Johnny Manziel didn’t sugarcoat what Texas A&M looks like right now.
After the Aggies got blasted 35-6 at LSU last week, the former Texas A&M star fired off a blunt warning on X, telling his old program, "Better do some soul searching or you're going to be the (expletive) of the SEC this year boys," Manziel wrote on X.
That kind of heat is showing up for a reason. Texas A&M is 2-2 through four games and still searching for its first SEC win, a rough opening month for a team sitting in the AP preseason top 10.
The Aggies’ 48-20 win over Arizona State looked comfortable on the scoreboard, but the game was far messier than that. The offense had trouble moving the ball for long stretches, and the defense spent three quarters getting picked apart through the air before turnovers finally helped the Aggies pull away in the fourth.
The last two weeks have made those cracks impossible to ignore. Texas A&M was flat-out uncompetitive in the third quarter of its 31-21 home loss to Kentucky and again in the third quarter at LSU, where it was outgained 379-37 across those two third periods combined.
Manziel’s warning carries extra weight because he knows exactly what Texas A&M can look like when the offense is humming. During his two years as the starter, the Aggies played at an elite level offensively. That stretch included the famous win at eventual national champion Alabama in 2012, and only one of their losses with Manziel was by more than one score.
The schedule offers Texas A&M a chance to steady itself, starting with Arkansas next. The Razorbacks have had a rough start of their own, with blowout losses to Utah and Georgia making them look like a prime “get right game” for a conference opponent.
South Carolina is another name to watch later on the Aggies’ schedule. The Gamecocks still have time to turn things around before Texas A&M visits Williams-Brice Stadium, but their third quarter against Mississippi State in SEC play and their lopsided showing at Alabama have raised real concern around a program that already has pressure building on its head coach.
Vanderbilt is also showing warning signs, even though it does not appear on Texas A&M’s schedule. Through four games, the defense has been shaky against Power Four competition, and while Jared Curtis has flashed his five-star talent, he has not been getting enough help around him.
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LSUs Poll Position After That Win Says Plenty About The Tigers
LSUs latest surge still came with a familiar caveat in the polls, even after a convincing 35-6 win over Texas A&M. The Tigers held at No. 11 in the Coaches Poll and slipped one spot to No. 11 in the AP Top 25, a ranking that says as much about the national crowdedness around them as it does about their own performance. Floridas climb to No. 8 after beating Ole Miss was one of the bigger shifts near the top, but LSUs place remained a reminder that one big win does not always bring a corresponding leap.
For LSU, the more interesting part may be how little room there is left for error if the Tigers want the respect that usually comes with a late-season push. The AP list and the coaches version both showed movement elsewhere, with teams dropping out and others collecting votes, but LSU stayed planted just outside the top tier. In a week when some programs rose sharply and others faded from view, the Tigers were left in the middle, good enough to stay in the conversation but still waiting for the kind of change in perception that only comes with another statement win. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs SEC Push Suddenly Depends On How Far These Backups Can Go
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That has pushed backups like Landen Clark, Jackson Harris, Davhon Keys and Tamarcus Cooley into more important roles than LSU likely planned this early in the season. With linebacker Whit Weeks, quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Phillip Wright III, tight end TreyDez Green, linebacker Charles Ross II and safety Dashawn Spears all on the injury list, the Tigers push through the SEC may come down to how steady those reserve pieces can be while the staff waits for help to return. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Texas A&M Grades Revealed One Breakout And One Lingering Concern
Pro Football Focus latest grading from LSUs game against Texas A&M offered a tidy snapshot of where the Tigers found traction and where they still have work to do. Jackson Harris came out as the highest-graded offensive player with a 92.0 mark, while Tamarcus Cooley paced the defense at 87.7, giving LSU a couple of bright spots to point to after a matchup that demanded consistency on both sides of the ball.
The same report also flagged the Tigers rougher edges, with Jayce Brown drawing the lowest offensive grade and Dylan Carpenter landing at the bottom on defense. For LSU, that kind of split matters because it reinforces the difference between isolated standouts and full-game reliability, leaving the staff with clear evidence of who is elevating the group and where the lingering concern still sits. [Read more 🡒]