NCAAF News: Aggies HC Mike Elko offers self-criticism following the loss to USC in the Las Vegas Bowl

Undoubtedly, the Texas A&M Aggies‘ campaign this season in the NCAAF did not go as expected at the start. After the loss to the USC Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl, the year came to an end for Mike Elko‘s team, who made it clear his thoughts on the level of his team’s performance this season.

After the defeat, the coach spoke with the press, and while he acknowledged the significant improvements in his team, he knows there is still much work to be done moving forward: “I mean, this is what I told our guys in the locker room, I think this is the reality of our situation,” Elko said.

“I think we learned how to become accountable. I think we learned how to care for each other. I think we learned how to practice hard. I think we learned what work ethic looks like. None of those things existed in this program when I got here. Not one of them. We had kids on the football team not at the bowl game last year. That’s where we were when I took over,” he also added.

Despite all the improvements the coach had seen in recent weeks, the 35-31 loss to the Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl highlighted the team’s biggest weaknesses, areas that will need to be addressed moving forward.

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the football during the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl featuring the USC Trojans and the Texas A&M Aggies on December 27, 2024 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

“What we didn’t do was get good enough at football. And that’s ultimately my responsibility,” Elko said. “So we are fundamentally not good enough. We are just not good enough right now. So the challenge is, when we get back here in January, that everything has to get turned up.”

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Due to this, the HC made it clear that improvements are necessary for what lies ahead: “You know, we are now where we need to be from a culture standpoint,” Elko said. “Now we have to become a good football program. And so that’s the next step we have to take.”

Elko reflects on the key factor in the loss to USC

The Aggies’ defeat not only left a bitter taste for failing to secure the Las Vegas Bowl, but it also highlighted the main weaknesses of Mike Elko’s team throughout the entire season.

After the game, the Texas A&M coach spoke with the press and, somewhat frustrated by the situation, made it clear where the key factor lay in the Trojans’ victory.

“I think the story of the game is the story of our season, you know,” Elko said. “We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team, and so that’s my fault.”

“Yea, I mean, I have a lot of apprehension when the other team’s going to drop back and throw the ball. I’ve had apprehension all season, starting with Florida, we got lucky. Starting with Missouri, we got lucky. LSU threw for 400 yards. It’s been a problem all season. So it’s on me and I’ve got to fix it,” Elko finally concluded.

The areas to improve for what’s ahead

The Aggies’ coach took responsibility for his team’s situation and, far from avoiding blame, stated the areas where they need to improve in order to have a better season in 2025.

“So many things. Fundamentally. … We can’t play zone coverage,” Elko said. “Every time we play zone coverage we give up big plays. So we have no concept of space. We have no concept of zone coverage. We have no concept of what we’re doing.

“So we have to play man-to-man all the time. And we had some guys in there filling in some roles today that got caught in a lot of man-to-man situations and that was hard for them.”