Tiger Baited: A&M Falls to LSU on Burrow's Record Setting Night
BATON ROUGE, La. - It's been 371 days since Texas A&M completed the comeback at home against LSU. Over the past year, the seven overtime loss has sat in the minds of the players at Tiger Stadium.
They wanted redemption. Before the final snap against Arkansas, attention had turned to boys out in College Station. If they wanted to make a statement, it couldn't have been more prevalent in Saturday's 50-7 victory over Texas A&M.
Quarterback Joe Burrow went out with style in the final home game as a Tiger. From the start, the senior was on point once more, connecting with Jordan Jefferson in the first quarter for a 12-yard touchdown. Burrow would finish with 352 yards and three touchdowns.
The Heisman front-runner would tie the SEC all-time single-season touchdown record in the third quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase. Burrow would also become the all-time single-season passing yards leader, finishing the season with 4,279 yards earlier in the quarter.
The Aggies (7-5, 4-4 SEC) believed their offense could hit a new level against Dave Aranda's depleted squad. Instead, miscues and failed drives led to a productive night for Braden Mann. The Aggies would punt six consecutive times before settling for a 1-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Spiller.
Chase and the Tigers' passing game continued to dominate opponents early. In the first quarter, Burrow would find the Biletnikoff finalist for a 75-yard touchdown, making it 21-0. Chase would lead the way with seven catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
Tensions high, the Tigers needed to score early and often. They would connect on five straight drives, leading 31-0 heading into halftime. A strong defensive outing in the second quarter would give A&M some breathing room, leading to LSU settling for a 51-yard field goal from Cade York.
Kellen Mond wanted to prove the critics wrong of his struggles away from College Station. Instead, he gave them more ammunition to dissect. Right away, things would go south as the junior would throw for 92 yards and three interceptions.
As the whistle blew ending the first, the Tigers had outgunned A&M by over 200 yards of offense. It only continued into the second quarter as Tyrion Davis-Price would score on a 4-yard run in the second quarter.
The Aggies pass rush was able to establish some rhythm on one drive. Justin Madubuike would collect two sacks while Bobby Brown would follow on the next play. It would be the first time the Tigers would walk away without points on the drive.
Burrow's final game ended with a curtain call in the third quarter as Ed Orgeron would call a timeout to let him leave the field. The chants of "Joe" would echo through Tiger Stadium until backup Myles Brennan connected with Racey McMath for a 58-yard touchdown, extending the lead by 41.
From there, a Mond interception to Kary Vincent Jr. would seal an undefeated season for the Tigers, who now will face Georgia in the SEC Championship. The clock would slowly tick away as LSU could begin to celebrate on the sideline.
The Aggies face three No.1 teams during the 2019 campaign. Following their 47-28 loss to then-No.1 Alabama. Since, the team looked to have rebounded to preseason form, winning four straight. In the end, the Tigers kept their promise and made A&M pay for last season.
As players walked off the field for the final time in Tiger Stadium, smiles could be found in abundance. For A&M, perhaps it just wasn't their year. Only time will tell where the team will go from here.
The Aggies will head back to College Station and wait to hear which bowl they will be attending on Sunday, December 8 during the selection show on ESPN.
