Mike Elko began his weekly news conference Monday with an apology and spent much of the rest of it explaining why no part of Texas A&M's offense is off limits.
After Saturday's 27-6 loss at Missouri, Elko set the fan base apart from social media and said, "Billy's cesspool can go be Billy's cesspool," a reference to TexAgs co-owner Billy Liucci, the Houston Chronicle reported. Liucci attended Monday's session in College Station.
"I regret the way it was taken, I regret the way it came out and I regret the way it ran," Elko said, according to the transcript posted by Texas A&M. He said his relationship with Liucci has been solid since 2018 and that he appreciates the fan base. "I am the reason why this team is struggling," he said.
"I have owned that since this has started."
An offense without touchdowns on the road
The larger problem is on the field. The Aggies (3-3) have not scored a touchdown in either road game this season, and quarterback Marcel Reed has thrown six touchdown passes and six interceptions, the Chronicle reported.
Asked when major offensive changes might come, Elko said, "I think everything has to be on the table for sure," naming personnel, philosophy, tempo and pace. He also warned that sweeping changes at midseason can create execution problems of their own.
Elko called the passing game's struggles the biggest surprise of the season, "and that's probably an understatement, a huge understatement." He said the timing and route detail the staff sees in practice has not carried into games.
At Missouri, he said, three first-half penalties on run plays put the offense behind the chains, and the Aggies struggled on third down and in finishing drives in the end zone.
He also pointed to a pattern after halftime. "There's been an energy drop coming out of halftime," Elko said, adding that the staff has changed the team's warmup timing. "It's not a fatigue thing because we've been really good in the fourth."
Elko earlier handed defensive play-calling to coordinator Lyle Hemphill, a move he said gave him room to oversee the whole program after trying to do too much during the LSU and Kentucky games.
