Here’s How Texas A&M Gets Back On Track Against LSU

It wasn’t a good weekend in College Station, Texas. Plain and simple.

Texas A&M lost its first SEC matchup to Kentucky, and it wasn't pretty. There’s no denying that. Even head coach Mike Elko would agree after he shook head coach Will Stein’s hand.

Despite the struggles and negatives that came from that 31-21 home loss, there is still time to iron out the issues before a massive showdown against head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU.

How do the Aggies wipe away all of those errors and straighten out their offense and defense? It starts with taking responsibility and getting back to the two words that have been harped on all season: urgency and focus.

Erase Past Miscues

Marcel Reed Texas A&M Aggies. — Sep 12, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks to pass the ball against Arizona State Sun Devils at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A one-loss team three weeks into the college football season is not the ideal place to be when there are still plenty of aspirations to make the big dance. If this program dwells on last week’s outcome, it will lose sight of the ultimate goal. A&M must forget about the fourth-down opportunities. The two turnovers. The poor coverage. All of it.

“I don’t think we are going to focus on last week much more,” Elko said. “We know we have an opportunity in front of us. We are excited for the challenge.”

Next, the urgency to win now is the utmost priority. The Maroon and White’s priority has to be on going 1-0, not looking ahead to what’s next. It has to be a hardcore week of practice that doesn't come across as loose, like team captain Marcus Ratcliffe said it was last week.

“I think loose in terms of we never got comfortable with what we were trying to do – Honestly, I don't know that we ever felt great,” Elko said. “That showed on Saturday. That was probably one of the worst defensive performances I've had in my tenure here. It wasn't because we weren't trying. It was because we weren't able to hit it, so we have to go back to the drawing board.”

Establishing Assertiveness

Aside from that first quarter when A&M took the lead against Kentucky, there weren't many signs the offense and defense were taking steps in the right direction. They were tied going into that third quarter, and it was one of the sloppiest third quarters the program has had in a long time. A&M got outscored 21-0, and the defense’s coverage wasn't eyebrow-raising after quarterback Kenny Minchey contributed to many of those explosive plays.

“I think we had a lot of eye violation issues,” Elko said. “Did a really, really poor job of putting our eyes where they needed to go.”

That has to be fixed against an explosive and fast-paced LSU offense that doesn’t blink. Same goes for the A&M offense that got off to a slow start and showed no glimpse of being one of the SEC’s best. A lot of the numbers might obscure what the performance actually was.

The Aggies posted more total yards than the Wildcats. More first downs. More total plays. More sacks. More third-down conversions. More time of possession. Fewer penalties. A few of the issues? Turnovers and too many passing yards allowed.

Quarterback Marcel Reed threw for more yards, but he also had two turnovers that killed them. At times, he just missed layup passes that should’ve been made. At times, his offensive line should've given him more time. At times, his defense couldn’t get stops.

What’s the formula for getting back to winning football? It’s a combination of the offense and defense improving together and getting back to the standard.

“The challenge for us now is to respond,” Elko expressed.

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