5 Immediate Takeaways From Texas A&M's Embarrassing Loss to LSU

Two one-loss SEC teams clashed in a must-win game under the primetime lights at Tiger Stadium.

At the end of the night, the Aggies suffered their second loss of the season in a 35-6 blowout, and revealed a lot, while the Tigers claimed a much-needed win to boost their College Football Playoff hopes.

With the loss, the Maroon and White moved to 2-2 on the season with plenty to clean up. Here are the takeaways from the loss in Death Valley.

Explosive Plays Kill Texas A&M

Dalton Brooks Texas A&M. — Sep 26, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Jackson Harris (4) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A&M’s defense couldn’t limit explosive plays in the first half. Seven notable plays generated momentum for LSU’s offense.

Six of those seven came from quarterback Sam Leavitt connecting with his weapons downfield. His receivers won those opportunities in coverage and made the Aggies' defense suffer.

Wide receivers Winston Watkins and Jackson Harris combined for all six big plays. Harris had four, and Watkins tallied the other four.

Two came in the first quarter: a 19-yard gain and a 15-yard pickup. Those other four damaging plays went for 16, 26, 35, and 36 yards. It wasn’t ideal for the Aggies' secondary, which was hoping to avoid those at all costs.

It got worse right off the bat when LSU had possession on its first drive in the third quarter. A&M’s defense forced a fourth-and-one, and LSU's 43 and Leavitt aired it out to a wide-open Jackson Harris for a 57-yard catch-and-run.

Tack on another pair of 15- and 36-yard big passes, plus a 16- and 57-yard gain, with an 18-yard rush by running back Dilin Jones.

Third-Down Efficiency

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) scrambles under pressure during the third quarter against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At the end of the night, both teams struggled to move the chains on third down. At halftime, the Maroon and White were 3-of-8, and the Purple and Gold were 2-of-6.

Quarterback Marcel Reed was hurried and had to use his legs a lot, and there were several times when he missed his targets. He missed wide receiver Mario Craver on the first offensive drive. Then, running back Rueben Owens dropped a dump-off pass on another third-down opportunity.

Later in the first half, Reed took off for a five-yard gain, but he couldn't reach the sticks. A&M made it to the red zone and had a third-and-goal situation, but Reed overthrew wide receiver Aaron Gregory, resulting in a David Olano field goal.

Wrapping up the performance, the Aggies had four conversions on 15 attempts on third down.

Silly Penalties

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko speaks with a member of his coaching staff during a time-out in the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kyle Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Silly penalties were killers for the Fightin' Farmers. At the break, head coach Mike Elko’s program had four accepted penalties that got charged for 35 yards.

The referees called an ineligible man downfield that tight end Micah Riley wished they had called back. Add on the false start by Trovon Baugh, followed by a pass interference on Riley and a holding call on offensive lineman Lamont Rogers.

If the referee crew hadn't called those two flags, it would’ve wiped out the two plays in which Reed completed passes to wide receivers Isiaah Horton and Kelshaun Johnson. Horton’s reception would’ve been for 15 yards, and Johnson’s would’ve gone for 23 yards.

Defense also had three penalties.

Texas A&M’s Offensive Line Gives Up Too Many Sacks

LSU Tigers linebacker TJ Dottery (6) lines up in coverage against the Texas A&M Aggies during the third quarter at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Not a night for A&M to allow so many sacks. After last week’s outing against Kentucky, there were no sacks, and it appeared the line was beginning to mesh and was all on the same page. That wasn't the case against a banged-up LSU defense with questions going into Week 4.

The Tigers’ defense couldn’t bring down Reed in the first quarter, but they tracked him down in the second quarter, sending the Aggies to the locker room without any points.

It was 2nd-and-16 at the A&M 46, and nothing else came out in a situation where points would’ve been useful.

LSU lost 11 yards on a third-and-three at the A&M 32 on the opening drive of the third quarter. On the next drive, LSU brought down Reed for the third time on a second-and-four at the A&M 34, and Elko & Co. went for it on fourth down and turned it over on downs. That fourth sack was the biggest loss of the evening, a 17-yard hit.

No Sign of the Run Game

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Aggies had only 62 rushing yards on 27 carries. Not much changed the rest of the way.

Owens led the team with 11 attempts, finishing with 62 yards. Right behind him was the freshman, Carsyn Baker, who posted 15 yards.

Running back KJ Edwards was limited as well, with very few touches likely because of his health status. Craver even got into the mix with a single carry, but ultimately, A&M couldn't catch many breaks against the aggressive, physical LSU defense.

In Week 3, A&M totaled 187 yards on the ground. Against LSU, those numbers dropped significantly, ending with 91 yards.

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