Mike Elko after Kentucky loss: 'No positives' as No. 9 Texas A&M fades after halftime
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) is pressured by Kentucky defensive lineman Tavion Gadson (94) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. Credit: AP/David J. Phillip
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M coach Mike Elko was blunt in his assessment of the Aggies after their 31-21 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.
“There’s no positives,” the third-year coach said. “Not an ounce of a positive anywhere. There’s a product that’s not good enough. That starts with me.”
The ninth-ranked Aggies gave up 21 straight points after halftime to turn a tie game into a 28-7 deficit that proved too big to overcome as they dropped their Southeastern Conference opener.
The announced crowd at Kyle Field was 105,186. But as the last few minutes of the fourth quarter ticked away, large swaths of the upper deck were empty as many fans left early rather than watch the Wildcats celebrate on their field.
The game pitted Texas A&M’s offense against Kentucky defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who spent the last two years in the same position with the Aggies. He seemed to have Texas A&M’s number, keeping the Aggies off-balance all day and limiting Marcel Reed to 26 of 49 passing for 236 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Reed didn’t think Bateman’s familiarity with the Aggies' offense helped the Wildcats on Saturday.
“I just don’t think we executed the way we needed to,” Reed said. “That’s a defense that I’ve seen a lot. So, we should have been able to execute pretty well. So, yeah, we have just got to do better.”
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) throws a pass against Kentucky during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. Credit: AP/David J. Phillip
The Aggies had punted on their previous two possessions when they went for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 33 when they were down 14 in the third quarter. But Reed’s pass fell incomplete to give the Wildcats great field position.
The Wildcats took advantage of the short field when CJ Baxter scored his second touchdown on a 2-yard run near the end of a third quarter in which they outgained A&M 196 yards to 20.
Elko said he thinks Reed is struggling because he’s pressing.
“There’s a lot of noise. He feels like he’s got to defend himself a lot,” Elko said. “That’s not an excuse, but that’s a reality. I think you can see him pressing. You can see the stress in him when he’s trying to throw, because he’s trying to be perfect.”
Texas A&M wide receiver Kelshaun Johnson (11) is tackled by Kentucky defensive back Jordan Castell (5) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. Credit: AP/David J. Phillip
Elko has been working with his QB to try and get him to play more relaxed and said he’ll continue to try and help him do that.
“I’ve got to get him mentally to a place where he can really cut it loose and feel free and play,” he said. “I think that, more than anything, right now is the issue with him. It’s like a pitcher sometimes who struggles to throw strikes. It’s just growing on him. And he’s got to be able to relax and play the way he’s capable of.”
Reed, who is in his third year as A&M’s starter, agreed that his issues are more mental than physical.
“So, I’ve got to fix that immediately, and just build my confidence back up,” he said. “It’s not like I lost it or anything, but this one definitely hurt. It’s not fun losing, and that’s a conference game. But I can make those throws and I will make those throws down the stretch.”
Reed and the Aggies will must try to fix their problems quickly with a trip to Death Valley to face No. 7 LSU coming next Saturday night.
“We’ve got to get right back to work starting tomorrow and prepare our minds for going to Baton Rouge,” Reed said.
