Mike Elko after loss to South Carolina: 'We've got to not ever play like that again'

The Texas A&M Aggies were upset on the road by the South Carolina Gamecocks. It was the type of performance that head coach Mike Elko doesn’t want to see his team repeat.

Elko explained after the game that he felt South Carolina did things right in the game that they weren’t able to do, emphasizing the need to be better moving forward.

“Hats off to South Carolina,” Mike Elko said. “They beat us. Beat us on the line of scrimmage, both sides of the ball. Controlled the game. Forced turnovers. Couldn’t run the ball. Couldn’t tackle. Couldn’t control the quarterback. So, we didn’t do any of the things you need to do to win a football game. That’s why we lost. So, we’ve got to get better. We’ve got to fix them and we’ve got to not ever play like that again.”

In the end, South Carolina won 44 to 20 over Texas A&M. That included outscoring the Aggies 24-0 in the second half, pulling away late. The running game for South Carolina was a massive reason for that run, with running back Rocket Sanders rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback LaNorris Sellers had 106 yards and a touchdown.

On Texas A&M’s side, Mike Elko started Marcel Reed at quarterback after he came in and sparked the offense against LSU. He finished the game with 206 passing yards for a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 46 yards.

For the entire game, South Carolina outgained Texas A&M by an overall margin of 530 to 350 yards. They also had 7.6 yards per play compared to the Aggies’ 5.0 yards per play. On top of that, the Aggies also finished with more penalties and more turnovers.

Following the game, Mike Elko and the Aggies needed to dodge South Carolina fans as they stormed the field. It was the Aggies’ first SEC loss this season and made them one of five teams in the SEC to currently have one conference loss. It’s a tight race and, with that, there is less room for error than before in College Station.

Next up for Texas A&M is a home game against New Mexico State. After that, they’ll return to SEC play on the road against Auburn before hosting Texas to end the season. The Longhorns are one of the five SEC teams with only one conference loss, so the outcome of that game could send someone to the SEC Championship Game.