With No. 3 Texas A&M football entering its second bye week, there’s a key similarity between this season and 1992’s team: Both Aggie squads were undefeated, and the latter finished 12-1. It’s been a demanding road campaign, with close games against then-No. 8 Notre Dame and Arkansas, plus a blowout win over then-No. 20 LSU, but the fact of the matter is that the Maroon and White have continued to find ways to win and have positioned themselves for greatness.
It’s been a while since A&M has reached such rarified air; in fact, it’s been over 30 years since its last 8-0 start. But something feels different about this year: There’s a no-nonsense mentality that has won over the 12th Man and, so far, all of the competition the Aggies have faced.
There’s a secret ingredient to achieving this kind of success, and it’s something that the 1992 Aggies had as well on their warpath through the Southwest Conference — a coach that fits. Coach R.C. Slocum was the defense-first mastermind behind A&M’s rise to national prominence, and his coaching style employed an understanding of what the Maroon and White stands for.
In coach Mike Elko, it’s apparent that a similar coaching style has arrived back in College Station. Elko, a former defensive coordinator, has brought the Wrecking Crew back to Aggieland as A&M leads the country in sacks with 32 on the season.
Slocum knew a thing or two about coaching superb defense as the Aggies’ most successful coach, with his units taking down four Heisman Trophy winners in the span of six years. While there has yet to be a clear-cut frontrunner for this year’s Heisman, A&M surely has itself a contender for it.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed has cemented his case for winning the prestigious honor by toppling college football giants over the course of the season, with six touchdowns across his performances against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the LSU Tigers. The Nashville, Tennessee, product commands one of the last undefeated teams in the country with his 23 total touchdowns.
The Aggies faced the Bayou Bengals in Death Valley in 1992 as well, taking home a 31-22 victory while also facing the Irish in the Cotton Bowl. The only difference was that A&M came up short in its bowl game against Notre Dame, whereas this year, a win was achieved on the road thanks to Reed and graduate student tight end Nate Boerkircher’s last-minute heroics.
Reed and Co. are still chasing Slocum’s 7-0 mark in conference play, but will have to play an additional Southeastern Conference game to finish undefeated in the league. One last road matchup against No. 19 Missouri will complete the month-long hiatus from Kyle Field, and two wins at home might just be enough for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
More similarities to the ‘92 season can be found in the fact that A&M played Missouri, LSU and archrival Texas away from home in 1992, and like that year, the Aggies will be eager to win all of these daunting road tests.
Redshirt senior defensive end Cashius Howell has played the role of enforcer on the Aggie defense, as he leads the SEC in sacks and ranks third in the country. He fills a similar role to 1992’s defensive back Aaron Glenn, a junior college transfer turned first-team All-SWC star who was a key piece in holding the defense together with nine passes defended.
That’s not to say 1992 didn’t have a prolific pass rusher as well, as defensive lineman Sam Adams was an all-conference selection in his sophomore year after picking up 4.5 sacks on the season. Adams would go on to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 1994, which is something Howell has continued to trend up toward as the season continues.
Season-defining moments happen in November, and Howell, Reed and their closest 20 friends will have to deliver knock-out punch after knock-out punch to get to where their 1992 predecessors were. Moreover, this year’s unit has a chance to be the best the school has ever seen, as Elko and Director of Football Strength & Conditioning Tommy Moffitt have found the method to get even more out of their players.
While Ags old and young will remember the glory days of the 1990s Wrecking Crew, and rightfully so, the 2025 A&M squad seems destined for even more. Perhaps with their sharpened resolve and impeccable leadership from Elko, the Aggies could be seen raising a trophy at the start of 2026 to the delight of the 12th Man everywhere.
