Texas A&M’s fall in the US LBM Coaches Poll came fast and hard after a night it would rather erase.
The Aggies were handed their worst loss under third-year coach Mike Elko on Saturday, and the damage showed up immediately in the rankings. After entering Week 3 at No. 8, Texas A&M tumbled 12 spots to No. 20 following a 31-21 home loss to unranked Kentucky at Kyle Field.
That result had all the ingredients for a brutal drop: a packed stadium, a 28-7 hole late in the third quarter, and an SEC opener that turned into a full-blown setback. Kentucky controlled the second half and left the Aggies looking out of sync on both sides of the ball.
The offensive questions only got louder from there. Starting quarterback Marcel Reed is still being asked to grow as a passer, and the source material suggests he may have already hit his ceiling. That leaves first-year offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins with a clear challenge: shape the attack around Reed’s natural strengths and lean more heavily on the run game.
Texas A&M’s defense didn’t provide much help either. The Aggies gave up 408 total yards, including 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns to Texas transfer running back CJ Baxter. Kentucky played with edge from the opening kick and, by the second half, had taken command in a way that made the loss feel even more lopsided than the final score.
Now the schedule gets even more demanding. Texas A&M heads to Baton Rouge in Week 4 for what the source describes as a must-win matchup against LSU, and the Aggies do not currently look like a College Football Playoff contender.
The rest of the conference only sharpened the contrast. No. 8 Ole Miss beat LSU 32-24 in the day’s most exciting game, while Mississippi State rallied from a 16-0 second-quarter deficit to knock off South Carolina 41-34.
At the top of the new Coaches Poll, Texas holds No. 1, followed by Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami. Ole Miss jumped to No. 6, Alabama moved up to No. 8, and LSU landed at No. 11 after its loss to the Rebels.
Texas A&M is now in a spot where the margin for error is gone, and the climb back starts immediately against LSU.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Mike Elko Problem Before LSU
Texas A&M walked into Saturday with real momentum and walked out with its worst loss under Mike Elko, a 31-21 home defeat to unranked Kentucky. The Aggies gave up 408 yards, and the result sent them tumbling from No. 8 to No. 20 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, a jarring drop for a team that had been trying to stake its claim in the national picture.
Mike Elko now has to steady things fast, because LSU is next and the margin for error is gone. A loss like this does more than sting in the moment, it raises questions about how quickly Texas A&M can clean up the issues that showed up against Kentucky and whether the Aggies can avoid letting one bad Saturday turn into a much bigger slide. [Read more 🡒]
Terry Bussey News Leaves Texas A&M With A Huge Offensive Problem
Terry Busseys season is over after the lower-body injury he sustained against Kentucky, and that leaves Texas A&M with a real hole to fill on offense. Mike Elko confirmed the news in a press conference, and the Aggies now have to move forward without one of their more important wide receivers and kickoff returners.
Bussey had become a key part of what Texas A&M was trying to do in the passing game and in the return game, so his absence changes more than just one depth chart line. The Aggies do have other receivers available, but replacing the production, versatility and workload he brought will force the offense to shift around in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Have One Big Reason To Watch Texas A&M's QB
Marcel Reeds rough afternoon against Kentucky has added another layer of intrigue to Texas A&Ms trip to LSU. The sophomore quarterback completed just 53.1% of his passes, threw a touchdown and two interceptions, and left plenty of questions hanging over an offense that has already drawn its share of scrutiny this season.
Mike Elko has made it clear he still believes in Reed going into the next matchup, and that alone makes this one worth watching from an LSU perspective. The Tigers are getting a quarterback who is trying to steady himself after a difficult outing, while Aggies fans are split between defending Reed and wondering whether the offensive plan is helping him enough. [Read more 🡒]