The Tigers bounced back from their loss to Ole Miss. They crushed another main rival of the school in Texas A&M. LSU shut out A&M in the first and fourth quarter in a 35-6 win. Along with holding them to 0 touchdowns. One of the key factors of their success was the defense’s ability to shut down Marcel Reed. He is known to use his feet and escape the pocket. LSU was able to stop him from gaining any rushing yards for the first time this season.
Marcel Reed lost 13 yards throughout the game.  He took 4 sacks for a total loss of 7 yards.The secondary also did their job well. Reed was held in season-lows. He had 106 passing yards and a completion rate of 38.5%. They continued to stop explosive plays that could change the game’s momentum, with Texas A&M’s longest play at 27 yards. They worked well to shut down Reed’s options, allowing their front line to put pressure on Reed.
On the other side of the football, LSU’s offense proved to be difficult for the Aggies to slow down. Sam Leavitt had a great performance with 312 passing yards, 22 rushing yards, and going 17 for 23 on his passes. Including a pass of 57 yards to Jackson Harris on a 4th and 1. It led to a touchdown after Harris was able to slip past the Aggie defense unnoticed.
His low rushing yards were attributed to his pulled hamstring. It forced him to stay in the pocket instead of his typical style of play of running first. Leavitt was forced to wait in the pocket instead of running. It helped to account for his high passing yards. Backup quarterback Landen Clark came into the game after Sam Leavitt went out with injuries.
Photo Cred: LSU
Clark relied much more on his legs, rushing 9 times for 41 yards and two touchdowns. However, his throwing game requires a lot of attention, with zero completions after 5 attempts. The rushing game was able to perform well too, with the top rusher Dilin Jones rushing for 63 yards with 14 carries. Harlem Berry a close second with 58 yards on 7 carries.
The Tiger offense was too much for the Aggie defense, and LSU was able to take a stand on defense. However, the game did not come without its hard hits. In the third quarter, LSU standout defender Whit Weeks was forced off the field in crutches with a boot on his right foot. Weeks will be out for the season with a broken right leg. This comes one week after Trey’Dez Green went down against Ole Miss.
Photo Cred: LSU
With Whit Weeks out for the season, the LSU defense is going to have to make some major adjustments. Despite the drama unfolding around LSU the previous season with Brian Kelley’s midseason firing, Whit Weeks’ absence had a major impact on the defense. Fans can only hope the defense will be able to fill the large space that Whit Weeks will be leaving in his absence.
