1. What do you do after a clunker like Saturday’s game against Kentucky? First, look in the mirror. That was a loss of their own making. Then you nuke the game film from space. It’s out of character and can only cause more problems with their psyche.

2. The loss of Terry Bussey is a crushing one. It also was a crushing one. More than one former player has suggested that losing a team leader and key piece like Bussey on the first play can really screw up a team’s collective mindset. That’s not an excuse or justification, but losing a standout on your first play can be a real shock to the system.

3. Texas A&M’s safety play has been atrocious the last two games. The combo of Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks were supposed to be one of, if not the, best pairing in the nation. Instead, they blew two coverages that should have been big plays for Kentucky — one of them was, the other was dropped — and missed eight of A&M’s 12 missed tackles. That’s play that, if done by true freshmen, would be infuriating. But a pair of four-year starters? That’s mind-blowing.

4. After looking at the game film again, I have come to the conclusion that that Holmon Wiggins did not call a terrible game. He got panicky, but the calls overall were solid. But one thing he didn’t do his help out his quarterback. There weren’t a lot of plays where Marcel Reed could be in a position to run or throw. I’m not talking about a RPOs, which are those options by definition. I mean like rollouts, getting him out on the edge and give him the opportunity to run. After his performance on the ground Saturday, the idea of keeping him in the pocket and not utilizing his legs definitely looks like a mistake.

5. Going into the season, I talked about the depth the Aggies had at the skill positions on offense, particularly at running back and receiver. We’ll know more tomorrow, but right now it looks like the five running back group could be down to two — Rueben Owens and Carsyn Baker. Tiger Riden is already out for the year and we don’t know about KJ Edwards and Jamarion Morrow — both will very likely return, but what? That’s a big question.

At receiver, they’re down four players right now. Terry Bussey and Madden Williams are both out for the year. Ashton Bethel-Roman missed last Saturday and didn’t play much the week before. Jerome Myles left the program. Guys like Kelshaun Johnson, Aaron Gregory, TK Norman and Jayden Warren are going to start getting very serious snaps at big moments.

6. Two things that are both true: Elko said yesterday that the Aggies started off slow racking up sacks last year before really turning things on during conference play. They’re also not doing what they did last year to become one of the deadliest group of sack gatherers in college football.

They had nine sacks through three games last year, but six came against a lousy Utah State team. But the picked up five sacks against Auburn and starter rolling. That’s good. But that was last year, and they blitzed heavily. This year, as Lyle Hemphill put it, they’ve been an aggressive team rushing four. And it is not working. The Aggies have a pitiful four sacks so far, getting two sacks for the first time against Kentucky. Yes, Cashius Howell is gone. But the issue is more about the lack of blitzing — down by almost half year-over-year — than anything else.

7. Elko said one of the reasons that the Aggies haven’t blitzed as much because they haven’t played a team that drops back to pass. A&M has only played RPO-heavy teams, and the Aggies have been hit or miss with RPO offenses the last couple of years. Last year they were largely good, but there were instances of linebackers getting way out of position, allowing for big gains. They also have struggled to read the quarterback, and they looked very confused Saturday. RPO or not, I’d be blitzing more.

8. The RPO struggles played a big role in Saturday’s loss, and Elko said the team never got comfortable during game preparation before the Kentucky game. Confusion and doubt are not things usually associated with a Mike Elko program, but they were in abundance against UK.

9. One reason the Aggies should seriously consider blitzing against LSU is the fact that Sam Leavitt went down six times against Ole Miss. They’re also 130th in tackles for loss allowed at more than seven per game. They’ve also turned the ball over six times already. Their offense has been effective, but it’s a long way from perfect.

10. This game is a huge challenge for the Aggie offensive line. So far, LSU has the nation’s best rush defense at just 33 yards per game. Trinidad Chambliss shredded them for 363 passing yards last week. Reed isn’t on that level, but he’s going to have to play at the level he did in this game last year if the Aggies are going to have a shot.

Our sponsor

10 Things for Tuesday is sponsored by Brent Campbell, Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1998. Brent is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, serving all of Central Texas and specializing in sales, leasing & development. He leads a retail acquisition and sales team and was recognized by the Austin Business Journal as a Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024 & 2025.

In the last 22 years, he has closed deals with a total transactional value of over $400 million and has leased more than 4.75 million square feet. Brent currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Habitat Homes, Inc. and Pathways Youth and Family Services. He is currently on the Downtown Round Rock Task Force.  He is a former president of the Heart of Round Rock Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Round Rock Zoning Advisory Committee, the Round Rock Business and Retention Committee, and the City of Round Rock Ethics Commission, which has led him to begin developing in Williamson and Travis County.

An Austin native, Brent lives in Round Rock where he and his wife have raised four boys. Brent works for Don Quick and Associates, Inc. in Round Rock and can be reached at brent@donquick.com.