Texas A&M turned the tide on LSU and took on a spot normally occupied by programs called Georgia or Alabama.
The 14th-ranked Aggies overcame a 17–7 halftime deficit to beat the No. 8 Tigers 38–23 in College Station, Texas. It marked the first time the Aggies (7–1) ever reached 5–0 in the SEC, the only unbeaten team left in the conference.
“This is a real program,” Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko told reporters afterward regarding his team. “It’s not a politician up here. ... For any recruits out there, if you want to play really good football, this is a good place to be.”
Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, and the Aggies have enjoyed only three seasons with a conference record above .500 despite frequent AP poll appearances. This season, the Aggies opened with a No. 20 spot in the preseason poll but dropped a non-conference loss to then-No. 7 Notre Dame in the season opener. Since, Texas A&M has run off six-straight wins going into Saturday. LSU marked the top-10 victim by the Aggies in the process.
“I think they appreciate genuine honesty. ... I am with them all the time,” Elko said about turning around after the Irish loss. “I think they appreciate the message and how real and consistent it is.”
The Tigers had a chance to quiet the black-clad Kyle Field crowd of 108,852 with a 10–0 lead, built on an Aggies fumble and an LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier touchdown pass. Texas A&M stayed close with a 7-yard touchdown by running back Le’Veon Moss to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive.
LSU pushed the lead back to 10 points when Tigers wide receiver Aaron Anderson took a Nussemeier pass to the house for a 76-yard touchdown. The Aggies offense sputtered afterward to end the half and on the first two drives of the second half amid a 17–7 deficit.
“We got too loose. That is a talented group,” Elko said of LSU. “If you give them space, they will make you miss.”
Aggies defensive back B.J. Mayes turned things around afterward when he picked off Nussmeier and returned it to the LSU 8-yard line. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed then scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 17–14.
“We need to coach better, and we need to execute better in the second half,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly told reporters. “It’s disappointing we did not.”
Reed struck again with another 8-yard touchdown run after LSU’s botched field goal attempt. Trouble continued for the Tigers afterward when Mayes picked off Nussmeier again, and Reed scored his third touchdown on a 4-yard run, 28–17.
“You saw in his performance how he has handled the last couple weeks,” Elko said of Reed. “He handles the offense the way we want him to.”
Nussemeier and the Tigers regrouped on a 9-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard touch run for the junior quarterback. Texas A&M answered with a 4-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Moss’s 3-yard touchdown run to seal the game, 35–23, in the fourth quarter.
Moss finished with 83 yards on 14 carries plus three receptions for 42 yards. Reed only passed twice for 70 yards and rushed for 62 yards on nine carries in relief of starter Conner Weigman.
“We get two QBs ready always,” Elko said. “We never pulled back on what we were doing with him.”
Nussmeier threw for 405 yards on 25–50 passing, but he had no run support as the Tigers mustered 24 yards on the ground. LSU had two 100-yard receivers for the night with Anderson’s 126 yards and Kyren Lacy’s 106 yards.
“We have to build balance within the offense,” Kelly said. “We have to be able to handle the running quarterback. The silliness of the field goal stuff, that has got to end. That is just ridiculous. We’ll clean that up in short order.”
LSU will face another top-25 challenge in order to rebound on Nov. 9 against No. 15 Alabama (6–2). Texas A&M will visit South Carolina (4–3) next on Nov. 2, and Elko called it a “big game” despite the Gamecocks not being ranked.
“That’s what I told the guys. The price of this is you have a target on your back,” Elko said.
