The Instant Takeaways: LSU Football Falls to the Texas A&M Aggies 38-23 in Week 9

Garrett Nussmeier and the Tigers crumble in College Station, drop a pivotal Southeastern Conference battle in Kyle Field.

Courtesy of LSU Football.

No. 8 LSU (6-2, 3-1) found no answer for No. 14 Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0) in the second half behind Aggies signal-caller Marcel Reed having his way in Kyle Field.

Aggies head coach Mike Elko made the move to pull starter Conner Weigman with Reed coming in to provide the spark Texas A&M needed.

Quickly, the decision made all the difference on Saturday night in College Station with Reed carving the Bayou Bengals' defense in the final two quarters.

A look into the instant takeaways from Week 9 in Kyle Field:

The Instant Takeaways: No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M

Texas A&M Quarterback Change 

Texas A&M signal-caller Conner Weigman earned the start on Saturday night in College Station with the youngster struggling out the gate against LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s unit.

After an abysmal first half where Weigman went 6-for-18 through the air with just 64 yards, Texas A&M head coach went to true freshman quarterback Marcel Reed to shake things up.

For Elko and Co., the decision paid dividends with Reed changing the game in the blink of an eye for the Aggies.

LSU’s defense simply had no answer for the dual-threat quarterback. Reed torched the Tigers with his legs in the third quarter, and just when LSU believed they had him figured out, he launched a 54-yard pass to Noah Thomas to change the trajectory in the fourth quarter.

Reed’s ability to tuck it and run on the zone read had the Bayou Bengals scrambling for the final 30 minutes of Saturday night’s Week 9 battle.

After game-planning for Weigman all week, the instant change of placing Reed in the game was the decision that ultimately put the Aggies over the top.

Reed ended the day with 70 passing yards on just two attempts while tallying 62 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Garrett Nussmeier’s Game-Changing Interceptions 

In a game where all eyes would be on LSU signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier to continue elevating his 2025 NFL Draft stock and catapult the Tigers to the No. 1 spot in the SEC, it quickly became a night to forget. 

After a first half where Nussmeier completed 14 of his 26 passing attempts for 259 yards and two touchdowns, it was a tale of two halves. 

The final 30 minutes were abysmal for the redshirt-junior quarterback after tossing two interceptions in the third quarter where the Aggies quickly capitalized for a pair of touchdowns. 

LSU went into the half with a “comfortable” 17-7 lead with all momentum swinging their way, but once the turnovers began piling up, Texas A&M took it and ran.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter and Nussmeier tossed his third interception of the game to put the nail in the coffin. The implosion started with an interception in the third quarter and it ended with another in the fourth.

Saturday night quickly became one for LSU’s QB1 to put in the rearview mirror and forget about after three picks sealed the deal in College Station.

Nussmeier ended the day going 25-for-50 with 405 passing yards, a pair of passing touchdowns and three interceptions. 

The one-two punch of Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson quickly emerged as critical pieces for this offense with Lacy hauling in five receptions for 106 yards. Anderson tallied three receptions for 126 yards and a score.

Special Teams Woes Plague the Tigers 

LSU’s special teams has been a bright spot for Brian Kelly’s program in 2024 with Damian Ramos emerging as one of the top kickers in the Southeastern Conference. 

But fast forward to Saturday night in Kyle Field, and like Nussmeier, it’ll be one that Ramos wants to forget about quickly.

The Bayou Bengals had three opportunities to put points on the board, but after a 48-yard attempt that went wide left followed by another 49-yard attempt that Ramos missed, it quickly hurt LSU’s chances on the road.

On the third field goal attempt of the game, a bad snap by Slade Roy forced a fumble with the Aggies taking sole possession of the Week 9 contest in College Station.

Between abysmal special teams play, mishaps from Nussmeier and no answer defensively for Texas A&M dual-threat quarterback Marcel Reed, the Tigers struggled to put themselves in position for a victory.

No. 8 LSU will have an open date next week before returning to Death Valley on Nov. 9 for an SEC showdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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