COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Texas A&M football is searching for answers after a disappointing 27-6 loss to Missouri, and head coach Mike Elko says no potential change is off the table as the Aggies prepare to return to Kyle Field against The Citadel.
The Aggies are coming off another frustrating performance that exposed ongoing offensive struggles and raised questions about the team's ability to turn its potential into production on game day.
Texas A&M fell to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in Southeastern Conference play after the loss to Missouri on Oct. 10. The Aggies were held without a touchdown, with kicker David Olano accounting for all six points on field goals of 53 and 27 yards. Texas A&M finished with 216 total yards, while quarterback Marcel Reed completed 19 of 39 passes for 189 yards and threw two interceptions. The Aggies also managed just three yards of offense in the third quarter, continuing a troubling trend after halftime.
With the team struggling to find consistency, Elko says the coaching staff is examining every possible adjustment.
“We have to continue to explore every option, whether that's personnel, whether that's philosophy, whether that's tempo, whether that's pace. Everything has to be on the table, and it has been,” Elko said. “We've got to just try to identify what we can do to be successful.”
One significant change came after Texas A&M's loss to LSU, when Elko handed defensive play-calling responsibilities to defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill. Elko said the move was intended to give him more freedom to focus on the entire team and address the issues affecting the Aggies.
“That was an important step just so that I could have the freedom to be involved in everything,” Elko said. He acknowledged that trying to manage too many responsibilities during the LSU and Kentucky games may have hurt the team's overall performance.
For the players, the gap between what they see during practice and what happens on Saturdays has become one of the most frustrating parts of the season.
Running back Jamarion Morrow said the team believes its preparation has been better than its results suggest.
“The way we practice is, like, much better than what we're putting out on tape,” Morrow said. “That's the most frustrating thing, is that we're practicing well, but we're not producing.”
The Aggies have also been holding player-led meetings in an effort to improve communication and find solutions within the locker room. Morrow said those meetings have taken place on Wednesdays for approximately the past three or four weeks, giving players an opportunity to discuss their perspective on the team's performance.
“I think it's been about the last three or four weeks that we've been doing our player-led meetings,” Morrow said. “We just pretty much try to get in there and see how Marcel sees certain things, or pretty much get our point of view of how we see the offense is doing.”
Those conversations come as Texas A&M continues to search for answers on offense. The Aggies have struggled to sustain drives and finish possessions, including in their recent losses to LSU and Missouri. Against Missouri, the offense could not find the end zone, while the defense spent extended stretches trying to keep the game within reach.
Another major concern has been Texas A&M's performance coming out of halftime. According to the season statistics cited by the coaching staff, the Aggies have been outscored by 49 points in the third quarter, making that period an important area for improvement as the team prepares for its next game.
Elko said the staff has tried several adjustments to improve the team's energy and preparation after the break, including changing the timing of the team's return to the field. However, he acknowledged that the underlying cause remains unclear.
“There's been an energy drop coming out of halftime,” Elko said. “I don't know if that's related to game score. I don't know if that's related to belief, confidence.”
Elko added that the coaching staff has already experimented with giving players more time to warm up and changing the team's pregame and halftime routines. The challenge now is determining what will translate into better execution once the second half begins.
Despite the disappointing results, the Aggies are trying to keep their attention on the work ahead rather than dwelling on their record. Defensive lineman Brandon Davis-Swain said the team understands it still has a game to prepare for and an opportunity to respond.
“Just to stay focused, you know, just come out, and we still got to perform,” Davis-Swain said. “We still got a game Saturday. We still got to be prepared. We still got to go play. It can't worry about the past anymore. The only thing we can do is come out and just play our game out.”
The matchup with The Citadel gives Texas A&M an opportunity to respond in front of its home crowd, but the Aggies know they need to show tangible improvement. Better offensive execution, more consistent energy after halftime and the ability to turn practice performance into game-day production remain central to the team's efforts to get back on track.
Texas A&M will host The Citadel on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Kyle Field in College Station. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, with the game available on SEC Network+.
