Mike Elko has exhausted the supply of explanations available for Texas A&M’s struggles.

The Aggies enter their bye week at 4-4, fresh off a 31-20 loss to Alabama that offered another reminder of how little has changed since SEC play began.

At this point, everybody knows what the problems are. The next week ought to be spent doing something about them, because another round of promises about improvements won’t be particularly comforting to anybody in College Station.

The Passing Game Has to Exist

Start with the passing game, which has become something of a theoretical concept for the Aggies. Marcel Reed finished with just 163 passing yards against Alabama, and Texas A&M was once again searching for a dependable way to threaten an opposing defense through the air.

Better protection would help, certainly, but the responsibility extends beyond even that. Offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins has had eight games to establish a passing attack that doesn’t depend on Reed manufacturing something out of nothing — something he’s not particularly good at — and the results have been disappointing.

Against South Carolina, the Aggies need to demonstrate that they’ve developed a more coherent approach, one that produces sustained drives rather than another collection of frustrating possessions.

Somebody Needs to Explain the Decision-Making

Then there’s the matter of game management, which reached the point of absurdity against Alabama. A fourth-and-1 attempt near midfield ended with a botched snap and a turnover, even though the Aggies were supposed to be trying to draw the Crimson Tide offside. It was that moment, among several others, that swung the game in Alabama’s direction.

But the baffling decision arrived with fewer than four minutes remaining. Trailing by 11 points, Elko punted on fourth down, trusting his defense to manufacture another possession while the offense stood on the sideline.

Alabama proceeded to run out the clock. It was an awfully strange way to approach a game that Texas A&M had been winning only 15 minutes before.

There needs to be a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding these decisions before the Aggies return to the field. Otherwise, Texas A&M risks another day in which its own coaching staff makes winning more difficult than it needs to be.

Four Quarters Would Be Nice

And the beginning and ending were hardly any better. Reed threw interceptions on his first two passes, including one returned for a touchdown, before the Aggies recovered enough to enter the fourth quarter with a three-point lead.

Then came 15 yards, zero first downs and, crucially, zero points over the final period of play.

Yikes.

South Carolina will provide a pretty convincing indication of whether the bye week accomplished anything. The Aggies, as always, don’t need perfection, but they need an offense that starts games without disastrous mistakes and finishes them without surrendering.

Correct those problems, and Texas A&M has a legitimate shot at leaving Columbia with a victory on Nov. 7. Fail to address them, and whatever Elko says during the bye week will sound like another promise that nobody has much reason to believe.