LSU’s Week 4 home matchup with Texas A&M brings more than an SEC test to Tiger Stadium. It also puts Lane Kiffin and Mike Elko on the same field for the first time, with two coaches whose résumés look strikingly alike in all the ways that matter.
Both enter Saturday with programs that reached new heights last season. Texas A&M made school history by reaching the College Football Playoffs for the first time after an 11-1 regular season, rolling unbeaten until a season-ending loss to Texas. The Aggies then fell at home to the Miami Hurricanes in the playoff, and Miami eventually advanced to the national championship game before losing by six points.
Kiffin’s Ole Miss run followed a similar path. The Rebels also finished 11-1 in the regular season and made their first CFP appearance in 2025, then saw their postseason end in the semifinals against Miami.
The difference, of course, is that Kiffin wasn’t still in Oxford when the dust settled. He had the chance to keep building on that success, but instead accepted the LSU job.
Now he’s in Baton Rouge trying to keep the momentum going, and this game gives him an early SEC measuring stick against Elko’s team at home.
The two coaches have built strong reputations as playcallers and program builders, but the trophy cases still leave room for more. Elko’s honors include the 2022 ACC Coach of the Year award at Duke and the 2022 Military Bowl Trophy. Kiffin’s collection includes bowl trophies from Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss, plus two Conference USA Championship trophies from FAU.
What neither coach has yet is the one prize that still defines the climb: a national championship trophy.
Saturday is also the first time they’ll be matched up directly on opposite sidelines, and both teams are trying to bounce back after Week 3 losses and even their SEC records for the season. It’s not just LSU against Texas A&M. It’s Kiffin against Elko, with both men still chasing the kind of hardware that fills out a trophy case for good.
In Other News...
LSU Suddenly Has A Whit Weeks Problem It Couldn't Afford
Whit Weeks afternoon against Texas A&M took an uneasy turn midway through the third quarter, when the LSU linebacker left with an apparent right ankle injury and later was seen in a walking boot and on crutches. It was a rough sight for a defense that leans heavily on his presence, especially in a game where every answer matters and every lost body changes the plan in a hurry.
Weeks has dealt with ankle injuries in previous seasons, so the scene naturally raised more concern than the average in-game exit. The Tigers do not yet know how severe this latest issue is, leaving LSU to wait and see whether one of its most important defenders will be available going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Just Gave LSU Fans Another Reason To Be Frustrated
Trinidad Chambliss gave LSU plenty to think about in Ole Miss 32-24 win, and Lane Kiffin had no trouble explaining why. The former LSU target carved up the Tigers through the air and added a late rushing score, looking every bit like the kind of dual-threat quarterback that can tilt a game when the pressure rises. For LSU fans still sorting through a frustrating result, hearing Kiffin praise the very player he once recruited to Oxford only adds another layer to the storyline.
Chambliss, a sixth-year senior, has already become one of those quarterbacks who seems to keep finding his way back into the biggest moments. He helped Ole Miss reach the playoffs before getting another year of eligibility through legal proceedings, and his latest outing only reinforced how difficult he can be to handle. For LSU, the loss stings on its own, but the broader reminder is hard to ignore: the Rebels had a quarterback in control, and Kiffin sounded like a coach who knew it all along. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Just Got A Notable Vote Of Confidence At LSU
With LSU coming off a rough SEC opener and Texas A&M dealing with its own early setback, the upcoming matchup already had the feel of a measuring stick game. It got a little more interesting when SEC Network host Peter Burns publicly leaned toward the Aggies, pointing to Marcell Reeds past success against LSU and the Tigers offensive concerns as the reasons for his pick.
For LSU fans, the prediction lands as one more reminder that this is not just another conference game, especially with both teams trying to steady themselves after losses that shaped the first stretch of league play. Burns vote of confidence in Texas A&M adds an extra layer of intrigue, and it also puts a sharper spotlight on whether LSU can answer the questions that have followed its offense into this one. [Read more 🡒]