'So Many Emotions!' Mike Elko Speaks After Four-Overtime Loss To Auburn

Elko's Texas A&M Aggies came back after being down three touchdowns at one point, but an unsuccessful two-point conversion in the fourth overtime handed the Aggies their second straight SEC loss.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If you had told a Texas A&M Aggies fan that they would go to four overtimes with the Auburn Tigers after the first half that Mike Elko's team had, you would probably get quite a few puzzled looks.

Lo and behold, that's what happened. It didn't end the way the Aggies and the 12th Man were probably hoping for, though, as a pass from Marcel Reed to Amari Daniels during a two-point conversion in the fourth overtime went incomplete, sealing a 43-41 win for Auburn.

This marked the Aggies' second straight SEC loss, both of which couldn't have come at worse times in the season.

Mike Elko talked about the roller coaster contest, admiring the team's fight while criticizing the start and taking the blame for the struggles.

"So many emotions, obviously. You can't come out and get down 21-nothing, you can't let the ball get over your head on the road and expect to be very successful. Very disappointed with how we started the game on defense," Elko said. "Then, to show the heart and the character to come back the way we did on the road in that environment with all that emotion and we just couldn't get it done when we had opportunities on both sides of the ball and so, ultimately, that's on me."

Elko also praised Marcel Reed's performance in the loss, as the redshirted freshman threw for 297 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

"I thought (Marcel) battled in that environment; I thought he did a really good job keeping it going," Elko said. "He did a good job not getting outside of himself, not forcing the football, not doing things that sometimes young kids do in those types of situations."

With a loss by the Alabama Crimson Tide yesterday, the Aggies' SEC Championship hopes are still alive, and it seems that despite the recent hardships, Coach Elko is ready for next week against Texas.

"This one is certainly going to hurt and we're obviously extremely disappointed since we had ourselves in a really good position and now back-to-back road games where we haven't been able to get it done, and that part is not going to go away," Elko said. "But, with who we play and what we're still playing for, obviously there's still going to be a lot of energy going into that stadium next weekend."

With an environment like Kyle Field, "a lot of energy" might just be the understatement of the year.

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @AllAggiesOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @TAMUAggiesSI

MORE TEXAS A&M AGGIES NEWS:

Five Takeaways From Texas A&M's Four-Overtime Loss To Auburn

Auburn Tigers Troll Texas A&M Aggies' Mike Elko After Upset

No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies Opponent Preview: Auburn Tigers

Aggies Fall Late In Four Overtimes To Auburn, 43-41: No. 15 Texas A&M at Auburn Live Game Updates

Halftime: Aggies Down 2 Touchdowns to Auburn After Abysmal 1st Half