Peter Burns impressed with Aggies' resiliency in high-scoring affair

Key notes from Peter Burns interview

• If you had told me the final score only, I would’ve thought it didn’t go the way of the Aggies. I thought it might be a defensive battle, but the kickoff return gets called back. Marcel Reed was like I got this on the road. On the last play there, Mike Elko knew it wouldn’t go to Mario Craver or KC Concepcion, and it worked out perfectly there.
   
• I have seen LSU teams in the past, other teams too that don’t have complementary football. Something Florida didn’t do against LSU last weekend. Mike Elko doesn’t show much emotion, but Saturday, he did. Showing the nation and haters that A&M is not an 8-4 team. He did it in a hostile environment, and it was very impressive.
   
• The Jackson Arnold Bowl will be a good game. John Mateer was the guy coming into the season, the package of him and Ben Arbuckle did at Washington State. He can run the ball and pass, hit you over the top. I can’t wait to see how Arnold handles this. He had a bad hand dealt to him last year. The fact that A&M gets Auburn after this emotional game is good for them.
   
• You have to show that it is not a roller coaster ride. You can’t be a 5-7 team then a 9-3 team. Eli Drinkwitz has that at Missouri. You can say the same thing for Lane Kiffin, but he won’t go 5-7. DJ Lagway, Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers had all this hype, and none of them have shown us anything. We have to realize that we don’t have a lot of continuity for teams from year to year. There are so many changes. Lagway didn’t play any spring ball, but some fall ball. That timing hurts him. Joey Aguilar, though, is doing great with minimal time. So it is not a catch-all formula.
   
• Two touchdowns are all the Florida defense has given up all season. Florida will still be a good team. Last year, you had a lot of leadership. Now, what happens if things don’t go well against Miami? They look scary. What if they lose 31-7? Does that team fall apart?
   
• Losing Sellers didn’t matter to the outcome of this game. Vanderbilt finally has depth. Diego Pavia didn’t play wonderfully. He is now just a cog in the machine, not the machine for this team. They have gotten better in the second half. Right now, they show Vanderbilt as a 59 percent favorite over LSU when LSU comes to Nashville.
   
• Brian Kelly apologized for his outburst. There is some concern with the offense. Garrett Nussmeier had a bad throw. There was a fumble. They were close on some scores. Aggie fans know, when Nussmeier tried to be the hero against A&M, he made mistakes. Their new identity is to lean on the defense.