Mike Elko after Kentucky loss: 'No positives' as No. 9 Texas A&M fades after halftime

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M coach Mike Elko was blunt in his assessment of the Aggies after their 31-21 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.

“There’s no positives,” the third-year coach said. “Not an ounce of a positive anywhere. There’s a product that’s not good enough. That starts with me.”

The ninth-ranked Aggies gave up 21 straight points after halftime to turn a tie game into a 28-7 deficit that proved too big to overcome as they dropped their Southeastern Conference opener.

The announced crowd at Kyle Field was 105,186. But as the last few minutes of the fourth quarter ticked away, large swaths of the upper deck were empty as many fans left early rather than watch the Wildcats celebrate on their field.

The game pitted Texas A&M’s offense against Kentucky defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who spent the last two years in the same position with the Aggies. He seemed to have Texas A&M’s number, keeping the Aggies off-balance all day and limiting Marcel Reed to 26 of 49 passing for 236 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Reed didn’t think Bateman’s familiarity with the Aggies' offense helped the Wildcats on Saturday.

“I just don’t think we executed the way we needed to,” Reed said. “That’s a defense that I’ve seen a lot. So, we should have been able to execute pretty well. So, yeah, we have just got to do better.”

The Aggies had punted on their previous two possessions when they went for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 33 when they were down 14 in the third quarter. But Reed’s pass fell incomplete to give the Wildcats great field position.

The Wildcats took advantage of the short field when CJ Baxter scored his second touchdown on a 2-yard run near the end of a third quarter in which they outgained A&M 196 yards to 20.

Elko said he thinks Reed is struggling because he’s pressing.

“There’s a lot of noise. He feels like he’s got to defend himself a lot,” Elko said. “That’s not an excuse, but that’s a reality. I think you can see him pressing. You can see the stress in him when he’s trying to throw, because he’s trying to be perfect.”

Elko has been working with his QB to try and get him to play more relaxed and said he’ll continue to try and help him do that.

“I’ve got to get him mentally to a place where he can really cut it loose and feel free and play,” he said. “I think that, more than anything, right now is the issue with him. It’s like a pitcher sometimes who struggles to throw strikes. It’s just growing on him. And he’s got to be able to relax and play the way he’s capable of.”

Reed, who is in his third year as A&M’s starter, agreed that his issues are more mental than physical.

“So, I’ve got to fix that immediately, and just build my confidence back up,” he said. “It’s not like I lost it or anything, but this one definitely hurt. It’s not fun losing, and that’s a conference game. But I can make those throws and I will make those throws down the stretch.”

Reed and the Aggies will must try to fix their problems quickly with a trip to Death Valley to face No. 7 LSU coming next Saturday night.

“We’ve got to get right back to work starting tomorrow and prepare our minds for going to Baton Rouge,” Reed said.

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Kentucky wide receiver DJ Miller (7) catches a pass for a first down as Texas A&M cornerback Julio Humphrey (6) defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Texas A&M wide receiver Kelshaun Johnson (11) is tackled by Kentucky defensive back Jordan Castell (5) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) throws a pass against Kentucky during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) is pressured by Kentucky defensive lineman Tavion Gadson (94) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert Saturday with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour as supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

Sheeran said he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics. He said the attacks in Israel of Oct. 7, 2023, were horrific and he considers what is happening in Gaza now to be “catastrophic and unjustifiable.”

“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” Sheeran said during his performance before the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Sheeran has performed much of his Loop Tour concerts solo, but he had been joined for several songs at each stop by the Irish folk band Beoga. Macklemore, Sheeran’s original U.S. opener, had been replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out.

Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year before he too dropped out earlier this week.

Before the show, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators congregated outside the stadium. Hillary Steinberg, 34, of Philadelphia, said she got tickets a year ago but wound up getting a refund and attended the demonstration instead, disappointed that Sheeran did not take a stand.

“I was, until this week, a big Ed Sheeran fan,” Steinberg said. “I think all art is political, and all music is political, and so this choice — even though he was saying that he wasn’t complicit — is a political choice.”

The show came after a tumultuous week that opened with Macklemore being dropped in response to exclaiming “Free Palestine” during a Sept. 5 show in New Jersey. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for the decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran’s tour was scheduled to play on Friday.

Within hours of Sheeran's statement Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew.

On Saturday, Diane Savitz, a 53-year-old concertgoer from Stroudsburg, said she is a big Sheeran fan, does not think he did anything wrong and a show is not the place for politics.

“A concert should be for people enjoying the music. Music should bring people together,” Savitz said. “Everyone has their right to freedom of speech, but not every platform is the place for it.”

Macklemore said Wednesday he is donating $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the gift; a spokesperson for Kraft has said the billionaire and Sheeran have each agreed to donate $2 million but have not specified where the money will be directed. Sheeran's representatives have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Sheeran’s Loop Tour was the highest-grossing in the world, with an average box office gross of over $7 million per city, Pollstar said in May. Through the end of 2025, Sheeran was the No. 3 top-earning concert act since 2021.

Sheeran has said the tour promoter was ultimately responsible for the decision to drop Macklemore.

The Grammy winner was adamant in his Tuesday statement that he wouldn't be drawn into discussion of the war in Gaza, arguing that his fans don’t come to his shows to hear about these issues.

He also said he “spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge” before Macklemore was dropped. He insisted he would never willingly let down his fans or abandon the touring crew and others who rely on him to make a living.

While promoters and venues wield great power over concert tours, experts say an artist of Sheeran's magnitude generally has the final say about what happens concerning the shows.

Sheeran told the crowd in Philadelphia that everyone is welcome at his concerts, and they can have opposing points of view while still singing his songs, which are about “love, hope, and unity.”

Associated Press journalist Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed.

Concert goers arrive to Lincoln Financial Field before an Ed Sheeran concert in Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Allie Ippolito)

Concert goers arrive to Lincoln Financial Field before an Ed Sheeran concert in Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Allie Ippolito)

Pro Palestinian protesters, right, march past counter protesters during a protest before an Ed Sheeran concert in Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Allie Ippolito)

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold signs during a "Free Palestine" protest before an Ed Sheeran concert in Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Allie Ippolito)

Recording artist Macklemore appears on ABC's "Good Morning America" Summer Concert Series in Central Park in New York on July 22, 2022, left, and Ed Sheeran appears at the premiere of the film "F1 The Movie" in London on June 23, 2025. (AP Photo)

FILE - Ed Sheeran attends the Time100 Gala, in New York on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)