Oct 252 min read

No. 8 LSU Clashes With No. 14 Texas A&M for Top of SEC

The top spot in the Southeastern Conference will be up for grabs at 7:30 pm EST on Oct. 26 when No. 8 LSU (6-1, 3-0) travels to College Station, Texas to take on No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0) at Kyle Field. LSU and TAMU are the only two SEC teams left without a loss in conference play. The winner of this game will take sole possession of first place in the SEC.

LSU is coming off a 34-10 road win against rival Arkansas (4-2, 2-2), while TAMU is returning home after beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-6, 0-4) in Starkville 34-24. Both teams suffered early out-of-conference losses but have rebounded strongly over the last several weeks. After back-to-back 10-win seasons, Brian Kelly and the Tigers are looking to make a College Football Playoff run in Kelly's third year as head coach.

Texas A&M, under first-year head coach Mike Elko, also has aspirations of making the CFP and playing in the program's first SEC Championship game.

Key Players LSU

Garrett Nussmeier, Quarterback

Nussmeier leads the conference in touchdown passes with 18 and is second in passing yards with 2,222. Nussmeier may have started the season under the radar but is quickly emerging as one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

Whit Weeks, Linebacker

Weeks leads the SEC in both solo and total tackles and is the catalyst for the LSU defense. Weeks also has 3 pass deflections, 1 int and a forced fumble on the year.

Key Players Texas A&M

Le'veon Moss, Running Back

Moss has rushed for 674 yards at an average of 6.4 yards a carry. Moss is the feature back in TAMU's dominant rushing attack. Moss has scored 8 touchdowns and is looking for more against LSU.

Nic Scourton, Defensive Line

Scourton can wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage and has a team-high 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Scourton and the rest of the Aggies' defense will look to give Nussmeier and the LSU offense trouble all game long.

Trends to Watch

Both of these teams look to be heading in the right direction, but only one can win this game. LSU boasts an explosive passing attack but has struggled to run the ball. A&M's defense has been playing well recording at least 7 tackles for a loss in their last four games. The Aggies will look to use their ability to get in the backfield to force Nussmeier into making mistakes.

Texas A&M has been dominant in the run game scoring 8 rushing touchdowns combined in their last two outings. LSU has struggled against the run and the Aggies will look to exploit that.