Mike Elko Explains Questionable Decision During Loss vs. Alabama

In the later stages of Texas A&M's loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Mike Elko called a head-scratching punt play that he is now offering explanation for.

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko voices his displeasure with an official during the game with Alabama at Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After starting like they were preparing to hand the Alabama Crimson Tide their third straight defeat, the Texas A&M Aggies eventually just ran out of steam as the fourth quarter wore on, resulting in their own 31-20 loss.

A botched snap late in the third quarter when the Aggies were up 20-17 gave the Tide prime field position, and in a little over four minutes, Kalen DeBoer's men found the end zone twice to propel Alabama to the win.

But in the midst of the damning fourth quarter, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko decided to send the punt unit out on fourth down while the Aggies were on their own 22-yard line, a decision that baffled many fans who believed the team should have gone for it.

Luckily for the Texas A&M fanbase, their head coach has never been one to keep for himself, and he offered a full explanation for his choice after the clock hit 0:00 Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.

"I Felt Like We Had a Better Shot"

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko is seen against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When asked what made him decide to go ahead and flip the field with less than four minutes left while down 11 on his own 22, Elko believed that his defense could deliver in the moment, saying that the run defense had been keen up to that point.

"I just felt like we had a better shot," Elko said after the game. "At that point, we were really stopping the run, and Marcel had just gotten walloped, and it just felt like we had a better shot of going out and trying to stop them, call the timeout, and go than we did at converting, with how we were holding up and protecting at that point."

Elko summed it up by simply saying, "It just didn't seem like we were in a position to convert that."

To Elko's credit, the run defense was on point yesterday, allowing only 68 yards on the ground, but only down 11 in crunch time against a ranked opponent. You would think the team would be willing to pull out all the stops and do whatever it takes to draw closer to points while they still have possession of the ball.

Yes, the defense was great, but by the time the defense does their thing, there is still considerably less time on the clock, and Elko likely doesn't want to burn all of his timeouts in that one moment.

Then again, they were down 11 with a little over four minutes left, so it's not like it was cutthroat football or anything.

Texas A&M now gets a week to collect themselves before hitting the road again for more conference play against the South Carolina Gamecocks on November 7.

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