LSU didn’t just beat Texas A&M on Saturday night in Baton Rouge. It finally put a stop to a matchup that had leaned the Aggies’ way and did it in emphatic fashion, rolling to a 35-6 win for its first SEC victory of 2026.
For a team that had already dealt with slow starts against Clemson and Ole Miss, the opening stretch looked familiar. LSU went three-and-out on its first possession, and the offense had to wait a beat before finding any rhythm. But the defense held firm early, even after Marcel Reed opened with a successful run for Texas A&M.
The first real swing came when LSU took over deep in Aggies territory. From there, the Tigers put together an 8-play touchdown march, and Dilin Jones supplied the spark with a 36-yard run that mixed power and quickness. Jones finished the job himself, punching in a 1-yard score on second-and-goal to put LSU in front.
Texas A&M responded by trying to keep Reed moving and uncomfortable, mixing passes, runs and designed quarterback carries from offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins. That approach helped the Aggies reach a goal-to-go situation early in the second quarter, but LSU tightened up at the goal line and forced a field goal instead.
The Tigers then found the kind of explosive burst their offense had been missing. After a punt exchange, Sam Leavitt hit Winston Watkins Jr. on a third-down throw to jump-start a drive that covered 71 yards in just two plays. Out of the two-minute timeout, Leavitt delivered a well-placed touchdown pass to Jackson Harris, sending LSU to halftime up 14-3.
The second half belonged to LSU’s defense. Tamarcus Cooley got things going by flying off the edge for a sack that helped force a three-and-out, and Reed never found the escape routes that had hurt LSU in the previous two meetings. Reed finished with minus-13 yards on the ground and took four sacks, constantly under pressure.
“He’s a really good quarterback, a really good athlete,” safety Ty Benefield said. “It just shows how when you do your job and the little things, you can see how small things just equal big things … if you can make somebody just go back there and see ghosts, in coverage it makes it a lot easier. I’m just super proud of that [defensive line].”
The result also quieted the chatter around LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker and the challenge of stopping a mobile quarterback.
“I thought Blake did a really good job,” LSU head coach Lane Kiffin said. “That’s what good coaches do, spend an off-season to gameplan for a specific game like this, which helps you down the road because you’re going to play more of them.”
LSU’s boldness showed up again on the next possession. Facing fourth-and-short in its own territory, the Tigers lined up like they were running it, got Texas A&M to bite, and then slipped Harris free for another touchdown pass.
“My heart got caught beating a little bit when they called it, because I knew it was going to work and we’d been repping it all week,” Harris said. “I was just excited that they called it.”
That score seemed to open the floodgates. On LSU’s next series, redshirt sophomore Landen Clark entered at quarterback near the goal line and capped a 5-play, 34-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run after shaking off two defenders. That made it 28-3 and put the game out of reach.
LSU kept control even after linebacker Whit Weeks left on crutches and in a walking boot on his right foot in the third quarter. Kiffin said, “I don’t have any update on [Weeks], but it obviously didn’t look good,”
Texas A&M did get a brief response when a tipped Leavitt pass turned into an interception, but LSU’s defense barely flinched. The Aggies managed only 4 yards before settling for a 53-yard field goal from David Olano.
LSU answered right back. Leavitt connected with Harris for a 40-yard gain to move into the red zone, and Clark finished the drive with a 2-yard rush.
From there, the defense closed the door for good, picking off two passes down the stretch to wipe out any chance of a comeback. LSU used the turnovers to bleed the clock and finish off the kind of win that had been building for a while.
“It was good payback,” Kiffin said. “Happy for our fans.”
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 🡒]