POSTGAME THOUGHTS: Texas A&M dominates LSU in second half for 49-25 win

Texas A&M headed into Death Valley looking for its first victory in Baton Rouge since 1994. The Aggies looked to be off to a hot start after Marcel Reed scampered in for a 41-yard touchdown run, but LSU answered in a hurry. The Aggies would score once more to take a 14-7 lead.

However, things went south in a hurry from there. Texas A&M’s next three possessions would see a punt blocked for a safety, and two interceptions. The momentum swing for LSU really picked up steam on the first interception, where A&M was driving with a chance to go up by two scores. Instead, the Tigers would turn that turnover into a 15-14 lead after Texas A&M was called for unnecessary roughness.

Marcell Reed’s second interception followed, this time leading to a field goal. For the first time this season, Texas A&M went to the locker room at halftime trailing, with LSU having an 18-14 lead. The Aggies had a chance to put LSU away early. Instead, mistakes gave LSU confidence and made the crowd in Tiger Stadium a factor.

Thankfully for the Aggies, they started with the ball in the second half. Texas A&M marched right down the field and took a 21-18 lead courtesy of another Marcel Reed scramble. From there, the Aggies took over. A stop on the ensuing Tiger possession led to a punt returned for a touchdown by KC Concepcion. As bad as the second quarter was, the third quarter may have been the most complete quarter of Aggie football I’ve ever seen. Special teams and offense produced scores. LSU had just 19 total yards of offense. There isn’t much more to say after that.

The fourth quarter showed more of the same as the Aggie defense suffocated the LSU offense, pressuring Nussmeier and allowing no breathing room. The offense punched in the dagger touchdown to start the fourth quarter, and the crowd cleared out in a hurry. The Aggies secured a statement win over LSU and moved to 8-0 on the season.

Key Takeaways:

Resilience. In the past, the cacophony of errors in the second quarter would have led to a disaster. Instead, the Aggies went out in the next quarter and beat LSU in every phase of the game. Marcel Reed responded to his turnovers by leading a drive right down the field. The defense played a flawless third quarter in spite of early penalties. Special teams bounced back from a blocked punt to have a punt return touchdown. Resiliency is all about responding to adversity. The Aggies did that in spades.

Marcel Reed’s Legs. It feels like in the past two contests, Marcel Reed has truly opened his running ability. Against the Tigers, Reed cleared the 100-yard mark and added two touchdowns. He’s proven he’s grown in the passing game, but hasn’t been as explosive running this season as he was in 2024. That changed tonight. His legs appeared to be a clear focus for Collin Klein.

Return game. KC Concepcion was an absolute terror with the ball in his hands on the return game. Terry Bussey muffed a punt, but he also had a massive kickoff return to kickstart the second half. The third phase is so important, and with Texas A&M’s returners capable of ripping off a big gain at any time, the Aggies have a real ace in the hole.

Streaks and superstition. It feels like this has been a year of Texas A&M getting out from under curses and the like. The end of the road woes talk has surely arrived. 7-0 for the first time since 1994, now up to 8-0. For the first time since 1994, the Aggies have now won in Death Valley. It’s hard not to feel like this team has a bit of magic around them.

Finish. I highlighted it in my postgame thoughts last week, but Texas A&M has struggled to put opponents away. I still would have preferred a better second-quarter performance, but there was no doubt in this one. Texas A&M finished LSU.

8-0. Let that sink in. Texas A&M is 8-0 and just made its biggest statement of the season. Winning two consecutive road games in the SEC is never a given, especially when one of those contests is Death Valley at night. The Aggies did that and carry all the momentum in the world into the second bye week. The Aggies will be back in action on November 8th at Mizzou.

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