A year ago, LSU beat Texas A&M 50-7 to cap off an undefeated season. This year’s game was nothing short of the exact opposite, much like the difference between 2019 and 2020 itself. 
The Tigers came into College Station, Texas, hoping to ride the momentum from their 27-24 win over Arkansas last week. That momentum quickly disappeared, as did any chance of LSU upsetting No. 5 Texas A&M. The end result being a 20-7 loss to the Aggies that dropped LSU to 3-4 overall. 
The LSU defense was the bright spot in the game, a stark contrast from the rest of the season for the Tigers. The defense only allowed 13 points and held the Aggies to 267 total yards, both those numbers are well below what LSU had been giving up to opponents in games this season. Texas A&M was also held to 2-16 on third down conversions. The defense also had one sack and seven tackles for loss. The same praise cannot be given to the other side of the ball, though.  
The LSU offense, or lack thereof, was what ultimately sealed the fate of the Tigers. They were held to seven points, the one touchdown coming with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Both freshman quarterbacks saw action with Myles Brennan still sidelined with an injury. TJ Finley finished 9-25 passing with 118 yards and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six for the Aggie defense. Max Johnson was somewhat better, finishing 14-22 passing with 113 yards and one touchdown pass. The rushing attack was as underwhelming as the game itself, with LSU rushing 25 times for only 36 yards. The lackluster performance left fans and coaches alike, including LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, disappointed. 
“Very disappointed in the offense,” Orgeron said. “We didn’t have any rhythm.”
In an already disappointing season, this was a bad loss for the Tigers. Arguably with its best chance to beat a ranked team, LSU looked as if it was just going through the motions on a rainy Saturday night in Texas. The schedule only gets tougher for the Tigers from here, and the hopes for a .500 season continue to dwindle with every poor showing. At the end of the day, LSU did not execute and lost yet another game to a team it drummed last year. 
“I think we gotta call better plays. I think we’ve gotta have a better plan,” Orgeron said. “I was really disappointed in our plan, disappointed in our execution.”
LSU will look to bounce back, or at least try to score in double figures next Saturday, Dec. 5, as the Alabama Crimson Tide come to Baton Rouge. 
AP Photo/Sam Craft