Texas A&M is back in Tiger Stadium, and this one carries a different kind of weight for LSU. Less than a year after the Aggies’ 49-25 win helped close the book on the Brian Kelly era, they’ll face a Tigers team now led by Lane Kiffin. Saturday night gives Kiffin his first crack at Texas A&M as LSU’s head coach, and both sides arrive trying to shake off conference-opening losses.
LSU is coming off a 32-24 defeat at Ole Miss, a game in which the Tigers were down 24-7 before clawing back to tie it in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M, meanwhile, is trying to rebound from a 31-21 home loss to Kentucky. That backdrop makes the matchup feel even sharper, but the real deciding factors may come down to three specific battles.
The first starts with LSU’s offense and Sam Leavitt. Ole Miss got him rattled early, and the Tigers never really found their rhythm after that.
Leavitt finished with 158 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, while LSU managed just 330 total yards. Kiffin said the issue was too many one-on-one losses in pass protection, and the early pressure clearly made it harder for Leavitt to settle in.
Still, there were moments where Leavitt could have done more to help himself. He had chances to maneuver in the pocket, buy time and get the ball out before pressure hit.
Texas A&M will try to recreate that same discomfort and force faster decisions. LSU needs cleaner protection, but Leavitt also has to stay composed once the pocket starts to break down.
His legs already showed how dangerous he can be when the offense is stressed. Against Ole Miss, Leavitt ran for 63 yards and a touchdown as LSU erased a 17-point deficit.
The next step is making that athleticism work inside the pocket, not just outside of it. If he can absorb the rush, keep his eyes downfield and stay within the Kiffin/Weiss offensive system, he becomes a lot harder to predict.
That leads straight into LSU’s defense, because the Tigers just saw what a mobile quarterback can do to them. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns before finishing the job with his legs, scoring on a 14-yard keeper late in the fourth quarter to put the Rebels ahead. Kiffin called defending Reed "a big test" Monday and singled out the designed quarterback runs Texas A&M can use.
"We haven't had a lot of designed quarterback runs against us," Kiffin said. "So, you've got to have a lot of discipline."
That discipline disappeared at the worst possible time against Ole Miss. After Chambliss’ late touchdown run, LSU jumped offsides twice, then eventually gave up a two-point conversion that sealed the game for Pete Golding’s team.
Against Texas A&M, the Tigers can’t let their rush get so eager that it opens lanes behind it. The edge players have to stay home, and the linebackers have to account for Reed whenever the Aggies build him into the run game.
Elko already knows what Reed can do against LSU, and now Kiffin’s staff has to find a way to keep him from taking over with his feet.
There’s also a lot of turnover to track on both sides. LSU lost Dashawn Spears to a season-ending ACL injury against Ole Miss, and Trey'Dez Green also exited with a knee injury. Phillip Wright III is expected to undergo season-ending surgery as well, leaving LSU with more questions in the secondary just as Reed and Texas A&M come to Baton Rouge.
The Aggies have injury issues of their own. Elko said Monday that wide receiver and return specialist Terry Bussey will miss the rest of the season after a lower-body injury on the opening kickoff against Kentucky.
Bussey had seven catches for 92 yards through A&M’s first two games and was also a factor in the return game. Ashton Bethel-Roman has also been dealing with an injury.
That means LSU has to replace production in the back end while also dealing with a Texas A&M offense that still has plenty of ways to attack. The Tigers just watched Chambliss complete 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards, with Traylon Ray going for 115 yards and a touchdown. If Reed finds that same kind of space, LSU could be in real trouble.
Both teams enter Saturday with something to prove. For LSU, though, this is about more than just bouncing back from a loss.
Texas A&M was the opponent when the Brian Kelly era fell apart, and Kiffin was hired to steer the program in a new direction. His first chance to show how different that direction looks against the Aggies comes Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
In Other News...
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LSU Loss Puts Sam Leavitt Under A Spotlight He Cant Escape
After LSUs loss to Ole Miss, the focus quickly shifted to Sam Leavitt, and not in a way any quarterback welcomes. Lane Kiffin stepped in to defend him, pointing first to the pressure Ole Miss brought and the way Leavitt had to operate with the rush closing in. Kiffin also made clear that Leavitts legs were a real part of the answer, even if the passing game never found the level LSU needed.
Leavitts performance now sits at the center of a larger conversation about what LSU can and cannot ask of its offense in tough matchups. Kiffins defense of the quarterback offered some context, but it also underscored the bigger issue: the Tigers still need cleaner execution through the air if they want to turn pressure-packed games into wins. [Read more 🡒]