the football and they are resilient.

    You win.

    Two months into Elko's first season, he's made Fisher's ongoing shortcomings seem even worse.

    Elko laid waste to Fisher on Saturday night after No. 14 Texas A&M cruised past No. 7 LSU 38-23 at roaring Kyle Field.

    “This is a real program. It’s not fake,” Elko said after a win that moved the Aggies (7-1) alone atop the SEC standings. “It is not a politician running this program who talks fast and insults everyone. This is a real program.”

    Yowza. This is a quote.

    When Elko said that, his eyebrows shot up.

    Elko, who previously worked under Fisher, never spoke Fisher's name. To these ears, however, his words sounded like a direct shot at his predecessor and former boss.

    Or perhaps it was an unintentional swipe, but anyone who heard Elko's phrasing must have imagined Fisher, the troublemaker who walked away last fall with a $77 million buyout and not a single 10-win season.

    Elko is on pace to 10 wins before Thanksgiving in its first season.

    What is there?

    “The Elko era, that's what's going on,” said the Aggies' BJ Mayes, who intercepted LSU's Garrett Nussmeier twice in a second-half comeback that ended the Tigers' playoff hopes.

    Mayes, a transfer defensive back, never played for Fisher, so he can't comment.

    But he can talk to Elko. He's even happy about it.

    “He's a no-tolerance type of coach, you understand me?” Mayes said.

    Tough love looks good at Texas A&M.

    Who needs patience? Not Mike Elko or Texas A&M

    Patience remains the loser's rallying cry, and Elko blurs the fictional narrative that it takes years for a program to be implemented. He previously won 16 games in two seasons at Duke, and if you don't think that counts as an increase in warp speed, check out Duke's history on Google.

    If Elko's Aggies can beat their rival Texas next month – and why would anyone think they can't? – They will likely play in the SEC Championship Game, which Fisher never did.

    AGGIES BEAT LSU: Texas A&M holds off LSU in statement win, swallowing Garrett Nussmeier's Heisman Trophy hopes

    REWIND ON SATURDAY: Alabama and Notre Dame lead college football's winners and losers as of Week 9

    The Aggies were never short of talent during the Fisher era, nor were they short of funds when donors were able to funnel money to athletes through NIL deals.

    They lacked performance, especially on offense. Fisher once gained recognition as a quarterback whisperer, but he had spent all his wisdom before coming to this area.

    “When I got here, all the rhetoric about this program was: 'ZERO and mercenaries and selfishness.' “To look at where we are now…you don’t see these things,” Elko said. “It’s an honor for the kids in the locker room. It’s a credit to her character.”

    Absolutely, that's it.

    Also reserve a little credit for the trainer.

    The awards won't be presented in October, but after this win, Elko enjoys status as a leading candidate for SEC Coach of the Year.

    Mike Elko is changing the culture of Texas A&M – and its quarterback

    Elko built more toughness — mental and physical — to support Texas A&M's talent.

    “He knows the game and he changed the culture,” quarterback Marcel Reed said.

    Fisher's Aggies perfected the art of the narrow loss.

    Elkos Aggies find ways to win.

    On Saturday, that meant winning with two quarterbacks who combined to complete eight passes.

    The Aggies' defense faltered in the second half, rattling Nussmeier after the LSU quarterback tormented Texas A&M in the first half. Elko shrewdly switched quarterbacks in the third quarter, benching Conner Weigman in favor of Reed.

    When Weigman is at his best, his passing skills give the Aggies the highest offensive ceiling. He was far from his best against LSU. The Tigers constantly harassed Weigman, and when he wasn't succumbing to sacks, he was throwing incompletions.

    Midway through the third quarter, LSU led 17-7.

    “There was no panic on our sideline,” Elko said.

    Still, he recognized that the Aggies needed to change shooters.

    Reed's skills differ from Weigman's. He is an expert at read options and used deception and speed to put the Tigers in trouble.

    “I created a spark,” Reed said.

    Now there is fire behind a coach who says fewer words per minute than his predecessor, while the Aggies' record speaks volumes.

    Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all his columns.

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