'Randy is still our guy': Texas A&M HC Mike Elko backs starting kicker amid struggles

Texas A&M's (10-0, 7-0 SEC) 31-30 comeback win over South Carolina will be remembered for the elite second-half performance from starting quarterback Marcel Reed , who passed for a career high 439 yards, including 298 yards and three touchdowns in the second half.

However, Texas A&M's kicking game has been somewhat of a mess, as senior kicker Randy Bond has struggled from the field, hitting 61% of his field goals, including 5-8 from 40-49 yards, and 0-3 from 50-plus yards. While Bond isn't known for his leg strength, accuracy has also been an issue, and through ten games, his current percentage is career low.

On Saturday, one of the reasons Texas A&M only scored three points in the first half was that Bond finished 1-3 on field goals, while missing a chip-shot 24-yard field goal that hit the right goal post, leading to all of us who cover the program wondering if the head coach Mike Elko would open up the starting kicker job this week to give transfer Jared Zirkel , who has only attempted one made field goal from 30-plus yards.

During Monday's press conference, Elko continued to back Randy Bond, noting that Zirkel, who had been dealing with an injury, is now fully healthy.

"Randy is still our guy. We still have confidence in Randy. Obviously, two big misses on Saturday and those are things that we've got to try to get fixed. He had gone through a three or four week spell where we had not missed a kick and so felt like we had gotten into a better rhythm from where we were in the beginning of the year. Then, those misses kind of came out of nowhere, a little bit, in the recent form. So, we'll continue to evaluate it and try to get back into a position and kind of see where it's at. Right now, Randy's our guy."

While it sounds like Bond will remain the Aggies ' starting kicker, Elko noted the staff will continue to evaluate the position. Against Samford , we could easily see Jared Zirkel receive more reps to build some confidence if things change down the line.

Right now, Texas A&M's offense doesn't heavily rely on field goals to win games, given Elko's aggressive nature on fourth down, combined with OC Collin Klein's play calling, but against the Texas Longhorns , less than two weeks from now, field goals may become vital in a challenging road game.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M HC Mike Elko backs starting K Randy Bond amid struggles