LSU came out of Saturday night with a clear answer to a lot of the noise around the program.
The No. 10 Tigers rolled past No. 23 Texas A&M, 35-6, in Tiger Stadium, giving Lane Kiffin his first SEC victory as LSU's head coach and putting an emphatic stamp on the response after last week's loss at Ole Miss.
The numbers told the story in a hurry. LSU finished with 506 yards of offense and held Texas A&M to 197. The Tigers were moving at 7.7 yards per play, while the Aggies managed just 3.3.
Sam Leavitt put together one of his sharpest outings since arriving at LSU. He completed 17 of 23 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns, controlling the game with efficiency and big throws.
Jackson Harris was the top target all night, finishing with six catches for 163 yards and two scores. One of those touchdowns came on a 57-yard fourth-and-one strike in the third quarter. Winnie Watkins also made a major impact, hauling in five passes for 107 yards.
Still, the most striking part of the night may have been what LSU did on the other side of the ball.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed had given LSU problems in each of the previous two seasons, but Blake Baker's defense erased him from the game. Reed went 10 of 26 for 106 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, and the Aggies never found the end zone.
The victory moved LSU to 3-1.
Mike Scarborough, Preston Guy and the TigerBait crew broke down the Tigers' dominant performance, Leavitt's night, Baker's defensive game plan, Kiffin's aggressive fourth-down decisions and what the win could mean for LSU going forward.
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Lane Kiffin Sends LSU Message After Silencing A Major Concern
LSUs 35-6 win over No. 23 Texas A&M did more than keep the Tigers rolling, it answered a question that had been hanging over the program. The No. 10 Tigers controlled the game in total yards and leaned on a defense that dictated the tempo from the start, giving the kind of complete performance that has been hard to miss in a crowded SEC race.
Lane Kiffin had plenty to point to afterward, from the defensive effort to Sam Leavitts play while dealing with injury and Jackson Harris breakout as a Hawaii transfer. The next stop is a more local one, with McNeese coming to Baton Rouge, but LSU will still be carrying the bigger picture: whether this was a one-night statement or the start of something sturdier. [Read more 🡒]
LSU May Have Found Answers To Two Problems Fans Feared Most
After the disappointment of the previous week, LSU needed a response, and it got one in a 35-6 win over Texas A&M that felt as much about problem-solving as scoreboard watching. The Tigers had to navigate injuries and a few offensive concerns, but they still found enough rhythm to settle things down and remind everyone that there are answers on this roster when the situation gets messy.
Jackson Harris became the kind of big-play outlet LSU badly needed after TreyDez Greens injury, turning into a reliable downfield threat and changing the shape of the offense. On the other side, Blake Bakers defense made life miserable for Texas A&M by leaning on the safeties, with Tamarcus Cooley and Ty Benefield both showing up around the ball in big moments, leaving LSU with reason to believe two of its biggest worries may not be as dire as they first looked. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Has A New Top 10 Snub Fans Wont Like
LSUs strong start still didnt buy the Tigers any extra respect in the latest Associated Press Top 25, where they slipped from 10th to 11th despite handling Texas A&M at home. In a Week 4 poll that shuffled a few contenders around, the Tigers found themselves on the outside of the top 10 even after a decisive result that should have helped their case.
At the top, Texas stayed No. 1 after surviving a tight one against Tennessee, while other teams moved based on how the weekend played out. For LSU, the placement is the kind of early-season reminder that style points and perception can matter just as much as the win column, and it leaves the Tigers with a little more to prove as the schedule rolls on. [Read more 🡒]