Mike Elko’s Explanation for Texas A&M’s Costly Gamble Raises More Questions

After coming off a bye week and one of the roughest stretches in the Southeastern Conference, Texas A&M football was looking for an upset win on the road against South Carolina. The cards seemed to be in head coach Mike Elko's favor when his defense forced a three-and-out, and the Aggies charged downfield right after, setting up a 47-yard field goal attempt to take the opening lead.

But instead of taking advantage of potential All-SEC kicker David Olano's leg, the Aggies opted to go with a trick play that saw the Illinois transfer take the ball in his own hands and hustle towards the right sideline. But instead of making it to the line-to-gain, Olano was stopped in his tracks, killing the early momentum that A&M had.

While not the root cause behind the Aggie offense's overall inadequacy, the misfired play kept them from scoring more in a game where they failed to score a single touchdown. Moreover, it told the tale of the first-ever college football team to have 450 or more total yards, zero turnovers and fail to reach the end zone. When asked postgame, Elko stated his reasoning behind the trick play decision; let's take a look below.

Texas A&M HC Mike Elko on going for the fake field goal in the first quarter:

"I thought we had the look. I think film would show we had the we had it. We had exactly what we watned... Unfortunately, we didn't make the run that we needed to."
— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) November 7, 2026

Another Failed Attempt

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Nov 7, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Texas A&M Aggies kicker David Olano (24) is tackled by South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Kendall Daniels Jr. (5) short of a first down on a punt fake run in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Olano was put in an impossible situation, perhaps statistics can explain why the Aggies put the fate of the drive in his hands above all others. Despite quarterback Marcel Reed being the face of the A&M offense, Olano is outscoring the veteran passer by eight points, 74 to 66.

Up to that point, Olano was perfect on the season and hadn't attempted a trick play with him set up to kick it, leaving South Carolina theoretically unprepared for a run on a fake. However, Elko's choice to go for it has left many scratching their heads, as the fundamentals have escaped the Aggies with Reed under center.

Despite entering his second full year as the starter, Reed has regressed in every major passing category, ranking among the worst in the SEC and Power 4 in terms of passer rating, completion percentage and interceptions. Against South Carolina was no different, as his best game, according to Elko, was still without a touchdown.

It's the fourth SEC game that the Aggies have not reached the end zone, and Olano has been able to shine thanks to drives stalling in the red zone. This comes a season after A&M was arguably a kicker away from a deep run into the College Football Playoff, and now, two losses away from losing bowl eligibility, the Aggies are still in hot water.

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