Mike Elko calls McNeese's dual-threat quarterback ability 'scary'

Texas A&M is looking to bounce back from a tough Week 1 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday as the Aggies host McNeese in College Station. On paper, Texas A&M should have no issues with the FCS program. However, Aggies coach Mike Elko isn’t taking the Cowboys lightly.

Elko is particularly impressed with McNeese quarterback Clifton McDowell, who led Montana to the FCS national championship game last season.

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“Yea, I think they’ve got a dual-threat quarterback, a kid who played at [Montana] last year and led them to the FCS Championship,” Mike Elko said Wednesday on The Aggie Football Hour with Mike Elko. “So I think any time you have a dual-threat quarterback, that’s always something that’s scary.”

It remains to be seen if Clifton McDowell will be able to suit up as he is reportedly dealing with an injury.

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McDowell leads McNeese with 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns through a pair of games this season. He has also completed 15 of 24 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

However, McNeese coach Gary Goff reportedly told reporters that McDowell will be a game-time decision for the matchup with Texas A&M.

“It’s going to be a game-time decision. He did a little bit today, and he’s looking better,” Goff said, according to KPLC TV. “It’s something minor and we’re hoping he’s going to be fine. … If he goes that means the trainers and the staff are fully confident. If not it’ll be because he’s not ready to go, but he did more today and we’ll have to see what Saturday looks like.”

If Clifton McDowell is unable to go, Kamden Sixkiller will start at quarterback for the Cowboys against the Aggies.

Mike Elko added that McNeese is also dangerous because it has nothing to lose and will be ready to play this weekend.

“I think they’ve been kind of building. They’ve been really good on defense through two games this year. And I think any time you play this game, and I’ve been on the other side of this, you just know that they’re going to come out and play their best football,” Elko said. “In this environment, it’s going to be their one shot to play in front of 90,000 people. They’re going to come out and they’re going to play their best game, for sure.”

McNeese is 1-1 on the year, with a 26-23 loss to Tarleton State and a 21-7 win over Southern.

Elko knows what it’s like to go into a game as a big underdog at a smaller school, and he expects to get McNeese’s best effort.

“Everyone rises to occasions. I think that’s just human nature,” Mike Elko said. “And I think when you come into this stadium, you come into this environment, you’re going to have a chip on your shoulder to prove that you belong.

“Again, I’ve been on the other side of this, whether that was at Bowling Green, whether that was back at Hofstra in the day, you just know that they’re going to come out and they’re going to play their best. … This game has a weird way of humbling you if you don’t respect it. So you always have to respect the game of football, and I think our kids are handling it the right way this week.”