Texas A&M’s return trip to Baton Rouge looked nothing like the program’s trip there in 2025.
Last season, the Aggies dug in after a slow start and rolled to a 49-25 win over LSU, with the 12th Man taking over the stadium by the end of the night. This time, the early sluggishness never turned into anything useful.
Texas A&M managed only two David Olano field goals and got run over by No. 10 LSU, 35-6.
It was the second straight week the Aggies looked flat at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and the loss dropped them to 0-2 in SEC play for the first time since 2021. It’s only the second time that has happened since Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012.
Afterward, Mike Elko sounded like a coach searching for words and answers at the same time.
"Yeah, I don't have many words," Elko said to start his presser. "We have to find a way to play better football.
We are not playing football at nearly a good enough level, obviously. That's the understatement of a lifetime.
I don't have answers right this second, but we gotta find them, and we gotta find them fast."
Asked what it would take to fix things, Elko kept coming back to the same point.
"We have to play better football; I don't know what else to say," said the coach. "We got outgained 506 to 197; we just got our butts whooped.
We have to be able to run what we're trying to run. We have to be able to execute what we're trying to execute.
I think we've got to look at everything."
Elko did point to one stretch that he thought went well, even if the night ended in a blowout. He said the Aggies were in a decent position at halftime before everything unraveled after the break.
"I thought in the first half that we played well, and I thought they got us on a couple of things," Elko said. "They got us on a pick route where they rubbed us a bit and got open.
Not an illegal pick route, but a pick route and got open. I felt like at halftime that we were in a decent spot, and then it just went to total (expletive) in the second half."
The biggest question hovering over the loss was whether Elko would make a change at quarterback, and he gave a straightforward answer.
Texas A&M now heads home needing to steady the season fast. The Aggies host Arkansas at Kyle Field on Saturday, and if they want to keep any College Football Playoff hopes alive, they likely need to run the table. That game also brings a favorable matchup on paper: Texas A&M has beaten the Razorbacks in 13 of the last 14 meetings.
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For Aggies fans, the uncomfortable part is that the problems do not seem isolated to one side of the ball. Coaching, cohesion and the lack of a clear offensive identity have all become part of the conversation, with the running game looking like one area that could help set a tone if it ever gets going. Until then, the concern Manziel voiced is the same one hovering over the program: the season feels like it needs a reset, and there is no obvious sign yet of where that comes from. [Read more 🡒]
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Texas A&M Fans Wont Love What Elko Is Facing After LSU Loss
A rough night in Baton Rouge left Texas A&M searching for answers after a 35-6 loss to LSU dropped the Aggies to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play. The offense never found much rhythm, the defense spent too much time on its heels, and the kind of complementary football Mike Elko has been trying to build was nowhere to be found.
Marcel Reeds uneven performance only added to the frustration, but Elko said he is not changing the starting quarterback for now. For a fan base already uneasy about the early conference skid, the bigger concern may be how many areas need fixing at once, from protection and execution on offense to a defense that could not generate pressure or keep LSU from piling up passing yards. [Read more 🡒]