COLLEGE STATION, TX. Texas A&Ma historic season ended with a punch to the stomach when a defender Marcel Reedwho took Edgey to Miami At the 5-yard line with 27 seconds left, the ball was intercepted behind the end zone. 10-3 loss at Kyle Field.
Saturday's loss in front of 104,122 spectators, the second-largest crowd in CFP history, ended the Aggies' season at 11-2, tying the 1939, 1998 and 2012 A&M teams for the most wins in program history behind the 1992 team, which finished 12-1.
Mike Elko, the Aggies' second-year head coach, said the loss will sting, but it shouldn't take away from the team's accomplishments. When he took over before last season, he said this was not an elite program ready to compete for a national championship. The Aggies finished 8-5 in their first season after a 7-1 start and went into the offseason vowing to put an emphasis on finishing games. They did this all year and started 11-0, but lost their last two games: to Texas in Austin and then to the Hurricanes, their first loss at home this season.
“We haven't been able to swing the lead in our favor the last two games,” Elko said. “This will be a killer. The one who won't go to Atlanta. [to the SEC championship]the one who does not reach the quarterfinals. It's devastating, but you have to accept it and move forward like we did last year.”
Elko said he and his staff felt this team had a “pretty small margin” to succeed in each game, and that's exactly how the season turned out. He said as a grown man he can handle the disappointment, but he hurts for his players. However, he stressed that he doesn't want to discount what his players did to turn the tide for the Aggies.
“I told the seniors who had just played their last game that they left a mark on this program that will never go away. I don't think it can be lost on people from where this program was two years ago to where it is now,” Elko said. “I told the guys coming back that we have one more big step to take as a program to finish. I think the last two games showed that.”
Elko said his offense had become one-dimensional, and he credited the Miami defense for not allowing the Aggies to run the ball, allowing the Canes to hit Reed.
“Marcel Reed can't be our lead rusher,” Elko said of his sophomore quarterback, who had 15 carries for 27 yards, six more than the running back. Reuben Owens II. “He can’t have the most carries. It just can’t happen.”
Reed sat on the bench, devastated, as the game ended after the interception, with a towel over his head. Reed offensive coordinator Collin Klein is heading to Kansas State, his alma mater, as the new coach of the Wildcats. They talked about how close their relationship became after the game, with Reed saying Klein is like a father to him.
“It didn’t feel real,” Reed said. “I don’t want the season to end. There will be a lot of changes made after the season, so I really didn't want it to end. This sucks.”
Taurus YorkThe Aggies' all-SEC linebacker said he was proud of the steps the team has taken and called the season a “foundation-setting one,” saying A&M is finally on the big stage and plans to keep building.
“We're really just scratching the surface of what we're going to be in the future,” he said.
The Aggies traded defensive blows with Miami all day, but Carson Beckshovel go to Malachi Tony With 1:44 left in the game, the game opened up. The Aggies offense responded by driving the game with a chance to tie the game early. Bryce FitzgeraldReed's second interception on the day A&M's season ended devastated the Kyle Field faithful.
“We were 5 yards short and that's something we'll have to live with in the offseason,” Elko said. “But [I'm] still proud of this team, proud of what they accomplished, proud of what they did.”
