\u201cThere were no positives,\u201d Elko said. \u201cThere is not an ounce of positive.\u201d <\/p>\n
That is one thing that Texas A&M<\/a> definitely learned after the home loss at Kyle Field to Kentucky. It wasn\u2019t the smoothest game offensively, and it wasn’t smooth defensively either. <\/p>\n Something wasn\u2019t clicking, and it all fell apart after halftime. <\/p>\n Lessons Learned<\/p>\n The Maroon and White found out what happened when it played loose. Ask one of the captains, Marcus Ratcliffe<\/a>, who mentioned it in his postgame press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cIn practice, things were loose,\u201d Ratcliffe said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t keyed in on the small details of football. That\u2019s what I mean by loose.\u201d<\/p>\n That’s going to be addressed in practice this week, with a lot of unhappy campers who aren’t pleased with the outcome. <\/p>\n The Chula Vista native took responsibility for some of the miscues that occurred at times the defense could have used him to step up. Ratcliffe wrapped up his afternoon with seven total tackles and four assists and has his mind set on the upcoming week of preparation. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is 100 percent on us. It starts with me, Ratcliffe mentioned. \u201cI didn\u2019t play the best game I could. We had a really loose week. There is a lot of season and football ahead of us. Monday, we will tighten things up and attack next week.\u201d<\/p>\n Turnovers were another reason why the 7-0 lead evaporated quickly and never came back. Quarterback Marcel Reed threw two interceptions and addressed the offense’s poor start in front of the media after the game. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we didn\u2019t finish,\u201d Reed noted. \u201cWe moved the ball well early. We got in the red zone and didn\u2019t capitalize. That gave them that momentum shift, and they held on to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Taking care of the football was one of the lessons the Aggies learned after the Wildcats’ defense made them pay for their mistakes. Another was executing better on fourth down. <\/p>\n The Aggies finished 3-of-6 on fourth down, and that isn\u2019t ideally a statistic to be proud of. Arguably, one of the turning points of this contest came when Elko & Co. decided to go for it in their own territory, and Reed missed freshman running back Carsyn Baker on an easy pass that should\u2019ve been a first down. Instead, the Wildcats scored a touchdown to go up three possessions. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we didn\u2019t finish,\u201d Reed acknowledged. \u201cWe moved the ball well early. We got in the red zone and didn\u2019t capitalize. They gave them that momentum shift, and they held onto it.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, the focus turns to how those mistakes can be corrected. <\/p>\n Sign up to\u00a0our free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for the latest news.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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