COLLEGE STATION, Texas — At least in theory, Texas A&M was not built to play from behind.
Not only had the Aggies not trailed by double digits at any point in SEC play until LSU took a 17-7 lead on Saturday, but being behind by so much would seemingly force Texas A&M to go away from its elite rushing attack to its unreliable passing game.
But A&M didn’t have to play in catch-up mode for long.
Midway through the third quarter, pressure flushed LSU redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier out to his left and prompted him to throw up a jump ball to redshirt sophomore receiver Aaron Anderson. It was picked by Texas A&M and set the team up with the ball deep in LSU territory.
Nussmeier’s mistake swung the momentum violently toward Texas A&M. Texas A&M scored on the next play, and it was a rapid descent from there as the Aggies rode the wave to a 38-23 win.
“I’ve never seen anything like that, flips like that,” senior linebacker Greg Penn III said. “Obviously, I’ve seen it now.”
The great field position and quick swing in energy from Nussmeier’s interception went from making Texas A&M lean on its struggling passing attack to allowing it to get back to its bread and butter.
In fact, the Aggies banked even more on their run game at that point as they switched quarterbacks from sophomore Conner Weigman to the more mobile freshman Marcel Reed. In the quarter and a half after Nussmeier’s interception, Texas A&M passed the ball only two times to 21 runs, including nine by Reed.
In all, the Aggies put up 264 rushing yards, not counting sacks, with an average of 5.9 yards per carry. LSU missed tackles, failed to get push up front and were baffled by Texas A&M’s option attack with Reed.
“Right now, I would run the quarterback against us,” head coach Brian Kelly said.
Texas A&M’s touchdown to pull within 17-14 was followed by an LSU missed field goal – its third of the night, all seemingly due to operational miscues – an efficient seven-play A&M touchdown drive, another Nussmeier interception and another quick touchdown to make the Tigers pay.
Texas A&M then led 28-17, with 21 unanswered points in the span of nine minutes of game time.
LSU was able to put together another touchdown drive in the fourth quarter but offset that with an interception, Nussmeier’s third of the game. Nussmeier finished the game with 405 passing yards and a 50% completion percentage.
Kelly said that Nussmeier’s struggles were a result of the lack of help he got from the rest of the offense.
“I don’t think we give him enough balance within the offense, and it makes him vulnerable because he has to do so much,” Kelly said. “He feels like he has to.”
“I’ll beat myself up for that for a while,” Nussmeier said of his performance.
Any comeback attempt was ultimately thwarted as the defense had lost its footing. Texas A&M continued to pile up the yards on the ground and the points on the scoreboard.
Nussmeier had put together an excellent game up until his interception, taking what the defense gave him. However, in the second half, Nussmeier’s accuracy, especially outside the numbers, waned dramatically.
It was yet another game where LSU struggled to run the ball, which further exacerbated Nussmeier’s struggles. The Tigers had only 40 rushing yards for an average of 1.9 yards.
LSU got out to a hot start in the first half in part due to Nussmeier’s big play ability, with five passes of more than 20 yards in the first half.
Impact plays were also made by the defense. A first quarter fumble that turned into LSU’s first touchdown made a significant difference.
LSU’s defense also kept consistent pressure on Weigman, forcing him to scramble around in the pocket and make decisions under duress. The Tigers had two sacks in the first half.
Even so, LSU failed to expand its early lead even further, as the Tigers settled for field goals on three first half drives, two of which were missed by junior kicker Damian Ramos.
The matchup was between the SEC’s only teams left undefeated in conference play, so the implications were huge toward both the race for the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff. With the loss, LSU’s odds for both have decreased significantly.
