Coming off their second loss of the season, the Tigers haven’t exactly made things easy for themselves in 2024, but the season certainly isn’t over yet. Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the promising from Saturday’s LSU football vs. Texas A&M matchup.
LSU football vs. Texas A&M: The good, the bad and the promising
The good
Let’s be brutally honest for just one second. Coach Brian Kelly and his LSU football squad put on a really bad performance in their trip to College Station, TX, falling by a score of 38-23 against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Even so, while they weren’t necessarily easy to find, there were still some encouraging moments from the group as a whole.
For starters, the Tigers have some seriously talented young pieces that continue to show growth, and this week was no different. Whether it was sophomore wide receiver Aaron Anderson amassing 126 yards and a touchdown on just three receptions, or sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks recording at least seven tackles for the sixth game in a row, the future still looks very bright for this group.
Furthermore, while the purple and gold rushing defense left plenty to be desired, Texas A&M quarterbacks Conner Weigman and Marcel Reed combined for just 134 total yards through the air. Add in the fact that this is a largely underclassman led secondary for LSU, and progress was certainly apparent. If anything, the 2024 Tiger offense just put their defense in some really difficult spots.
The bad
Speaking of the offense, they have work to do over the course of these next two weeks.
While it’s awesome that quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was able to throw for over 400 yards, his three interceptions made things challenging for his defense, and it ultimately led to 17 extra points for the Aggies.
Nussmeier wasn’t the only one struggling for the purple and gold, though. Averaging just 1.8 yards per carry, the group couldn’t get anything to go in the ground game, and the LSU ball carriers managed just 35 total yards rushing on the day.
Finally, and possibly most concerning was the performance from the Tiger special teams unit. All season long, this has been a group that has proven to be one of the most reliable in all of college football. Led by veteran kicker Damian Ramos, who entered the day 12-for-14 on field goals, it was almost assumed that the Tigers would be leaving with some points whenever they rolled out that kicking group.
Well, whether it was the Texas A&M homefield advantage or just an off-day for the 2024 unit as far as execution goes, it might be time to make some adjustments, as Ramos connected on just one of his three attempts Saturday.
The promising
It was a bad day from start to finish, and for many fans, it felt like the season was over.
Luckily, that couldn’t be much further from the truth. There’s still a lot of football left to be played, and with No. 14 Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma all remaining on their schedule, there’s no shortage of opportunity to upgrade their resume by the time this season comes to a close.
Even better, sitting at No. 16 nationally, according to the latest AP Poll, they’re just a few spots out from College Football Playoff contention. As cliche as it may be, if the Tigers win out, they’re more than likely in the 12-team bracket.
Additionally, there’s something to be said about an overall sense of urgency in the sport of college football. While LSU football vs. Texas A&M didn’t exactly go in the Tigers’ favor, what it did do is leave no room for error.
In turn, if coach Brian Kelly and his squad want any chance at making a run to a championship in 2024, they must play picture-perfect football. In a weird kind of way, Saturday’s loss may have been the exact wake up call that they needed.
Ultimately, no one outside of the building truly knows what the mindset of this purple and gold football team is following their second loss of the season. Still, if they have their heads on straight, the 12-team playoff has, at the very least, left the door open for a backdoor trip to competing for a national championship.
LSU football will next take the field in two weeks on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. CT, as they get set to host No. 14 Alabama. The game will take place in Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA, and will be available to watch live on ABC and ESPN+.
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