Texas A&M football 50 in 50: Can the Aggies finally beat LSU?
By Jeff Shull
Texas A&M football is 25 days away, and in the days leading up to the Aggie opener we’re answering the 50 biggest questions for the 2018 season.
If you want to upset a group of Texas A&M football fans, all you have to do is mention the month of November. It was a rough month for Kevin Sumlin’s teams. He went a combined 4-11 in conference play in November from 2013-2017.
You could also mention the LSU game if you want to rile up some fans. Texas A&M has yet to beat LSU in six tries since joining the SEC in 2012. To make matters marginally worse, the Aggies also lost to LSU in the Cotton Bowl the year prior to joining the league.
So, one of the biggest questions entering this season is what will change to prevent the November slide, and can Fisher make the difference against a team that has had Texas A&M’s number?
To answer the second question, you have to first analyze the opponent.
LSU returns the fewest amount of starters among SEC teams from their 2017 roster. They are only bringing back five on offense and five on defense from a team that finished 9-4 and lost a nail-biter to Notre Dame in their bowl game. They also blew out the Aggies 45-21 in Tiger Stadium.
However, like most teams, LSU does a good job of rotating players in, so some of their starters for this season weren’t technically starters last year, but they got in-game experience.
The Tigers finished 14th in points allowed (18.9) and 76th in points scored (27.2) last season. Their defense should be as good as it usually is with Dave Aranda coming back and one of the best linebackers in the country in Devin White.
It’s the offense that faces a ton of questions in 2018. Much like the Aggies, the Tigers are searching for their starting quarterback. Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow threw a wrench in LSU’s plans, in a good way, and he will battle it out with Myles Brennan for the starting job.
LSU has always been a good power running team and they return most of their offensive line this season. They averaged 207.6 rush yards per game last year.
A&M should be well-equipped to slow down the running game this time around. Returning senior defensive tackle Kingsley Keke plus a rotation of Daylon Mack, Justin Madubuike, TD Moton and Jayden Peevy will be formidable. Not to mention the Aggies return all three starting linebackers from last year and still have Anthony Hines waiting to make an impact.
The answer to the first question above, which will also impact the LSU game during Thanksgiving week, is two parts.
For one, Fisher will have the Aggies better prepared mentally week in and week out. He pays attention to the little details and runs his practices in a way that will have his players ready for any and all situations that come up in games. He brings a wealth of experience to the table that will manifest itself on the field.
Plus, he poached Oklahoma’s strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt who, by most accounts, is making a huge difference in practices already.
Schmidt’s resumé speaks for itself. He worked on the staff of three national championship teams and coached six Heisman trophy winners. He was the Oklahoma S&C coach since Stoops was hired in 1999.
Injuries and fatigue were absolutely an issue for Sumlin’s squads. Fisher obviously understood this when he took over and went after one of the best in the business to turn that around.
Taking into account LSU’s relatively inexperienced roster, the fact that this year’s game is at Kyle Field, A&M’s defense being set up to slow down LSU’s rushing attack, Fisher having the team mentally prepared plus Jerry Schmidt providing his knowledge from a conditioning stand point, it all adds up to the Aggies getting their first win against the Tigers.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.