Mike Elko spent the week before Texas A&M’s trip to LSU looking for a reaction.
After the ugly loss to Kentucky, the Aggies still had a chance to make that stumble look like a one-off. A win in Tiger Stadium would have sent a clear message that the preseason hype still meant something and that Kentucky was just a bad night, nothing more.
Instead, Texas A&M turned in the kind of performance that leaves more questions than answers.
LSU beat the Aggies 35-6, and the game never felt like it was waiting for a Texas A&M comeback. The offense managed only 197 yards, the Aggies never reached the end zone, and LSU controlled the night from start to finish.
That was the part Elko kept circling all week: how this team would handle adversity, and what it would look like after getting hit hard for the first time this season. The answer was hard to watch.
Texas A&M showed very little of the toughness and fight it needed in that spot. LSU delivered the early blows, and the Aggies never really punched back.
In fact, they never punched back at all. The phone rang, and the Aggies let it go to voicemail.
Little did they know that the call was of particular importance.
There wasn’t a stretch where Texas A&M looked ready to drag itself back into the game through effort alone. There wasn’t a moment where the Tigers seemed under real pressure.
If the Aggies couldn’t summon much against LSU, the biggest game on the schedule, then what does that say about the rest of the season?
This was the moment to show up on a big stage in a hostile setting and answer with force against a strong opponent. A solid night could have reset the narrative around what Texas A&M is supposed to be this year.
Elko can tweak the scheme. He can shuffle the personnel.
He can even turn to a different quarterback if he wants to make a desperate move to shift the mood on the field and in the locker room. But that may be too late.
Saturday night in Baton Rouge was the season, and Texas A&M failed. That’s the most worrying part of all.
In Other News...
Johnny Manziel Just Said What Texas A&M Fans Are Fearing
Johnny Manziels postgame criticism landed with the kind of force only a former Texas A&M star can bring. After the loss to LSU, he took to social media to question what the Aggies are doing right now, and the reaction was not hard to understand. The offense has struggled to find rhythm, the defense has had its own issues, and the overall look has been of a team still searching for something steady to hang onto in SEC play.
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 🡒]
Mario Craver Is Giving Texas A&M Fans A New Reason To Vent
Texas A&Ms rocky start has already left Aggies fans looking for answers after two straight losses erased the momentum of a 2-0 opening, and now receiver Mario Craver has given them another topic to grumble about. The latest frustration came off the field, where Craver drew criticism on social media after liking Instagram photos of Peyton Blomquist, the Florida Gators fan who went viral during Floridas win over Ole Miss.
For a fan base already uneasy about the direction of the season, the timing could hardly be worse. Even a small social media gesture can become a talking point when a team is trying to steady itself, and Cravers online activity landed in the middle of a week when Texas A&M supporters were already searching for reasons to feel better about a 2-2 start. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]