Texas A&M’s trip to Baton Rouge brings three pressure points into sharp focus, and all of them matter as the Aggies head into a huge road test against LSU on Saturday.
The first one sits squarely on Marcel Reed. The sophomore’s offseason buzz hasn’t translated into steady production, and last week’s loss to Kentucky only sharpened the concern.
Reed went 2-of-13 on throws of 15 yards or more, and the bigger issue has been the same uneven play that has shown up before: forcing passes and getting rattled when pressure closes in. That’s a problem with LSU waiting, because the Tigers enter Week 4 with the No. 3 total defense in the SEC, giving up just 236.7 yards per game.
Their pass defense ranks No. 8 in the conference, though Ole Miss did have success through the air, piling up 363 passing yards and two touchdowns. If Texas A&M is going to have a shot in Death Valley, Reed and the offense have to challenge that secondary.
The Aggies’ defense has its own question to answer, and it starts with the pass rush. For a Mike Elko defense, Texas A&M has been unusually quiet up front, ranking last in the SEC with only 4.0 sacks against three offenses that haven’t exactly been elite.
Saturday changes the difficulty level. Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt comes in ranked No. 5 in the conference with 244.0 passing yards per game, but he also leads the league with five interceptions.
That combination makes him a dangerous quarterback to chase, because he can also get sped up and try to force throws into tight windows when pressure shows up.
And then there’s the sideline matchup. Elko and Lane Kiffin bring very different blueprints into Tiger Stadium.
Elko builds from defense, physicality and crowding the line of scrimmage to create confusion before the snap. Kiffin’s approach leans the other way, using tempo and explosive offense to keep defenses guessing.
Both coaches have plenty on the line as they try to steady their teams and keep playoff hopes alive, which should make the chess match in Baton Rouge one of the most intriguing parts of the night.
For Texas A&M, though, the challenge is immediate and unforgiving. The Aggies have to put last week’s offensive problems behind them quickly, because Death Valley does not leave much room for a reset.
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