BATON ROUGE – Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 202 and rushed for 108 to lead the No. 3 Aggies past LSU, 49-25, on Saturday night in Death Valley.

With the loss, LSU falls to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC. The Tigers return to action on Nov. 8 in Tuscaloosa against Alabama.

Game Recap

On LSU’s opening possession, the Tigers picked up a 16-yard run from Harlem Berry for a first down, but that was all. Nothing else doing on the drive.

The Aggies, however, cashed in fully on their opening possession. Quarterback Marcel Reed scrambled for a 41-yard touchdown rush, giving A&M an early 7-0 advantage with 10:10 to play in the first quarter. It capped a six-play drive, spanning 68 yards.

LSU responded on offense with an eight-play drive, spanning 74 yards, taking four minutes and 26 seconds off the clock. Nussmeier found Trey’Dez for a 14-yard completion to get into the red zone, then found Green again for a five-yard TD strike, tying the game 7-7 with 5:38 to play in the first quarter. 

The back-and-forth affair in the first quarter continued as Reed found KC Concepcion for a 15-yard touchdown connection with 40 seconds left in the quarter. Reed was also finding success with his legs, averaging 15 yards per carry to that point. It capped off a 10-play drive, spanning 75 yards. 

Special teams gave LSU a massive play. On 4th-and-21 from the A&M 20, freshman Jhase Thomas blocked White’s kick for a safety, cutting the deficit to 14-9 with 12:13 to play in the half. It marked the first blocked punt for a safety since Micah Baskerville vs. Southern (9/10/22) and the first punt block (SEC game) since Micah Baskerville at Vandy (9/21/19). The Tigers went three-and-out on their offensive possession.

With A&M driving deep into LSU territory, senior safety AJ Haulcy intercepted Reed in the end zone and returned the ball 25 yards to the LSU 25. It halted a seven-play drive that spanned 72 yards. It was also Halcy’s second pick of the season.

Nussmeier and the LSU offense were finally able to cash in off the turnover, culminating in a 7-yard TD rush by freshman Harlem Berry. LSU took a 15-14 lead with 3:09 to play in the half, missing the PAT. The drive was put in scoring position thanks to a 45-yard passing connection from Nussmeier to Barion Brown, which marked the longest pass of the season for the Tigers.

The Bayou Bandits continued to feast. On 2nd-and-12 from the A&M 48, Reed’s pass intended for Reuben Owens II was tipped by Mansoor Delane and picked by Harold Perkins, giving the Tigers possession at the TAMU 49.

Caden Durham got LSU in business again with a 28-yard rush down to the A&M 16. From that point on, Nussmeier and the offense stalled, forcing a field goal. Damiam Ramos’ 30-yard attempt was good, extending LSU’s lead to 18-14 with 20 ticks to play in the half.

A&M came out for the second half fast, putting together a nine-play, 56-yard drive to take the lead back, 21-18, with 10:41 to play in the third quarter. It culminated in a 5-yard touchdown rush for Reed. Reed, to that point, was the Aggies leading rusher with 88 yards on nine carries with two scores.

The Aggies added to their lead with a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown by KC Concepcion, making the score 28-18 with 8:47 to play in the third quarter.

Reed and the A&M offense continued to add to their lead, as Reed found Jamarion Morrow for a 24-yard touchdown strike, making it 35-18 with 4:07 to play in the third quarter. It capped a 4-play drive spanning 50 yards.

Nate Boerkircher’s 1-yard TD rush gave the Aggies a commanding 42-18 advantage with 14:18 to play in the fourth quarter.