Mike Elko lists Rueben Owens as the only Texas A&M player he expects to miss Notre Dame game with injury

In his first game as the head coach of Texas A&M, Mike Elko is going to be tested by Notre Dame. Luckily, it appears the Aggies are fairly healthy for it, with running back Rueben Owens being the only player Elko expects to miss the game.

While Elko did admit that some players are dealing with some issues, it’s nothing that is going to keep them out of an important non-conference game.

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“No. Rueben is our only guy,” Mike Elko said. “I think everybody else was at practice this morning, rolling and, yeah, a couple of kids with nicks and bruises, but nothing that’s holding them back or holding them out of practice. So, yeah, it was a really successful Fall Camp from that perspective.”

Unfortunately, Rueben Owens is going to be a big loss for Texas A&M this season. He reportedly suffered a season-ending injury to his lower body. After playing in 13 games last season, Owens was expected to be a key figure in the backfield this year.

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A four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, Rueben Owens was the third-ranked running back in that cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He immediately made his presence felt as a freshman, rushing for 385 yards and three touchdowns on 101 carries. He also had 12 receptions for 109 yards.

Luckily for Mike Elko and the Aggies, there are a few different options at running back this season. That includes Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss. Those two combined for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. So, there is a decent amount of returning production in the backfield. The Aggies also added EJ Smith from the Transfer Portal.

Texas A&M opens the season by hosting Notre Dame in one of the marquee games of Week 1, and it’s going to take a healthy team to win Mike Elko’s first game as the Aggies head coach.

Mike Elko addresses timeline of Rueben Owens injury

Mike Elko recently spoke about the injury to Rueben Owens, laying out a timeline of what to expect for his recovery.

“Unfortunately, he suffered a foot injury last week, and so he’s going to be out for an extended period of time, most likely the season,” Elko said.

“There’s an outside chance that if the season extends beyond the regular season, we’ll have a chance to get him back for something. A lot to be determined on that, but that was an unfortunate thing last weekend. Other than that, we’ve managed to stay healthy and have a really strong camp.”