Mike Elko Doesn't Hold Back Annoyance After Loss to Texas Longhorns

For the first time since the 2010 season, the Texas A&M Aggies took a trip to the Texas state capitol to combat their in-state foes, the Texas Longhorns, while looking to keep their undefeated season alive through the regular season.

Unfortunately for Mike Elko's team, that wasn't the case after 60 minutes at DKR, as the Longhorns would come back from a 10-3 halftime deficit to outscore A&M 24-7 in the second half, and after two interceptions by quarterback Marcel Reed late in the fourth quarter, the Aggies' first loss of the season was in the books in a 27-17 finish.

And after being at the forefront of a team known for flawless performances in the second half of 2025, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko wasn't too fond of Friday night's results, needless to say.

"It Hurts"

During the opening statement of his postgame press conference immediately following the loss, Elko praised the Texas team for their efficiency in the second half and expressed his dismay with his own team's performance.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning keeps the ball and runs for a touchdown against the Texas A&M Aggies. — Nov 28, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning keeps the ball and runs for a touchdown during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

"Yeah, I mean obviously give them (Texas) credit," Elko began. "They went out in the second half and made the plays they needed to make to win the football game. From our perspective, just very disappointed in how we played in the second half. We didn't play Texas A&M football at all."

After expressing the heartache of coming up short in the rivalry game for the second year in a row, Elko made it clear that his team was going to be focused on the next task at hand, competing for a national championship.

"Uh, it hurts. It should. This game means a lot," said Elko. "We got to regroup though and we've got to get ready for the playoffs."

As for actually embarking on those preparations for the College Football Playoff, Elko admitted that he wasn't exactly in the right mindset to turn the loss into motivation moving forward.

"I don't know that we're thinking like that right now," Elko said. "I think we're just thinking about not getting the job done tonight and coming out of this weekend, maybe we'll regroup and figure out moving forward what the positives are of 11-1 right now. It just hurts that we lost to our rival."

For the second straight year, Texas A&M's chances to compete for a conference championship were dashed at the hands of the Burnt Orange, and now the Ags will wait patiently through the championship weekend coming up to see what their own fate is regarding the College Football Playoff next week.