"We are just not good enough": Texas A&M HC Mike Elko believes his team needs lot of improvement after falling to USC in Las Vegas Bowl

Mike Elko saw his Texas A&M team record another tough loss. The Aggies rounded off the season on a disappointing note, as they lost the Las Vegas Bowl 35-31 to USC. They had a three-score lead over the Trojans but went on to lose it.

In his postgame press conference, Elko admitted that his team wasn't good enough to compete. The 2024 season saw the team make some noteworthy improvements compared to previous seasons, but that didn't satisfy the coach.

"What we did not do was get good enough at football, and that is ultimately my responsibility. We are fundamentally not good enough. We are just not good enough right now," Elko said.

"The challenge is, when we get back here in January, everything has to get turned up. We are now where we need to be from a culture standpoint. Now we have to become a good football program. That is the next step that we have to take."

Mike Elko's first season in charge of Texas A&M hasn't ended on a bright note. The Aggies had a fantastic run early in the season, placing themselves in pole position for a place in the SEC championship game and the College Football Playoff, but they eventually failed to achieve either.

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Mike Elko believes this season has taught Texas A&M a lot

While the 2024 season hasn't ended the way Mike Elko would have wanted, the coach believes it was a learning process for his tenure in College Station. He highlighted a host of things he believes the program has learned.

“We learned how to become accountable," Elko said. "We learned how to care for each other. We learned how to practice hard. We learned what work ethic looks like.

“None of those things existed in this program when I got here – not one of them. We had kids on the football team not at the bowl game last year. That is where we were when I took over.”

Mike Elko will hope to make the things his team has learned throughout this season count in 2025 and years to come. Texas A&M looked like a contender for the first time in years this season, but its efforts weren't enough to earn something tangible.

With his exploits at Duke, Elko has what it takes to transform Texas A&M into a contender in the SEC. The program took a gamble on him with a big payout for Jimbo Fisher, placing a huge expectation on him in College Station.