Texas A&M Is Not A Broken Team Despite Back-To-Back Losses

What Mike Elko had to say should give others confidence that his program can power through adversity.

Sep 12, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko walks onto the field against Arizona State Sun Devils at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.

That opportunity awaits Texas A&M this weekend, when Arkansas storms into town, hoping to upset an “angry team” that still has the potential to do great things.

“I think they are, for sure, angry about the way things that are gone,” head coach Mike Elko mentioned. “When you go in the meeting room, you don't have a broken team that you're trying to piece back together.”

That is coming from the man who sees it all behind closed doors and on the field, too. This Aggies team is weathering the storm and will not give up, despite all the outside noise lately.

Offensively, things haven’t been in sync, and defensively, this group is still chugging along despite giving up 86 points so far, with some sloppy third quarters. Despite the complications on both sides of the football, each player continues to show up and put in the work to perform at the level they know is possible.

“I think how they get performance and how they get results, I think some of that is a lot of different things,” Elko noted. “I think you have some kids that are pressing and wanting it so bad that it's not coming the way they want. You have some kids that need to learn a little bit more, what it takes to strain to the level you need to strain to. I think you have some kids that need to practice better. There's a lot of layers to each kid as to where performance needs to improve to get the result that they want on Saturday.”

Seeing Results

Aggies Quarterback Marcel Reed 10, The LSU Tigers take on the Texas A&M Aggies. September 19, 2026; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Opportunity knocks this Saturday night when the Maroon and White take on their third SEC team of the season.

For two straight weeks, it hasn’t been the brand of football that the Aggies prided themselves on. The Tigers and Wildcats exposed them in lots of categories, leaving few positives to take away from Week 3 and Week 4. Week 5 could be different after a week when Elko said his team still showed up and wanted to figure out how to turn this season around.

“If you're asking big picture, we have a team that showed up on time for the team meeting this morning, wanting to figure out what it's going to take to fix this thing, change this thing, and move it in a different direction.”

Nothing circles to one specific reason for the struggles over the last couple of weeks. Yes, some of it has been quarterback play. Yes, some of it has been the defense. Yes, some of it has been how third quarters have panned out. Other aspects have tied into the challenges, too.  

There have been some glimmers of hope based on the outcome of the first two weeks, when A&M logged 98 points. The last two games just haven't gone right, and the window to get back in the win column is here.

It starts with urgency, consistency, and better execution. Both sides have proven they can play a full 60 minutes where more positives happen than negatives. Look at the first two games.

Reed had a cleaner pocket. Better decisions throwing the football. More holes for the running backs and more passing lanes for the wide receivers. More pressure and sacks. Sticky coverage and less confusion.

All of the pieces are there, and Elko said it best.

“When things aren’t going the way you hoped, the only thing you can do is come together and work.”

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