It all started with one play.
LSU led 17-7 with 8:34 left in the third quarter when quarterback Garrett Nussmeier rolled to his left on 3rd-and-2 and flicked a pass to wide receiver Aaron Anderson.
Draped all over him was defensive back BJ Mayes, who put his arms up and snatched the football out of the air for the interception.
In the following play, A&M quarterback Marcel Reed took the read option to the outside and slipped into the end zone. That one play by LSU last year shifted the momentum between the two teams for the future, starting with that 38-23 loss.
The Tigers are back in the bayou this Saturday for a game that will decide the trajectory of their season against No. 3 Texas A&M.
On primetime, No. 20 LSU will be center stage with an opportunity to redeem itself after losing to Vanderbilt 31-24.
However, as with every game, it’s not going to be easy.
Last year when the Tigers and Aggies faced off in College Station, LSU literally gave the game away.
The Tigers turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions from Nussmeier and a fumbled snap on a field goal attempt on fourth down.
The defense didn’t help the cause either. Once Reed, who was the backup, entered the game, the Tigers didn’t have an answer for a running quarterback.
“I don’t know that we executed at the level that we needed to,” head coach Brian Kelly said following the loss. “Should we’ve spent more time on it? Sure looks that way, but I don’t believe that there was a sense that we weren’t capable of doing it.”
Texas A&M leaned on the run, incorporating Reed, which resulted in him carrying the ball nine times for 60 yards and three touchdowns. Between the starter Conner Weigman and the backup Reed, they only combined for 134 passing yards.
The run game was a different story, rushing for 242 yards as a team, averaging almost five yards a carry.
Since last year, the Aggies are 9-4 while the Tigers are 8-5. Although the record may seem close, they couldn’t be more opposite. Texas A&M hasn’t lost this season compared to LSU, which lost to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
This time, Kelly and the coaching staff will have time to prepare even more for Reed with the season on the line.
The Aggies have proven themselves to be one of the top teams in the country, and it’s Reed who’s leading the way.
He’s thrown for over 1,700 yards and has 15 passing touchdowns to only four interceptions, while rushing for 241 yards with four rushing touchdowns.
The running game is still a staple under head coach Mike Elko, as his team ranks No. 5 in the SEC for rushing yards per game at an average of 196 yards.
Running backs Rueben Owens II and Le’veon Moss are both inching toward eclipsing over 400 yards on the season, creating a two-headed monster in the backfield.
However, as great as A&M’s running game is, the passing game has its own set playmakers, too. Sophomore wide receiver Mario Craver ranks No. 5 in the country in receiving yards with 674 yards on the season.
North Carolina State wide receiver transfer K.C. Concepcion has shown why he was one of the top targets in the transfer portal this past offseason, recording 500 yards for six touchdowns.
These two players have helped transform the Aggies’ passing game. This year, they rank No. 5 in the SEC in passing yards compared to last year, when they ranked No. 13.
The Tigers didn’t have to worry much about the passing game last season, but with players such as Concepcion and Craver, they’ll have their hands full on the ground and through the air.
“Offensively, Marcel Reed is doing an incredible job at the quarterback position, taking that over,” Kelly said during Monday’s press conference. “They’ve got outstanding backs in Owens and Moss, and very deep and talented with Craver and Concepcion. Outstanding receivers that can do a lot of things with the ball as well.”
Texas A&M’s defense is also a talented group of notable playmakers at every level. On the defensive line, it’s Cashius Howell who ranks as the No. 6 player in the country with eight sacks on the season.
Linebacker Taurean York has been deemed one of the best linebackers in the country. He picked off Nussmeier last year.
Defensive back Will Lee II has also established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the country. He’s even been given the nickname “The Blanket” for his excellent coverage on wide receivers.
Despite having numerous playmakers and an undefeated record, the Aggies have shown a slight weakness in their defense. Against Arkansas last week, Texas A&M gave up 42 points and 527 total yards.
Notre Dame also scored 40 on the Aggies, totaling up 429 yards along the way. Both teams had a balanced offensive game plan and were just a few plays away from giving Texas A&M a loss.
The offense for LSU has been a headache due to the injuries, play-calling and an unbalanced game plan. If LSU wants to pull off the upset, it’ll need to find a way to have success on the ground and through the air.
In 2024, the Tigers’ offense was one-dimensional against Texas A&M. Nussmeier threw the ball 50 times for 405 yards, while the run game could only muster 24 yards on 23 carries.
LSU got out to a 10-point lead because the defense played great in the first half, and the offense capitalized on big plays such as the 76-yard pass to Aaron Anderson.
But once the Aggies realized LSU couldn’t run the ball, they had answers and forced turnovers.
Last week, LSU played one of its better games on offense, with 24 points scored, but couldn’t make the most of its opportunities, and left points on the board for multiple drives.
It’s not just the offense; the defense showed signs of inconsistency against the Commodores after giving up the most points all season.
Kelly knows it’s going to take a full team effort, but he’s confident in his team to keep trending in the right direction.
“We want positive outcomes just like our fan base wants, but our last nine quarters of offense have been trending to where we need to be,” Kelly said. “Defensively, we need to continue to play like we had played in the first half, and if we do that, we get both sides of the ball playing complementary football.”
