COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M football‘s penalty issues would keep any coach up at night, but if they persist, head coach Mike Elko hopes his staff can gain something valuable from the flags.
“Today, what we started was the ‘Texas A&M Football Coaches Cabo Fund,'” Elko said with a smirk Monday. “So what’s going to happen now is every time our players get a penalty, they’re going to contribute to our Cabo Fund. We’ll see if that works.”
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Kidding aside, the Aggies’ leader knows vacation for everyone on the team could come earlier than planned if the 13-penalty performance from their Week 5 win over Auburn isn’t cleaned up. Elko told reporters that much of Monday’s team meeting was focused on correcting those mistakes.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 27: Head coach Mike Elko of the Texas A&M Aggies looks on during the second quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field on September 27, 2025 in College Station. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
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No. 6 A&M is ranked 118th nationally, with 38 penalties for 309 yards over four games. Among SEC teams, it ranks 14th. The current pace would put them at more than 120 flags and 1,000 marched-off yards over a full season and bowl game.
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Last season, in 13 games, the Aggies committed 98 penalties totaling 862 yards.
So far this season, A&M averages 9.5 penalties per game, two more than Elko’s first year as the Aggies’ head coach.
“It’s a problem. It’s something we have to get fixed and addressed,” Elko said.
The Aggies have begun the season 4-0 for the first time since 2016 but the variety of infractions being called makes it hard to pinpoint just one area of concern entering Week 6.
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Out of A&M’s 13 penalties Saturday, six were for offensive or defensive holding, resulting in 60 yards, while three were personal fouls, resulting in 44 yards.
One penalty even compounded another.
After quarterback Marcel Reed was called for intentional grounding with 14:55 in the third quarter, offensive lineman Chase Bisontis was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing the call. That added 15 yards to push A&M back to Auburn’s 44-yard line, effectively ending what could have been a promising offensive drive.
“We should never have false starts or anything after the whistle,” Elko said. “In-action penalties, there are times where those are going to come up. There are so many 50-50 situations that kids get into.”
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[Aggies updated standings in national polls following Week 5]
A&M now faces a Mississippi State team that struggles just as much as it does with penalties. In five games, the Bulldogs have committed 47 penalties for 427 yards, a 9.4 penalties per game clip.
However, during their overtime loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 5, MSU was flagged six times, an improvement from the 11 accrued against Northern Illinois in Week 4.
A&M is looking for similar growth to help avoid an upset against a double-digit underdog. Though the Aggies tallied over 400 yards of offense and 20 first downs against Auburn, they scored just 16 points and could never truly pull away due to self-inflicted mistakes.
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Elko would likely rather see fewer flags than a fatter (hypothetical) Cabo fund.
“It was a very strong point of our meetings this morning, and we won’t continue to win games if we don’t improve,” Elko said.
A&M will take on Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. at Kyle Field. The game can be watched on SEC Network.
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Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Access all of our best content with this tremendous offer.