Texas A&M’s snap counts from the 35-6 loss to LSU paint a pretty clear picture: the Aggies were stuck defending far too long and never found much rhythm on offense.
A&M managed just 63 offensive plays in Baton Rouge, while the defense was forced into 70 snaps. That imbalance showed up everywhere. The Aggies finished with 197 total yards, and LSU rolled up 506.
Marcel Reed handled almost the entire game at quarterback, logging 59 of the 63 offensive snaps before Brady Hart came in for the final four. Up front, Texas A&M mostly stuck with its regulars even as the offense struggled to sustain drives. Mark Nabou Jr. was on the field for 62 snaps, while Wilkin Formby played 79, Tyree Adams and Lamont Rogers each logged 59, and Trovon Baugh added 56.
The skill positions were spread out more, but the leaders were easy to spot. Rueben Owens II topped the running backs with 36 snaps, with KJ Edwards next at 17.
Isaiah Horton led the receivers at 53 snaps, while Mario Craver played 34 and Ashton Bethel-Roman got back into the mix with 36. Richie Anderson III led the tight ends with 27 snaps.
On defense, the workload was heavy across the board, especially in the secondary. The snap leaders were Ricks, Mikhail, Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks, with Ricks playing the most defensive snaps of any Aggie. Mikhail followed with 54, Ratcliffe had 50 and Brooks finished with 47.
There were a couple of smaller bright spots buried in the numbers. Freshman Landon Rink played 24 snaps and posted the defense’s best PFF grade at 74.0. Daymion Sanford also saw 17 snaps, giving A&M another linebacker option after his limited availability earlier in the season.
The larger takeaway from the counts is simple: Texas A&M leaned on its core players for most of the night and still came away with a lopsided loss. Arkansas comes to Kyle Field next, and the question is whether those same regulars can turn all that playing time into better results.
In Other News...
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
After bouncing back with a win over Texas A&M in Week 4, LSU enters the heart of SEC play with a very different kind of test ahead of it. The Tigers are trying to keep momentum going after the loss to Ole Miss, but the bigger issue now is survival depth, with injuries thinning out key spots across the roster and forcing the next wave of players into the spotlight.
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 🡒]
