What Texas A&M Must Clean Up Before LSU Showdown

Texas A&M's loss to Kentucky showed what needs to happen moving forward.

Sep 19, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) walks on the field prior to the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A well-known saying goes, ‘It’s not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up,’ and that is exactly what this Texas A&M program will have to do after taking a tumble.

​Aggies head coach Mike Elko was clearly not pleased with how his team showed up, and he won't look at the stat sheet and see many positives.

A few decisions he and the coaching staff will likely revisit includes going for it on fourth down in their own territory, with a chance to pin back Kentucky on their side of the field. Instead, that fourth-down flip flipped the entire game, resulting in a three-score game that this group will have to live with.

The Maroon and White will reflect further on this and figure out how to keep those high-pressure situations from happening again. For now, the goal is to focus on how this unit can get back on track and in the win column.

​Better Decision Making

Sep 19, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks to pass the ball during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fourth down was not the only area the Aggies could have improved; not turning the ball over, wrapping up, and showing more consistency were part of the reasons for dropping the first game of the 2026-27 season.

​On the day, the offense accumulated 423 total yards, with 236 from the passing game and 187 from the run. A&M’s offense chose not to be conservative and went for it on fourth down twice in the first half. A&M converted one of those fourth downs. The other was not good. The unsuccessful one came on the opening drive in the red zone at the Kentucky 11.

In the second half, the Maroon and White took a shot at it four more times on fourth down, and two of those four sequences were successful. That came to 3-of-6 on fourth down, and it will likely come up in player and coach meetings.

​Based on that outcome, offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins will take a hard look at why A&M found itself in fourth-down dilemmas. LSU is the next opponent, and after how angry that entire roster is feeling after the loss to Ole Miss, emotions will be running high between both schools, and every decision will be deemed vital to offensive success.

It cannot all fall on the offense, though, because the A&M defense was responsible for keeping points off the scoreboard, and that was not the case this past weekend, when 31 points were tallied by Kentucky.

Defensively, they allowed over 400 yards because the fundamentals weren't executed. Several busted coverages gave Kentucky too many explosives, and missed tackles also hurt.

With the 'Wildcats' passing game totaling 252 yards and the running game totaling 156 yards, those coaching and teaching moments this week could determine whether this group has a legitimate shot at a huge road win and a better playoff position.

​Right now, it is back to the drawing board to figure out how to respond when adversity hits.

“It’s a learning experience, and we have to come back even stronger next week,” Reed said. “We have a good opponent in a hostile environment.”

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