Texas A&M's 2026 season is already a disaster, and after Saturday's 17-9 road loss to South Carolina, third-year coach Mike Elko is under immense pressure to make changes to the coaching staff, especially first-year offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins.
Texas A&M's monetary advantage, combined with making the College Football Playoff last season, should never translate into what we've witnessed through five weeks of play. However, first-year defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill deserves credit for the defense's improvement over the past two weeks, giving the offense plenty of chances to win the last two games.
The Aggies' failures are officially affecting the program's 2027 recruiting class, as five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews decommitted
on Sunday and is a favorite to choose the Miami Hurricanes. Everything is terrible, and unless Mike Elko makes drastic changes and essentially "cleans house" before the end of the season, it's hard to see the fan base buying in next season.
To provide more context from Saturday's 17-9 loss, here are the final Pro Football Focus grades for Texas A&M's offense and defense in Week 10.
Offense
- QB Marcel Reed — 84.6 offense, 86.3 passing
- WR Mario Craver — 71.4 offense, 70.4 passing
- WR Rueben Owens II — 69.0 offense, 75.9 running
- RB Jamarion Morrow — 68.8 offense, 63.1 running
- WR TK Norman — 67.6 offense, 67.0 passing
Marcel Reed completed 25/43 for 251 yards and, in agreement with his impressive PFF grades, played well enough on nearly every drive for the Aggies to score touchdowns and likely defeat South Carolina. Rueben Owens ran for 137 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, while Mario Craver (4 rec, 25 yards) and TK Norman (4 rec, 45 yards) simply did their job.
With the flu making its way around the Aggie roster this week, Jamarion Morrow was banged up and played just four snaps, while transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton played a significant role in the loss after dropping several balls, including a potential touchdown early in the second half.
Defense
- Edge Bryce Perry-Wright — 91.7 defense, 70.4 run defense, 77.7 pass rush
- LB Noah Mikhail — 83.6 defense, 72.0 run defense, 77.5 tackling
- Edge Anto Saka — 76.2 defense, 65.4 run defense, 76.6 tackling
- DB Dalton Brooks — 72.4 defense, 83.3 tackling, 72.7 coverage
- Edge Marco Jones — 69.0 defense, 79.4 tackling, 69.2 pass rush
Texas A&M's defense played well enough for the Aggies to win on Saturday, and freshman edge rusher Bryce Perry-Wright led the day with two tackles and his first sack of the year, creating a fumble that led to points in the first half. Sophomore linebacker Noah Mikhail continues to piece together impressive performances and has become one of the better coverage backers.
Still, the Aggies missed 10 tackles but made up for it with 21 pressures and two sacks, as the defensive line played with better leverage; credit goes to defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill for using a solid rotation in the trenches and the secondary.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Notable PFF grades after Texas A&M's 17-9 loss to South Carolina
