After season ends in playoff loss, is it more of the same or is Texas A&M different now?

COLLEGE STATION – Johnny Football missed his flight from Miami as well as his gig as guest picker Saturday on College GameDay, but it was just as well. His pal, Jake Paul, threw more punches Friday night than his old team did against Miami. Would’ve been hard for him to watch both go down so up close and personal.

Then again, even if it was their first playoff game, the Texas A&M faithful have seen this 10-3 loss before.

Another season ending without a conference or national title this century.

A second straight ugly finish disfiguring the image of a great season.

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Question is, is it more of the same ol’, same ol’, or is A&M different?

Elko, of course, voted for the latter. Noted the fact that they went from eight to 11 wins in his first two years and will finish ranked for the first time since 2021.

“We were not an elite program ready to compete for a national championship when we took over,” he said.

Then he added the kicker.

“We’re still not.”

On a gray, blustery day in which 30-mph gusts stiffened flags and stifled kicks, the Aggies made it abundantly clear in front of 104,122, second-largest College Football Playoff crowd ever. Miami’s not title material, either. Between the Hurricanes’ inability to grasp the concept of the forward pass and Mario Cristobal’s curious clock management, it made for one of the ugliest playoff games you could imagine, not to mention the first scoreless first half in CFP history. Even now I’m still trying to rub it out of my eyes, if not my memory.

BTW: I don’t like to encourage gambling, but, no matter how many points Vegas gives Miami in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State, it’s not enough.

Bet the house.

Kids, too.

Give the Hurricanes this much: They evened their record in the Lone Star State this year after losing to SMU, 26-20, last month. You’d have thought they had a more difficult task Saturday. Certainly a bigger one. You could drop Ford Stadium into Kyle Field and still have enough room for a gym, natatorium and chemistry lab. The Hurricanes seemed unfazed by the scope.

The Aggies, on the other hand, looked pretty much like they did the second half against Texas, when the Longhorns pulled away for a 27-17 win that ruined their unmarked season and left their fans complaining about Battered Aggie Syndrome.

“We weren’t able to tilt the margins in our favor the last two games,” Elko said. “That’s going to be a killer. One not to go to Atlanta, one not to go to the quarterfinals. So that’s a killer.

“But you’ve got to swallow it, you got to move forward just like we did last year.”

Problem is the Aggies have been swallowing these indignities far too long for a program with the resources to pay a coach nearly $80 million just to go away. Jimbo Fisher was back for the ACC Network, by the way. Even mugged it up with a few fans, so apparently all’s forgiven.

Speaking of which, finishing in the polls or rankings isn’t that big of a deal. Jimbo did it three times in five years, and getting screen time in hopes that he’ll get the Michigan job. If the Wolverines are game, he’ll probably come cheap, given his Aggie financing.

Marcel Reed – who threw two interceptions, including one in the end zone on the Aggies’ last drive – talked about the “difference” in the culture from what it was when Jimbo was here. Players have “bought in,” he said. Reed, who rooms with safety Dalton Brooks and lives down the street from linebacker Taurean York, said they formed goals when they were freshmen. Talked about doing what the Aggies haven’t since 1939. Winning it all.

“We’ve made tremendous strides since my freshman year,” Reed said.

No question about it, they have. They’ve made the playoffs. But no one should be happy about the participation trophy. They didn’t have to win it all, but putting up more than three points at home against a Miami team that squeezed into the playoffs because the committee needed somebody from the ACC is no way to cap an 11-win season.

The Aggies struggled all year to stop the run, and it bit them again Saturday. Mark Fletcher Jr. ran amok in the second half, finishing with 173 yards on 17 carries.

Even so, the Aggies’ defense was good enough. The offense was a bust. Reed completed 25 of 39 passes for 237 yards but was sacked seven times. He was also wild all game. He’s a terrific open-field threat, but he needs to learn to set his feet. The Aggies will miss KC Concepcion if the playmaker turns pro, and they need help in the offensive line.

The good news is, they’ve been to the playoffs. They need to remember the bad taste it left in their mouths.

“We have to finish,” said Mario Craver, the wide receiver. “That needs to be a motto going forward.

“We’ve got to finish games.”

Not to mention seasons.

York practically promised it won’t be a problem next year whether he comes back for his senior season or not.

“This is just a start,” he said. “We’re gonna be all right. It’s a small bump in the road. When we get back next year, it’s gonna be all right.”

Of course, that’s easy for him to say. He’s barely old enough to drink. For a second-, third- or fourth-generation Aggie, it sends them straight to the bar.

Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN

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