‘Not Developing Any Alternative Is Inexcusable,’ ‘Doesn’t Feel Like That’s the Move’ — Mike Elko Stands by Marcel Reed After 27-6 Loss at Missouri

Missouri beat Texas A&M on Saturday, and the Aggies’ kicker accounted for every point they scored.

David Olano made field goals from 53 and 27 yards, and No. 14 Missouri’s 27-6 win in Columbia, Mo., dropped Texas A&M to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC.

The Aggies finished with 216 total yards and no touchdowns, two weeks after they were also held out of the end zone in a 35-6 loss at LSU.

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Missouri finished with 399 total yards, 252 of them on the ground, and held Texas A&M to 29 rushing yards on 23 carries.

The Aggies converted 5 of 18 third downs, and Trajen Greco and Elijah Dotson each intercepted quarterback Marcel Reed. “I was really, really impressed with our defense,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

Texas A&M was still within one score at halftime after Brandon Davis-Swain blocked a Missouri field goal attempt as time expired in the second quarter.

One fan cautioned against reading too much into that. “The blocked kick kept halftime at 10-3. That was a chance to reset the game, not evidence the offense was working.”

Missouri opened the second half with a 51-yard field goal and pulled away behind running back Jamal Roberts, who carried 34 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns, the last on a 54-yard run.

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Olano, a senior, is 9-for-9 on field goals this season, the first Aggie to start a season that way since Todd Pegram made his first 12 attempts in 2004. The passing game has not kept pace, and Reed has gone three straight games without a touchdown pass or 190 passing yards.

Reed completed 19 of 39 passes for 187 yards and finished with minus-18 rushing yards on seven carries. Entering Saturday’s game, his season grade in Pro Football Network’s QB Impact metric was 73.2 through Week 5, tied for 94th among 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.

Reed, asked after the game about the offense’s struggles, said they come down to mistakes. “We got to fix our mistakes, and like I said, it takes 11 people to complete a football play.”

Another fan pointed to the depth chart behind him. “Reed’s struggle is bad enough, but not developing any alternative is inexcusable.”

The same fan asked about Holmon Wiggins, who was promoted to offensive coordinator in December 2025 after two seasons as Texas A&M’s co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Asked after the game why he hasn’t given sophomore Brady Hart a chance, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said, “It just doesn’t feel like that’s the move that would help us.” He added that the staff will keep evaluating it.

Elko Asks Texas A&M Fans to Stay Behind the Program

Elko is 22-10 overall and 13-7 in SEC play in his third season at Texas A&M, and the Aggies reached the College Football Playoff last season.

In November 2025, with the Aggies 10-0, he and the school agreed to a new six-year contract through the 2031 season. The deal raised his base salary and added escalators tied to College Football Playoff appearances.

John Huffman, a former mayor of Southlake, Texas, took a sarcastic view of that deal. “I’m sure we didn’t do the thing we keep doing where we give a ton of guaranteed money to a coach the minute he shows the tiniest bit of promise.”

Asked by On3’s Carter Karels what he would say to fans losing faith, Elko drew a distinction between the fan base and social media. “Our fan base, stay with us, be behind us. We’re going to build something that we told you we were going to build.”

Elko said the program is struggling right now but will find its way out.

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Another fan wrote that faith has its limits. “You’re so-called, faithful fans, are not gonna be so faithful if you continue to lose in the way you’re doing.”

Texas A&M returns to Kyle Field for next Saturday’s Week 7 game against The Citadel, a non-conference matchup on SEC Network+.

Texas A&M then visits Alabama on Oct. 24. PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives the Aggies a 24.8% chance to win in Tuscaloosa and a 0.6% chance to make the playoff, a figure that rises to 2.4% with a win there.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.