No. 3 Aggies searching for first Death Valley triumph since 1994
All good things must come to an end.
The Aggies hope a bad one will, too.
No. 3 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0) hopes to enhance its Southeastern Conference championship and College Football Playoff ambitions when facing No. 20 LSU (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m.
That will require ending a losing streak that stretches back 31 years. The Aggies have not prevailed in Baton Rouge since defeating LSU, 18-13, in 1994.
LSU is 20-1 under coach Brian Kelly in night games at Tiger Stadium, aka “Death Valley.”
“Obviously, (it’s) a big opportunity, a big stage, a chance to go down to Baton Rouge for what will be a very big game and a hostile environment,” A&M coach Mike Elko said. “Another opportunity for this program to take a step forward.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge and are excited.”
The Aggies are also excited by the development of quarterback Marcel Reed, who is fourth in the SEC with 2,011 yards of total offense.
Reed had arguably the best showing of his collegiate career last week in a 45-42 victory over Arkansas. He passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 55 yards and a score. He had a 57-yard touchdown run called back by a penalty.
He’s clearly made significant improvement since last season, when he came off the bench to rush for 62 yards and three touchdowns and lead A&M to a 38-23 win over LSU.
“I think now what you see is a kid so much more confident, so much more comfortable, still the same athlete, still capable of making plays with his feet,” Elko said. “But also now able to sit in a pocket and deliver the football at a much, much higher level.”
While the Aggies are excited, LSU is hoping its playoff hopes are not extinguished. A third loss likely would end its chances of making the 12-team field.
Therefore, the Aggies know they’ll face a desperate opponent. They’re also facing a talented one.
Although LSU has suffered two losses, both have been by a touchdown or less on the road against No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 10 Vanderbilt.
And although LSU has had trouble scoring — the Tigers are 12th in the SEC in points scored — they are dangerous with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier throwing to a group of receivers who are big-play threats.
“He’ll be a high draft pick. He’ll be a successful NFL quarterback for a really long time,” Elko said of Nussmeier. “Just have a ton of respect for who he is as a player and the way he goes out there and competes.”
The Aggies aim to pressure Nussmeier with a nation’s sixth-ranked pass rush led by SEC sacks leader Cashius Howell. A&M has posted 25 sacks, 16 of which have come against its four SEC opponents.
A&M’s defense also has to contain LSU’s running game. On the surface, that doesn’t seem like a major challenge. The Tigers are 15th in the SEC in rushing offense. They’ve been limited to 110 rushing yards or less in four games.
But last week, A&M allowed a season-high 268 rushing yards to Arkansas.
“We can’t play defense like we played (vs. Arkansas) against anybody and be successful,” Elko said. “If we don’t fix our own issues, we won’t stop anybody.”
And they might not stop that losing streak in Baton Rouge.
