Looking back on the Aggies loss to the Longhorns in Austin and what lies ahead

Texas A&M suffered its first loss of the season last night in Austin in what proved to be a roller-coaster outing for Mike Elko’s squad. There’s still plenty of football left and every major goal remains within reach, but there’s no denying that the setback came with its share of frustration.

Now, the Aggies will miss a major opportunity to both play in and potentially win their first ever SEC Championship, as well as get their first win over the Longhorns since the rivalry’s renewal.

With a night to sleep on things, let’s look back and review the major takeaways from last night:

Let’s start with the bad..

I think most would agree that outside of a few self-inflicted mistakes, Texas A&M controlled much of the first half in Austin, especially the second quarter. And while Mike Elko’s second-half adjustments have been a major reason the Aggies entered the night at 11-0, they weren’t enough this time to counter the Texas staff’s halftime adjustments.

After the first few series of the second half, it became clear the Aggies had slowed down and weren’t playing with the same physical edge we’ve seen all season. We saw a similar dip a year ago during their late-season collapse, but last night was the first real sign of it this season. You can certainly chalk some of that up to the grind of a long year and a roster still getting used to being primed for postseason-level play, but it was an interesting development nonetheless.

They’re expected to get star running back Le’Veon Moss and linebacker Scooby Williams back for their first playoff game—both of whom likely could have suited up last night if they felt absolutely needed—which should provide a major boost. Those two are among the most physical players on the roster outside of the trenches, and their return comes at the perfect time.

Marcel Reed still has a lot of growing to do as a quarterback

There’s no doubt Marcel Reed has shown significant growth throughout his redshirt sophomore season at Texas A&M, but that doesn’t mean he’s a finished product. In reality, he still has plenty of development ahead of him before he reaches that point.

Growing pains in the passing game are expected when leaning on a dual-threat quarterback in more of an “air raid” system, especially one as young as Reed. Still, there’s been no shortage of missed opportunities through the air this season.

Just a few weeks ago, the “chants” talk and memes began circulating to boost Reed’s Heisman case. Since then, he’s thrown four interceptions in three games. While he’s generally done a solid job protecting the ball this season, there have definitely been some late-season bumps. If the Aggies want to make a deep postseason run, they’ll need Reed to avoid slipping back into old habits and make the most of the next couple of off weeks.

Injury absences continue to hurt the Aggies

They’ll both return to the field soon enough, but Scooby Williams and Le’Veon Moss were two players whose absences arguably had the biggest impact on their respective sides of the ball. Both missed the regular-season finale.

Williams’ absence was especially noticeable as Arch Manning consistently found room to run, jump-starting Texas’ offense whenever it stalled. Taurean York isn’t an ideal option as a quarterback spy, which put the Aggies in a difficult spot schematically. And while Daymion Sanford has held his own, the loss of Scooby was felt throughout the night. He’s the one linebacker on the roster capable of truly neutralizing mobile quarterbacks, and that missing element showed.

The Longhorns were without their two top linebackers for the first half, with one returning in the second, yet the Aggies still struggled to establish a consistent run game with Rueben Owens. Owens has performed admirably since Moss went down with an ankle injury, but the production has left something to be desired. EJ Smith has started to make an impact, yet there’s no denying that Texas A&M has lacked the consistency and spark they enjoyed with Moss healthy.

Offensive play calling inconsistencies show up once again

Since arriving at Texas A&M, offensive coordinator Collin Klein has done a phenomenal job crafting an explosive and creative offense, something fans haven’t seen in a long time. While he’s had several strong performances this season, there have also been games where the plan simply slipped away.

Last night was one of those instances.

The Aggies controlled the offense for much of the second half, yet their approach seemed to completely change after halftime. It didn’t make much sense then, and it still doesn’t. They tried to force a run game early, effectively giving away the momentum they had built in the first half, even after receiving to start the second half.

In reality, it felt like they were shifting into a conservative mode despite only holding a one-score lead. It’s a situation that will surely be discussed publicly in the months ahead, but it will also be a major point of internal review over the next week or two.

Now, let’s look forward to the positive..

Losing a rivalry game can make it easy to lose faith, but it’s important to keep some perspective. If you had told me before the season that the Aggies would finish the regular season 11-1, I have a sneaky suspicion every fan would have taken it—regardless of who the loss came against.

Mike Elko taking a 7-5 program with numerous issues to 11-1 in just two seasons is deserving of any and all accolades he’ll receive this offseason, alongside his new contract extension, and it’s a strong reason for long-term optimism.

It’s also been fascinating to watch how he manages a roster that is still not fully shaped to his liking. While there are players who don’t perfectly fit the scheme and depth remains thin at multiple positions, the Aggies have battled through a brutal SEC schedule en route to what could be their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history.

Kyle Field will (likely) host a College Football Playoff game

For the first time in program history, Texas A&M is likely to host a College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field.

While a first-round bye and an SEC Championship Game appearance would have been ideal, last year showed that every team with a first-round bye lost their opening playoff game. Instead, the Aggies now have the opportunity to play at home before embarking on a major road game for the first time under head coach Mike Elko.

If the committee awards them a home game, it would be a well-deserved reward for a remarkable season so far and a memorable experience for the 12th Man.

How do the Aggies respond from here?

I spoke with a college coach a few weeks ago about whether a loss can ever have a positive impact on a team moving forward. The response was that leadership ultimately determines how a team responds, but in most cases, a loss provides an opportunity to study film and address issues in ways they hadn’t before.

For the Aggies, that opportunity will become a reality over the next couple of weeks.

They have some time before they line up against another playoff team, and it’s hard to see Mike Elko not using last night’s game as a major teaching moment. It’s not the kind of lesson you ever want, but for a team that had yet to lose despite a few close calls, it could be exactly what they needed.

We saw it last season with Ohio State, which dropped its regular-season finale to Michigan at home before the College Football Playoff and went on to win the National Championship. While I’m not saying this Texas A&M team is on the same level as last year’s Buckeyes, history shows that many teams can use a game like this as fuel for a post-season run.

Time will tell how Texas A&M reacts and builds off this loss.