Welcome everyone to the latest game preview for the LSU Tigers! This week, we break down LSU’s matchup on Saturday against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Last Week: The LSU Tigers survived the elements last Saturday in Knoxville with a 30-10 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. After a rough start in the first half, the Aggies bounced back with a pick six from Derrick Tucker to come away with a 31-24 victory over Ole Miss.
Last Meeting: The last time these two faced off, LSU came away victorious in College Station on Thanksgiving night in a 54-39 shootout. LSU not only holds the overall series lead 32-20-3; they have won the last six matchups since Texas A&M joined the SEC.
Storylines to Watch:
Sumlin’s Last Stand: The last couple of matchups between LSU and Texas A&M have been the epicenter for coaching rumors. Two years ago, the writing was on the wall that Les Miles would be fired after the season finale, but the decision changed at some point during the ballgame. Last year, rumors of Tom Herman being the new coach of the Tigers scrolled across the Mothership’s ticker on Thanksgiving night. However, it turned out to be nothing more than a power play from Herman’s agent to get more money out of the University of Texas.
This year, Kevin Sumlin is set to be fired after the LSU game as first reported by the Houston Chronicle. Looking back at the 2015 game, the Tigers played with a lot of pride for Les Miles and it wound up working in his favor at the time. Could we see the same this Saturday? History says no, but LSU needs to keep Texas A&M’s offense in check.
Offense Needs to Wake Up: Last week’s victory over Tennessee was more because the Tigers took advantage of the mistakes that the Vols made, including a pair of muffed punts in the first quarter, giving them ideal field position to get points on the board.
When it comes to Texas A&M, those kind of mistakes won’t happen on special teams with a player like Christian Kirk returning punts. LSU’s offense could be in a dogfight based off of how the Aggies have performed over the course of the season and will need to step up in a big way if they want to make it seven in a row.
Avoid Shootout: If there’s one thing that LSU’s defense needs to do, it’s keep the scoring down. The Aggies offense is towards the middle of the SEC in scoring offense with 32 points per game, but can be a bit of a nuisance offensively if this team plays for Kevin Sumlin much like LSU did for Miles.
LSU Will Win If:
LSU can get their seventh straight over the Aggies if they can win the turnover battle. It sounds like the most obvious thing in the world to say, but the Tigers defense has been the high point of this 2017 season and they’ll need players like Greedy Williams to make DBU look as great as they did against Ole Miss.
Texas A&M Will Win If:
The Aggies can get the win and possibly save Sumlin’s job if the offense can put up 40 points. With how LSU’s offense works, it’ll be pretty difficult for this team to put up more than 40 points, even against Texas A&M’s defense.
-Clint Domingue