Texas A&M suffered a disappointing loss to Notre Dame in their season opener on Saturday night, and the game ended with head coach Mike Elko blasting his offensive coordinator.
No. 7 Notre Dame beat the No. 20 Aggies 23-13 at at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. When trailing by 10 with just 6 seconds left in the game, Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman attempted a pass on 2nd-and-9 that fell incomplete. Elko did not seem happy with the play call.
Elko was shown on camera screaming toward offensive coordinator Collin Klein. It looked like Elko told Klein to “run the f–ing ball!”
Mike Elko: "Tell them to run the f***ing ball. Run the f***ing ball" pic.twitter.com/JBJge0wJqu
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) September 1, 2024
You can understand why Elko was upset in that situation. Texas A&M had no chance of overcoming a two-score deficit with just seconds remaining, so there was no point in dragging out the game. You also expose players to a greater injury risk by running more plays instead of just bleeding out the clock.
Elko was hired by Texas A&M last November to replace Jimbo Fisher. He has some serious incentives in his contract, and the hope is that he can help the Aggies become a powerhouse. A win over Notre Dame would have been a great way to start his first season, but Texas A&M could not do enough offensively.
