The Mike Elko era at Texas A&M is off to a rough start.

The former Duke head coach lost his first game in College State, Texas, which is not what Aggie fans paid for when they bought out Jimbo Fisher last season.

Now, after dropping the opener at home to Notre Dame, Elko, the former Duke head coach, will look for his first win at A&M when his Aggies host McNeese State Saturday at Kyle Field.

“Certainly, a disappointing loss, one where we felt like we had an opportunity to really set this season off on a really good foot and just were unable to get it done,” said Elko. “So, hats off again to Notre Dame. They made the plays to win it, and we didn’t. And so now we’ve got to go back to work. And we’ve got to figure out how to close that gap.”

The No. 7 Irish scored 10 points in the final five minutes to pull out the victory, 23-13.

“I think when you go back and watch the film, offensively, obviously we struggled in the passing game. I think what we went back and evaluated, obviously it starts with us,” said Elko. “I think we’ve got to try to find some ways to create better opportunities for our kids to get open and get vertical down the field and make plays.”

The loss in the opener hurts the Aggies’ playoff chances but it hardly kills them. With the new 12-team expanded format, it might be better to play tougher teams early to find out where you need work.

“I certainly don’t take any silver linings in it, but when you play those big games in the opener, you always figure out where you’re at,” said Elko. “When you play these games, you have to learn. And even if you win them, you have to learn.”

The Aggies hope to have a better offense this week against the Cowboys. They struggled against Notre Dame, especially in the passing game.

Getting back Conner Weigman from a foot injury that cost him a portion of last season, the Aggies believed their offense would be better. It wasn’t.

Weigman, the highly sought-after quarterback struggled, connecting on just 12 of 30 for only 100 yards and two interceptions.

“I have to be better,” said Weigman. “There are no excuses for how I played. Point blank, I got to be better.”

Weigman believes he and his teammate will be just that.

“I don’t let one game define me, who I am as a person, who I am as a player,” Weigman added. “We have to move on to McNeese this week, have to have a hell of a week.

“We want to come out this week and be a whole different team.”

The Cowboys expect nothing less.

“They are a great program with a lot of talent, they will look to bounce back,” said McNeese head coach Gary Goff. “We are excited to play in that environment. It is a great opportunity for us.”

The Aggies are looking to use this chance to get back on track and give their new head coach his win at Texas A&M.