Texas A&M’s Defense Has An Obvious Issue With Stopping WRs

Stopping the pass for Texas A&M has been one of the team's biggest vulnerabilities throughout the 2026-27 season. Why is that?

Who knows, but there are no excuses because head coach Mike Elko said before the campaign started that this might be the best secondary he has had since he has been in Aggieland.

Bold statement, but unfortunately for the Aggies, that has not been the case.

Arizona State. Kentucky. LSU. Alabama.

Four games where this defense has struggled to get multiple stops against wide receivers that absolutely demolished the secondary. So who were the notable names that found open space and exploited what the defense was offering?

Struggles in the Secondary

Jackson Harris LSU Texas A&M Aggies. — Sep 26, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Jackson Harris (4) runs the ball during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Starting with the Arizona State wide receiver Reed Harris, the senior probably had his best outing of the season after doing what he did to a confused secondary. Harris posted his season-high 189 yards after catching nine passes for two touchdowns. His longest reception was 58 yards, and he averaged 21 yards per catch.

This game took place in Week 2, so questions lingered about what defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill and Elko would do to have the best chance of winning, and after allowing all the explosive plays, that moment began to raise eyebrows about whether this was a weaker secondary than originally predicted.

A&M was shuffling who would be the best fit for the starting job, and that was the starting point of why this secondary has problems. Two veterans, Julio Humphrey and Dalton Brooks, were the primary stars that ended up covering Harris, and Humphrey gave up a 21-yard reception. At the same time, Brooks was in coverage for the 58-yard touchdown catch.

Moving on to the game against the Wildcats, the leading wide receiver in that matchup was DJ Miller, the sophomore native from St. Louis, Missouri. In that appearance against the Aggies, Miller saw the first action that ended with his most yards to date this season: 96.

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

Miller logged five receptions, averaging 19.2 yards per catch, and also had a season-high 53-yard catch. His release was notable, along with his ability to come in clutch on several occasions. After two quiet weeks, the coaching staff also dialed up plays that prioritized him in those quick-release situations, which led to a poor showing by A&M.

That huge catch he registered came on a post route against Humphrey in coverage right before halftime, and it fueled head coach Will Stein's group to culminate their opening touchdown drive. It’s another explosive play the secondary surrendered that shouldn't happen because it builds momentum and raises more questions on the other side.

Against LSU, absolutely nothing went right, as there was way too much confusion and miscommunication, especially on a fourth-down play. The defense was on a fourth-and-one and set up a 57-yard catch-and-run for Harris. His speed killed the A&M defense, and it wasn't just his footwork; his overall athleticism dominated in every facet.

Obviously, that play was one where the entire defense expected a short-yardage situation, but the tricky, sneaky play calling caught everyone by surprise with the run fake. Harris finished with six catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Finally, the game everyone saw last week against the Crimson Tide told the same story, as no leaders stepped up and took much command of the game. One wide receiver knew the room was thin and still came up clutch with massive, explosive plays: Rico Scott.

Part of the issue was a mismatch that opened up plenty of space and throwing lanes for quarterback Keelon Russell to connect with Scott. One of those mismatches came when A&M linebacker Ray Coney found himself in coverage with Scott and couldn't stay with him as he eventually logged 156 yards on six receptions.

On average, Scott averaged 26 yards per reception, and his longest reception went for 48 yards. Seeing a pattern? This defense has allowed way too many home-run balls, and it has crushed them down the line. They seem to be one of the worst in the country at giving up explosive plays, and that has kept them out of games.

Two of Scott’s catches were 40 or more yards, and that adds up, especially when a wide receiver has over 100 yards at the intermission and almost outgains the entire A&M offense for the whole game.

So what is the problem? One theme has been explosive plays, and the fact that no one is stepping up to prevent them.

Elko nailed it in his postgame comments the other night, noting that it has been “poor” as of late.

“Extremely poor play in the secondary,” Elko said. “Extremely poor eye discipline, extremely poor everything.”

Perhaps that is part of the issues this team must address before it can play itself into a bowl game.

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