LSU will still be competing for the SEC championship next week, but not for the first time stumbles into Saturday’s College Football Qualifier chat.
Tigers No. 5 (9-3, 6-2) struggled to knock Texas A&M (5-7, 2-6) – and especially junior Devon Acane – off the field in the first half or find enough sentences. answered in the second half to avoid a 38-23 loss at College Station to end the regular season.
Acane reached a career peak of 38 hits and 215 yards and scored a few touchdowns.
And Texas A&M converted 10 of its 15 third shot attempts, including seven of eight first-half attempts to decide on pace with three long goals: 90-yard touches. and 72 yards with a 58-yard push to score in the middle net.
The first multi-point match of the senior in the career of John Emery Jr. helped provide an answer to the Tigers.
Destrehan’s product made nine of the season’s highest 55-yard runs and three touchdowns, including finishing the game 7-7 in the second half and 17-17 in the third on the occasions. run 4 and 19 yards, respectively.
But an important defensive play initiated by a Louisiana native midway through the third quarter gave the Aggies a nice lead.
Covington High Edgerrin Cooper’s product beat LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels in the third minute and cleared the ball out for senior defensive back Demani Richardson to score a 27-yard strike for a 24-yard advantage. 17.
And coach Jimbo Fisher, the former offensive coordinator of the Tigers 16 years ago, and the company added touchdowns at 83 and 77 yards in the third and fourth quarters, en route to reaching the highest scoring record of their season.
Freshman quarterback Conner Weigman found second receiver Muhsin “Moose” Muhammad III for a striking, 21-yard touchdown in the first game of the fourth half.
Achane added a second point of the night, another 10-yard runner, to take the Texas A&M 38-17 lead.
The third touch from Emery, a 3-yard runner, pulled LSU back 38-23.
But the Tigers’ only subsequent drive ended with a missed fourth down pass narrowly into the back corner of the back yard area.
Texas A&M entered the week with more than two 50-yard drives in just seven of their previous 11 competitions.
The Aggies’ five such drives on Saturday surpassed last season’s best of four.
Weigman completed 12 of 18 155-yard passes and scored two points to help supplement Achane’s career night.
Muhammad made all five of his goals in 94 yards and touched the ball.
LSU full-back Jayden Daniels fought one unsettling shot after another to finish with 189 yards in passing 21 to 35 and 84 yards in 12 dashes.
Second receiver Malik Nabers won seven catches from 69 yards.
The Tigers won the SEC West two weeks earlier and will still face No. 1 Georgia (12-0, 8-0) in Atlanta next week.
But Tuesday’s loss will completely eliminate hopes that were already available outside of the College Football knockout round when the committee announces the semi-finals next Sunday.
