No. 14 Texas A&M secured its biggest win of the year Saturday, downing No. 8 LSU 38-23 to take a commanding lead in the SEC standings. With a 5-0 record in conference play, the Aggies are the only remaining undefeated team in the league — and all it took was a quarterback change to truly spark Mike Elko’s squad.
Elko made the decision to bench a struggling Conner Weigman midway through the third quarter, turning to redshirt freshman Marcel Reed in his stead. Reed scored a rushing touchdown on his very first snap, keeping the ball on an option look and scampering 8 yards into the end zone after a Texas A&M interception gave the offense favorable position.
That sparked four straight touchdown drives for the Aggies as they slowly chipped away at LSU’s 17-7 halftime lead and eventually took a commanding advantage of their own. Texas A&M scored at least a field goal on all five of its drives with Reed at quarterback.
A&M’s offense did get plenty of help from the other side of the ball. The Aggies intercepted LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier three times in the second half and also stuffed the Tigers on fourth down once to set up favorable field position.
Reed finished the game with two complete passes for 70 yards, including a 54-yard bomb to wide receiver Noah Thomas that led to the touchdown that gave Texas A&M its first two-score lead of the game. Reed also rushed for 62 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries, giving the Aggies a much-needed spark with his athleticism.
It’s a statement win for the Aggies, who established themselves as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender and emerged as a favorite to join the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta at year’s end.
- Texas A&M is 5-0 in SEC play for the first time in program history.
- This is the first time since the 2013 Chick-fil-a Bowl that Texas A&M was able to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit.
- Reed’s three rushing touchdowns were the most by a Texas A&M quarterback since 2016, when Trevor Knight had three scores on the ground against Tennessee.
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