Ed Orgeron’s tenure concluded, coaching search rumors continued to swirl and LSU upset Texas A&M 27-24 on a wet, chilly Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
Cade York opened the scoring with a 50-yard field goal in the first quarter. Then, LSU receiver Jaray Jenkins beat man coverage on a wheel route, and Max Johnson dropped a beautifully thrown ball right into his arms for a 45-yard touchdown. LSU jumped out to an early 10-0 lead on the 15th-ranked Aggies.
LSU’s defense also started the game strong. They forced the Texas A&M offense to punt on four of their five first-half drives. To cap off their lone first-half scoring drive, Aggie quarterback Zach Calzada backpedaled away from an unblocked rush from Damone Clark and lofted a pass into a gap in LSU’s defense for the touchdown.
LSU’s front seven was stout in the first half. They held A&M to only 18 sack-adjusted rushing yards and came away with two sacks and four tackles for loss, only allowing 118 total yards.
LSU’s offense had a much more productive first half. It totaled 243 yards, and Trey Palmer took a screen pass 61 yards for the score that put the Tigers up 17-7 just before halftime.
The Tigers punted on their first two drives of the second half, but a thundering 29-yard run by Tyrion Davis-Price and a successful 13-yard run-pass-option to Jaray Jenkins put the Tigers in field goal territory, where York capitalized with a 47-yard kick. In the third, LSU and A&M traded field goals, and LSU kept its 10-point lead heading into the fourth.
But the Aggies responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive. They finally found some success on the ground, rushing five times at nearly 10 yards per carry. Calzada connected with Jalen Preston for a 15-yard score, and the LSU lead was cut to three.
After both teams exchanged punts, Calzada evaded what seemed like a sure sack and hit a receiver on the run. He ran 32 yards for a touchdown, and Texas A&M got their first lead of the game.
The Tigers took the clock down to the four-minute mark when they were forced to punt the ball. The Aggies prepared to run the clock down from their 8-yard line, but to no avail.
With one final timeout remaining, LSU began their two-minute drill. Johnson ran for five yards on first down and was sacked on second. Then on fourth down, Johnson found Jack Bech for the first time of the night, connecting for 11 yards and a first down.
Johnson continued his march, finding Jenkins for a nine-yard gain. Now with 47 seconds on the clock, Johnson hit a wide open Malik Nabers for a first down continuing their final push.
Seconds later, Johnson led Jenkins on a deep ball for a 28-yard touchdown, giving the Tigers the lead with 20 seconds remaining.
With the momentum and crowd behind them, LSU, for the final time in Death Valley under Ed Orgeron came away with a win.
