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South Carolina , who had lost 9 straight games, defeated Texas A&M 44–20 to move to 5-3. As a result, A&M led by Mike Elko finished 7-2 overall. But their chances of qualifying for the CFB Playoffs lessened. There is no room for error. Now, they must prevail in every game to get into the postseason. And that was taken extremely seriously by Mike Elko’s crew. They succeeded. On Saturday night, Texas A&M comfortably beat New Mexico State, 38-3. It was the height of celebration. But during the conference after the game, the Texas A&M football tradition’s tragic origin was disclosed by the school’s head coach.

On November 19, during the press conference held in advance of the Bonfire Catastrophe anniversary, Elko expressed the significance of the Bonfire tradition, remembering the victims and upholding their memory, saying “When you talk about Aggie tradition, it’s important to be aware of who we are and where we come from. And obviously, that was a very tragic moment for us, our university and our culture. And so I think you want them to be aware of it. I don’t know that there’s a ton of lessons to be taught on RN from it, but just the remorse of people who lost their lives on a tragic day supporting Texas A&M football.

 

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The purpose of the bonfire tradition, which began in 1909, was to raise school spirit before the annual football game versus the University of Texas. Agreeing that the campfire is a representation of the Aggie spirit and the tenacity of the community, not just a custom, Elko urged current students to take lessons from the university’s history, which included a reassessment of security measures following the 1999 collapse.

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However, the terrible bonfire collapse that happened 25 years ago left hundreds of students injured and 12 students dead. Now, Elko’s comments serve as a reminder of the loss and the Texas A&M family’s courage in the face of adversity, as the collapse devastated the Aggie community. As of now, making sure that such a tragedy is never forgotten, the bonfire anniversary is a greater emphasis on safety and remembering those who died.

But in the midst of all of this, remember Texas A&M’s triumph over NM State. Which players contributed the most? What did the head coach say? Everything that you have heard of here.

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Can Texas A&M's winning streak honor the Bonfire victims' legacy, or is it just another game?

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Texas A&M’s trouble-free victory under Mike Elko

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In a game like this you want to handle your business and do the things that you’ve got to do, and we did that tonight,said Elko after the victory over New Mexico. On the first play of A&M’s first possession, Amari Daniels ran 71 yards for a touchdown, increasing the advantage to 14-0. Then, shortly into the 2nd quarter, Reed, who had thrown for 268 yards, connected with Moose Muhammad III for a 6-yard TD to make it 24-0 and placed Texas A&M led by 17 points. A&M led 17-0 after defeating NW State 273-50 in the 1st quarter. They were ahead 31-0 when Conner Weigman took Reed’s place with over 3 1⁄2 minutes left in the third.

We knew we were the better team, but you’ve still got to go out there and play like that. It was good for us to go out there and finish the game the way we did,said the HC of A&M. The squad is currently 8-2 under the leadership of Elko. A&M has two more games left to conclude the season and qualify for the playoffs. We’ll see what happens. Will they carry on their winning streak? What do you think?

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Can Texas A&M's winning streak honor the Bonfire victims' legacy, or is it just another game?