COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Kyle Field provided the ideal setting for the launch of the Mike Elko era at Texas A&M on Saturday night.

The crowd of 107,315 represented the stadium’s fourth-largest capacity. ESPN’s “College GameDay” was in town. And so were a variety of A&M legends, from Johnny Manziel to Myles Garrett. When Kanye West’s “Power” blared over the stadium’s speakers with just five minutes to go — for the first time since the school suspended it in 2022 — the stadium felt like it was going to explode, with the volume well over 100 decibels as white towels waved wildly and fans sang along.

That proved to be the highlight of Elko’s debut, a 23-13 loss to No. 7 Notre Dame. Any optimism about a surprising run to the College Football Playoff early in the season should be tempered. It’s clear the Aggies are a work in progress under their new boss.

“You deserve better,” Elko said, thanking fans for creating the raucous atmosphere. “We didn’t give it to you.”

The No. 20 Aggies were by no means a disaster. But they were disappointing in several ways. The offense, led by third-year quarterback Conner Weigman and new coordinator Collin Klein, sputtered much of the night. Weigman looked uncomfortable. The Aggies couldn’t generate any truly explosive plays — none went for more than 18 yards. The run game never really got into a rhythm. The offensive line had its shortcomings, too.

Texas A&M is ranked No. 7 in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite, but it didn’t look like a team with a talent advantage Saturday night. Offensive tackle Trey Zuhn attributed it to self-inflicted wounds.

“The scoreboard showed they were the better team,” Zuhn said. “But I don’t think they were the better team. I think we beat ourselves.”

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The Aggies certainly stubbed their toes a few times, but Notre Dame deserves credit. The Irish covered A&M’s receivers, making it difficult for Weigman to find open. In the second half, Notre Dame took control of the line of scrimmage and threw four run plays of 10-plus yards, including touchdown runs of 47 and 21.

There’s a reason Notre Dame is a top 10 team and a popular pick to make the College Football Playoff. Marcus Freeman has been working on it for the past two years and has the Irish on track to peak in his third year of leadership.

Elko, who is in Year 1, knows better than most how challenging it is to develop a solid foundation for long-term success while also winning right away. Seven of his last eight jobs have been in the first year of a coaching regime.

In the pre-transfer portal era, when Elko was cutting his teeth at the lower levels and in the Group of 5, patience was shown to the head coaches he worked under. But when he got to Notre Dame and Texas A&M, he learned the sense of urgency that comes with being at a name program and the importance of “winning now,” which is why Saturday’s loss will sting even more. He knows it was a winnable game.

He’ll study the film and get frustrated with missed tackles and holes that didn’t fit well in the run game. His super-talented defensive front that’s held in check in the final period will be a source of irritation.

Mike Elko and Marcus Freeman are both former defensive coordinators at Notre Dame. (Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

But the defense will be fine. That unit played well enough for the Aggies to win, holding Notre Dame to six points and 65 rushing yards in the first half. Notre Dame’s last 10 points came in the final two minutes. The Aggies did a respectable job defensively, despite allowing nearly 200 total rushing yards. The immense speed, athleticism and talent of that unit, combined with the experience of Elko and coordinator Jay Bateman, should make this one of the better defenses in the SEC this season.

It’s the offense that will need plenty of time and patience as Weigman gets comfortable with the scheme, receivers find ways to get open and the running game develops some sort of rhythm. Those aren’t problems that can be solved overnight. And Texas A&M has just a little bit of time left before SEC play begins with a trip to Florida on Sept. 14.

Some problems aren’t easy to solve. There are dynamic offensive skill-position players from the 2023 draft who aren’t there, like receiver Evan Stewart (transferred to Oregon) and running back Rueben Owens (out most of the season with an injury). There’s nothing the Aggies can do about that.

Be more disciplined and avoid drive-killing penalties? That can be solved. Adjust the scheme and play calls to better suit Weigman? That can be done, but it’s not necessarily a simple solution.

“We have to figure out how to put him in better situations so he feels comfortable,” Elko said.

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Sure, the Aggies were a trendy pick to move up in the SEC and perhaps become a playoff outsider because of Elko’s quick turnaround at Duke and his familiarity with what he inherited after four years at A&M for Duke. But the fact is, this was a sub-.500 team the last two years under former coach Jimbo Fisher. Despite the talent on the roster, Saturday night showed that making a leap won’t happen overnight.

The loss to Notre Dame was both a missed opportunity on a big stage and a sign of patience. Now the Aggies are hoping it’s just a blip in an otherwise successful first season under Elko.

“Everybody around the world was probably watching this game tonight,” linebacker Taurean York said. “You hate to lose, but if our season goes the way we think it’s going to go, we’re going to be back on this stage and I have every confidence that the Texas A&M Aggies are going to be back on this stage.”

(Top photo by Conner Weigman: Maria Lysaker / USA Today)