That’s more like it for LSU.
After getting flattened the last time these teams met, the Tigers answered with a statement Saturday, rolling past No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6 and finally getting quarterback Marcel Reed under control.
The win had the feel of a reset for LSU, which came in at No. 10 and improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M fell to 2-2 and 0-2 in SEC play. LSU had dropped three of the previous four against the Aggies, but this time the Tigers looked nothing like the team that got run out in a 49-25 loss the last time the matchup came around.
This one belonged to LSU’s defense, and especially coordinator Blake Baker’s group. Reed, who had carved up the Tigers in the previous two meetings, was held to -13 rushing yards on 10 carries, including four sacks, and completed just 10 of 26 passes for 106 yards. In LSU’s two previous losses to A&M, Reed had rushed for 170 yards and five touchdowns while also throwing for 272 yards and two more scores.
LSU also took Texas A&M’s offense apart in a bigger-picture sense, limiting the Aggies to 506 yards. On the other side, quarterback Sam Leavitt was the sharper passer, going 17 of 23 for 312 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson Harris was the big-play weapon, catching six passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns, while Winnie Watkins Jr. added five catches for 107 yards.
The Tigers got enough balance on the ground, too. LSU ran for 194 yards on 38 carries, with Dilin Jones finishing with 63 yards on 14 attempts.
The game also brought a concern for LSU late, when senior linebacker Whit Weeks appeared to injure his ankle in the third quarter, hopped off the field and did not return.
“It looked really bad,” Kiffin said in a TV interview during the game.
LSU had already taken control before the injury became part of the story. The Tigers led 14-3 at halftime after Leavitt hit Harris on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:54 left in the second quarter. Then, early in the third, Harris found space in the middle of Texas A&M’s defense and turned it into a 57-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 21-3 with 10:57 left in the quarter.
From there, the game slipped away fast. Texas A&M tried to keep the pressure on by going for it on fourth-and-one from its own 34, but couldn’t convert. Five plays later, backup quarterback Landen Clark scored on a 4-yard run to make it 28-3.
The Aggies did create one brief swing when safety Marcus Ratcliffe intercepted Leavitt at the LSU 40, but Texas A&M’s offense couldn’t do much with it. David Olano settled for a 53-yard field goal, trimming the margin to 28-6. LSU answered quickly, moving the ball with a 36-yard completion to Harris that set up another Clark touchdown, this one from 2 yards out, for a 35-6 lead after three quarters.
LSU opened the scoring on its second possession, marching 82 yards in eight plays. Leavitt connected with Harris for 19 yards to the LSU 40, Jones broke off a 36-yard run to the Aggies’ 24, and Watkins added a 15-yard catch before Jones finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead with 9:37 left in the first quarter.
Texas A&M got on the board with Olano’s 24-yard field goal with 8:46 left before halftime, but that was about as much as the Aggies could manage.
LSU will host McNeese State on Saturday in Tiger Stadium at 6:45 p.m.
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 🡒]