Texas A&M is facing down the threat of their season collapsing before it even gets started here against the LSU Tigers. After sustaining a loss against the Kentucky Wildcats, A&M's margin for error is razor-thin if they want to make the College Football Playoff— which means, for all intents and purposes, they need to come out of Death Valley with a win.
We saw them do it last year against the Tigers in emphatic fashion, but LSU's program is in a much different place right now than they were in 2025. That's true of the Aggies, as well: the vibes around College Station right now are pretty glum, compared to the high A&M fans were feeling heading into Baton Rouge this past season.
This isn't a sure loss by any stretch, but you won't find a lot of people picking the Aggies here. If they are to emerge with a victory, though, here are three things they need to make happen down on the Bayou.
Three things Texas A&M needs to do to stun LSU and win the game vs the Tigers
Marcel's legs have to stump Blake Baker once again
In two career games against Blake Baker and LSU, Marcel has run the ball 21 times for 170 total yards— that's 8.1 yards per carry, if you do the math. Despite boasting a pretty talented front seven both times, the Tigers have not been able to hold Marcel in check on the ground at all— and you can bet they'll come into this one with that on their minds.
That said, it will also be front of mind for Marcel Reed in this one. The Aggies will have KJ Edwards back in the fold, and Marcel's running ability, if the Aggies can prove early on that it poses a legitimate threat to the Tigers, will only help strengthen Edwards' chances in the traditional run game.
This is an LSU team, though, that is giving up a grand total of 33 yards per game on the ground right now. The Aggies need to reach at least 150— with a significant chunk of that coming from Reed— if they want to win this one.
Defense has to clamp down on Sam Leavitt's scrambling
For all the fanfare that Leavitt received over the course of the offseason, he has not exactly shown a stellar ability to read the field as a quarterback. He is, in many ways, what people consider Reed to be: he is quick to bail on going through his progressions and will often go too quickly to scramble for some yards.
You can bet right now that this is going to be the cause of the Tigers picking up a long third down or two in this game, but if the Aggies can keep him relatively contained, they'll do a good job of stifling this offense. Texas A&M has corners that can keep up excellently in man coverage, so they only need to take away that first read to get Leavitt off of his game.
If Leavitt is limited in the run game by this Aggie defense, then it will be tough for LSU to score on them. A&M's offense has to play complementary football by extending their possessions, but the defense's biggest key in this one has to be to take away the Tiger QB's rushing ability.
Craver has to get downfield more than once
The Aggies excelled in explosive plays through the passing game last year, but this season so far, they are one of the worst in the country in that respect. It's not for lack of trying, but there just has seemed to be a certain sense in which the Aggies are out of sync when attempting to generate those big plays.
Reed has overthrown a couple of deep balls (and underthrown one that turned into a pick early in the second half against Arizona State), and the Aggie backs have come tantalizingly close to breaking open some big runs, but it just hasn't manifested yet. Mario Craver is the guy that can be the remedy for those ills.
Craver's speed is something hardly any defensive back in the conference can match, so when Marcel finds him open down the field, the Aggies have to hit on those plays. Not only will that advance the cause of the Aggie offense, but it will also keep the LSU defense honest and keep them from packing the box to stop the run.
These may be tough asks for the Aggies given what we've seen from this team so far in the year, but we know that A&M has the pieces to get this clicking if they fall into place. It's intimidating that this needs to happen for the first time in a place like Death Valley, but if it does, it will keep the Aggies' season from going off the rails too early.
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