So much finally came together for this Texas A&M football team in their final game of the season, culminating in a huge win over top-5 LSU. The offense sustained drives with key big plays sprinkled in and the defense got big stops when they were needed, feeding off the energy that the 12th Man provided.
Devon Achane played out of his mind in what was possibly his final game in the Maroon & White, putting forth a heroic effort to bring this one home for the Aggies. Let’s start off by taking a look at his numbers:
- 38 carries for 215 yards
- 5.7 YPC
- 2 TDs
- Long of 29
This came against what had been one of the top rush defenses in the conference. They had allowed Arkansas only 60% of their average YPC; Ole Miss only 57%; FSU only 64%; and Alabama only 82%. Thanks almost entirely to Achane’s contribution (though Amari Daniels shone as well when he spelled Devon late in the 3rd quarter), the Aggies gained 118% of their average YPC for the game—that’s 135.31% of what LSU averages allowing (my calculations).
The passing numbers, while a bit more understated overall, were still among the best this Texas A&M football team have put up all year.
- 155 yards on 12 completions
- 8.6 YPA: Best against a P5 team this year
- 66.7% Completion: Best overall this year
- 175.67 Rating: Best overall this year
- 2 TDs, 0 INTs
LSU was less ferocious defensively against the pass than they were the run, but still were no slouches, allowing Arkansas only 63% of their average YPA (albeit without KJ Jefferson); Tennessee only 84%; Alabama only 80%; and Mississippi State only 80%. Behind the work of Conner Weigman, Evan Stewart, and Moose Muhammad, the Aggies hit 127.79% of their average YPA against the Tigers, good for 124% of what LSU averages allowing through the air.
Let’s take a look at some of the more advanced statistics.
The first thing that jumps out to me is the opponent-adjusted points per play number of 0.539 that the Aggies recorded: not mind-bogglingly high by any stretch, but by far the highest mark this Texas A&M football team has reached this season (note: the calculation used to arrive at number does not include the points scored on Demani Richardson’s scoop-and-score). The second-highest? 0.411 against Ole Miss.
The Aggies also recorded a 51% success rate against the Bayou Bengals, per collegefootballdata.com—their highest of the year and the highest LSU has allowed to any opponent this season. That number was good for 129% of LSU’s average allowed, the best mark A&M has put up all season against any opponent. This shows how well they were able to keep on pace and sustain drives throughout the game against a defense that too often puts teams behind the chains. Impressive stuff.
Let’s turn our attention now to the defensive performance. It’s tough to quantify exactly the impact of a guy like McKinnley Jackson (5 tackles, 3 solo, 1 QB hit) on the LSU game outside of something like a PFF grade, as he was an absolute wrecking ball up front and affected a lot of plays but didn’t record a lot of stats. Regardless, he deserves his flowers.
Ripping the band-aid off first here, let’s take a look at the rushing numbers that LSU put up:
- 32 carries for 187 yards
- 5.84 YPC
- 3 TDs
- Long of 24
Not amazing numbers for your defense! But better than some we’ve seen this year! LSU gained 121.16% of A&M’s average YPC allowed and 117.98% of their own average, thanks mostly to QB Jayden Daniels’s efforts. The ASU transfer contributed 12 carries for 84 yards, an average of 7 YPC. Despite this, the Aggies continued to make stops in huge moments that ended up helping them win the game.
Let’s see how the A&M pass defense held up:
- 197 yards on 22 completions
- 5.5 YPA: 3rd lowest allowed against P5 competition (Auburn—4.6; Miami—5.3)
- 61.1% completion
- 107.7 Rating
- 0 TDs, 0 INTs
This has been the best part of this Texas A&M football team’s defense most of the year, and they showed out against LSU. The Tigers’s 5.5 YPA was good for only 74% of LSU’s average, and only 96% of what the Aggies average allowing. The Aggies shut LSU down through the air, with the longest completion allowed being a 22-yard toss to Kayshon Boutte.
How about advanced stats? The Aggies held the Tigers to 0.307 adjusted points per play, not the best mark of the year for the Aggies (the 5th-highest number of the season), but the complementary style this Texas A&M football team was finally able to pull off in this game paid off, keeping the ball out of the Tigers’ hands for long stretches. LSU also put up a 54% success rate, so the Aggies had a tough time knocking them off-schedule. Those plays, such as Walter Nolen’s sack, came in some of the most key moments of the game, however. That mark is good for just a bit over LSU’s average success rate, at 106% of their average.
In all, it was a good defensive performance, with the Aggies playing their best at the most key moments of the game. They did enough to win the game, and that’s what matters.
So what do you think? What stood out to you? Any numbers that surprised you? Let me know with a comment down below!