When Texas A&M loses three games and sits at 3-3, turning the season around means exploring every option.
Aggies head coach Mike Elko said just that in his Monday media availability after an ugly 27-6 loss to Missouri, and that the team is trying to fix issues at nearly every level.
“I am the reason this team is struggling,” Elko said. “Everything has to be on the table. We're at that point, for sure. It's hard to make revolutionary changes in our current situation because you have to allow the kids opportunities to have success, and massive shifts are going to create execution issues.”
Whatever that entails is still unknown, but the words “Just get better” and “get back to the drawing board” were said again.
“Our focus right now is just getting better. Our kids want to put a better product on the field. Our fans deserve a better product on the field. It's all about daily improvement and getting to a product on the field that is more representative of Texas A&M football. We'll continue to go back to the drawing board to figure out what the formula is to find success.”
“It’s My Job To Get It Better”
Taking ownership was exactly what Elko did on Monday afternoon, and exactly what he needed to do as the leader of this football program. He made an honest statement when challenges hit this program at the midpoint of the season, and that’s exactly what the fans and players deserved to hear.
“It’s my job to get it better,” Elko expressed. “We have to continue to explore every option, whether that be personal, whether that's philosophy. Whether that’s tempo and that’s pace. Everything has to be on the table. It has been. That’s not new. We got to just try to identify what we can do to be successful.”
Where this goes in the matchup hosting The Citadel is yet to be determined, but what is known is that the offense and defense haven't been executing at the standard this team holds itself to.
Offense hasn’t been great. Defense hasn't either. It’s just the truth. Elko admitted that and commented on those failures.
“The failures were at every level,” Elko said. “Offensively, we just weren't really creating enough to create any kind of momentum. Any kind of flow in the game. Defensively, I thought we held up for a large chunk of the game. Playing at a level that could have won us the game, but I think some breakdowns in the second half ultimately let the game to get out of hand. We’re just not built to play from behind.”
What moves do Elko & Co. make now that his crew isn't meeting the expectations set in fall camp? Who knows, but this is what he brought up about comparing camp to the regular season.
“What we're getting on Saturdays is not what we got in fall camp; it's not what we're getting in practice,” Elko commented. “It's just not translating. That, to me, is a mental issue.”
One way the CEO has tried to produce a better product included giving up calling plays defensively and handing those over to defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill. He told the media he did that after the LSU game and that it was a chance to give him more freedom.
“Lyle is calling the games,” Elko said. “That was an important step just so I could have the freedom to be involved in everything, and that was probably to our detriment for a couple of weeks -- LSU, Kentucky.”
Could we see him make more changes to get this team on a better trajectory? What might that entail? Where could that start? Perhaps the coordinators? Elko said the assessments stay internal, and he is effective at blocking out the noise.
“We do all of our coaching evaluations internally,” Elko said. “Yes, I think I'm very effective (at it).”
Elko says it’s his job to get it better, and that starts with having more confidence and joy.
“The biggest confidence that I take, and I've been a part of bad seasons where things splinter and fracture — What gives me confidence is that none of that has happened. For the most part, our kids are showing up in the right frame of mind to go to work.”
That’s important, and so is finding the joy he mentioned weeks ago, which comes from winning.
“We have joy when we win,” Elko said after the Arkansas win. “That’s the word we use when we win football games.”
With The Citadel coming up, the focus now shifts to identifying the problem and finding solutions. Until the Maroon and White can put together a full 60 minutes of football and improve as a whole, that joy and confidence will start with the work done long before kickoff.
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