LSU is heading into another SEC meeting with Texas A&M in Death Valley, and the Tigers are chasing the kind of result they have not found against the Aggies since 2023.
That drought has stretched through three straight losses, and last year’s game in Baton Rouge is still fresh enough to explain why this matchup feels so tricky. Texas A&M came into Death Valley and piled up nearly 50 points, with quarterback Marcel Reed doing major damage on the ground. His legs were a big part of the problem, as he rushed for 108 yards in that game.
Reed has already shown he can be a handful for LSU’s defense. Against the Tigers, he has rushed for 62 yards and three touchdowns, and that mobility becomes even more dangerous when paired with wide receiver Mario Craver and the Aggies’ speed in space. LSU knows exactly what kind of challenge is coming.
“Very explosive, fast, you know you watch them. You know they missed a few of them last week, you know they’re really hard to deal with out of breaks, and they do a great job kind of taking off from where they got people open a year ago and were a problem for people as you guys saw, so we’re going to have our hands full,” Head Coach Lane Kiffin said on Monday.
The Tigers also have to deal with the fact that both teams are walking in off losses. LSU dropped to No. 10 after falling to Ole Miss, while Texas A&M slid to No. 23 after a 31-21 loss to Kentucky.
Even in defeat, the Aggies still moved the ball. They finished with 423 total offensive yards against Kentucky, and that is the kind of production LSU cannot afford to ignore. Kentucky also held Texas A&M scoreless in the third quarter, showing that the Aggies are not untouchable, but they are still capable of creating problems.
For LSU, the focus is clear: stop the run, contain Reed, and avoid letting Texas A&M turn this into another night where its quarterback’s legs change the game.
In Other News...
LSU's Offense Just Raised A Bigger Sam Leavitt Concern
LSUs offense took a needed step forward on the ground against Ole Miss, piling up 172 rushing yards and getting a strong day from Dilin Jones, who ran for 106 of them. Even with that improvement, the passing game still left plenty to sort through, and the overall balance of the offense did not fully erase the concerns that have hovered around Sam Leavitt since the start of the stretch.
Leavitt finished 16 of 27 for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while adding 63 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Lane Kiffin pointed to missed chances through the air, said some of the issues were tied to Leavitt missing practice, and stressed that the offense has to protect better and execute cleaner moving forward, which makes the next step for the passing game an important one for LSU. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Turns LSU Loss Into Bigger SEC Scheduling Frustration
Lane Kiffin spent part of his first SEC teleconference back in the LSU spotlight talking less about the loss itself and more about the setting around it. After Ole Miss beat LSU in Oxford in Week 3, Kiffin pointed to the fact that the game was played there for the second straight year, framing it as more than just an inconvenience for the Tigers and more like a scheduling issue with real competitive weight.
For LSU, the complaint lands in a familiar place because Oxford has long been one of the leagues tougher road environments, and Kiffin noted the home-field edge and crowd noise as factors that hurt his team. The bigger frustration now is not just what happened in the game, but how the setup kept LSU in the same uncomfortable spot twice in a row, leaving the scheduling conversation hanging over an otherwise straightforward result. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Gets A Telling Warning From Mike Elko Before SEC Showdown
With LSU heading into another SEC test, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko offered a useful scouting lens on what his defense expects to see when the Tigers line up across from them. Elko pointed to LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt as a competitive, physical presence, the kind of player who can shape a game by staying tough through contact and keeping plays alive.
Elko also touched on how little direct exposure he has had to Lane Kiffins offense, even while making clear he respects what Kiffin has built over the years. For LSU, that combination matters because it frames this matchup as more than a simple talent check. It is also a chess match against a coach who likes what he sees from the Tigers quarterback and knows enough about Kiffin to understand how much discipline this game could demand. [Read more 🡒]