Instant Takeaways: LSU Football Suffers Devastating 49-25 Loss to Texas A&M Aggies

Brian Kelly and Co. suffer a lopsided loss in Death Valley, College Football Playoff hopes deteriorate in Week 9.

Oct 25, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Louisiana State Tigers wide receiver Barion Brown (6) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

No. 20 LSU (5-3, 2-3 SEC) saw the program's College Football Playoff hopes deteriorate on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium after a 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers ran into halftime riding an 18-14 lead with momentum swinging the program's way, but the tide turned in Baton Rouge once the third quarter arrived.

Behind a gem from Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed paired with a strong defensive outing from the Aggies, Mike Elko's program took the lead early in the third quarter and never looked back.

The Instant Takeaways: Week 9 Edition

No. 1: Tale of Two Halves in Baton Rouge

In a matchup that continued generating significant buzz leading up to kickoff, No. 20 LSU entered the Top-25 SEC showdown as underdogs, but couldn't have expected Saturday's lopsided result.

Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU offense found a rhythm early in the first half along with defensive coordinator Blake Baker's unit firing on all cylinders to ride an 18-14 lead into halftime.

With the Tigers gaining momentum, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko quickly made the proper in-game adjustments to calm the Aggies and get the ship steered in the right direction.

Courtesy of DJ Pickett's Instagram.

Fast forward to the third quarter and Texas A&M strung together 21 unanswered points with Marcel Reed getting it done for the third-ranked Aggies.

The Aggies' signal-caller's dual-threat abilities had the Tigers' defense lost all night with it all coming together in the final two frames.

Reed entered the fourth quarter with nearly 300 all-purpose yards while crossing the century mark on the ground with over 100 rushing yards.

Texas A&M ultimately outscored the Bayou Bengals 35-7 in the second half with Reed spearheading the push.

No. 2: Rushing Yards Discrepancy

The cliché "games are won and lost in the trenches" remains true with Saturday night in Tiger Stadium putting it on full display.

For the Tigers, LSU running back Harlem Berry provided a spark offensively after earning his first career start with the program. The five-star true freshman pieced together 59 yards on the ground with a touchdown to help alleviate the lack of rushing yards for the program.

Aside from Berry, it was a challenging night for the Tigers with Garrett Nussmeier totaling -44 "rushing yards" due to sacks after being taken down behind the line of scrimmage six times.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

LSU ended the night with 60 total rushing yards - including Nussmeier's sack yardage - in an abysmal outing on the ground.

On the other side, the Aggies were phenomenal after logging over 225 rushing yards spearheaded by Reed making it happen with his legs.

The Aggies signal-caller went for 108 rushing yards on 13 carries [8.3 yards per carry] to lift Texas A&M offensively.

No. 3: Disaster in Baton Rouge

In a night that Kelly and the LSU Tigers will want to forget instantly, the program was out-coached, out-played and "out-physicaled" on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

The statistical discrepancies across the board accurately depict the result with the Tigers totaling 261 total yards to the Aggies 429, 55 rushing yards to 227, 4.1 yards per play [LSU] to 7.3, and 6 sacks [Texas A&M] to 0 for the Tigers.

One statistic that portrays Saturday night's struggles for LSU: 1-for-12 on third down compared to Texas A&M going 7-for-10.

The Aggies executed when needed, kept drives alive, and exhausted the LSU defense in order to bolster their way to a significant SEC win.

No. 3 Texas A&M remains unbeaten with an 8-0 record while the LSU Tigers fall to 5-3 on the season with the program's College Football Playoff hopes seemingly evaporating on Saturday night.

No. 20 LSU will utilize an open date in Week 10 prior to a Week 11 matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 8.

More LSU News:

ESPN Releases FPI Top-25 Rankings Following Week 8 With LSU Football Tumbling

Three Observations From LSU Football's Week 8 Loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores

Updated AP Top-25 Poll: LSU Football Falls, Oklahoma Sooners Cruise in Rankings

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