After escaping a 45-42 scare from the Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 9, the Texas A&M Aggies must clean up things entering Saturday night’s showdown in one of the most hostile environments in football.
The LSU Tigers are on deck for the Maroon and White, and with that comes another road contest against a Southeastern Conference foe. Entering the weekend’s matchup against Brian Kelly’s squad, the Maroon and White are 10-27 in Death Valley, with the most recent victory coming during the 1994 campaign. If Texas A&M wants to continue rewriting history in 2025, major defensive adjustments will be required against the plethora of explosive LSU weapons.
There is no doubting head coach Mike Elko’s success in just two years at the helm in Bryan-College Station, Texas, including the program’s first 7-0 start since 31 years, but the New Jersey native still has many aspirations on the docket for this year’s campaign. One of those missions is exiting Tiger Stadium on Saturday night with a massive victory over LSU and moving one step closer to a position in the SEC Championship.
Here are the five things to watch as Texas A&M prepares for its conference matchup against LSU in Week 9:
After allowing 42 points in Week 8, how will Texas A&M’s defense improve?
Texas A&M’s defensive outing against the Razorbacks was not pretty by any means. Faced with a challenging road environment and LSU’s offense full of weapons like wideouts Zavion Thomas and Barion Brown, the defense must be sharp. While the Tigers’ unit has struggled at times throughout the season, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has led the passing attack to an average of 253.7 yards per game.
Can the Aggies snap the streak of losses in Death Valley?
The last time Texas A&M defeated LSU in Baton Rouge was 1994, and the Aggies are looking to snap that streak this weekend. It will not be easy, however. Visitors arriving in Tiger Stadium find it challenging to capture a win, as the Tigers have won 87.7% of their home games since 2000.
Will the Aggie OL continue its successful campaign?
Entering the Week 9 slate, the Aggies’ offensive line is tied at No. 2 in the SEC with just 1.0 sacks allowed per game and only 7.0 total in 2025. Protecting quarterback Marcel Reed against a vicious Tiger defensive front will be a major focus on Saturday.
How can the A&M secondary slow down LSU’s electric receiving corps?
After nine weeks of this year’s ventures, Texas A&M’s secondary ranks No. 9 in total production, allowing 200.9 passing yards per game. That statistic must improve, especially against Nussmeier, who ranks fifth in the conference in yardage.
Can the defensive line find ways to apply pressure on Nussmeier?
With the highest pressure rate on blitz plays in FBS, the Texas A&M defensive line will be an integral key to the result of the contest against the Tigers. Cashius Howell has been a game-wrecker for the Aggies, as he leads the league with 7.5 sacks and 1.07 sacks per game. His contributions up front will be massive against the LSU offensive line, which is now missing starting left tackle Tyree Adams.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M vs. LSU: Five things to watch
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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