The LSU Tigers had a much-needed blowout win over the Texas A&M Aggies with an offensive explosion and a shutdown of Marcel Reed.
The LSU Tigers cruised to a 35-6 win over the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday night, thanks to another dominant performance from the defense and a breakout game for their offense. Lane Kiffin picked up his first SEC win as the Tigers' head coach, as LSU improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
The Tigers have waited for this night from Sam Leavitt since he committed, and it might have been an injury that unlocked it for him. Leavitt was hobbled early, which obviously caused concern. His leg was bothering him all night, as he limped up and down the field, but his arm worked all the same.
Leavitt finished this game 17-of-23 with 312 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Not having his mobility forced him to slow the game down, stay in the pocket and find his weapons. The talent was there at wide receiver, but the operation had been clunky for the past few weeks. That was not the case against the Aggies.
Jackson Harris had a massive game with six catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He almost had a third, but it was called back on a penalty. His early drop issues seemed like a bit of an anomaly, and he looked to regain his confidence. Winnie Watkins Jr. deserves credit, too, as he had five catches for 107 yards.
Over on the defensive side of the ball, Blake Baker has to be happy after the past week of talk about how Marcel Reed had torched his defenses in years past. This was a horrible night for Reed, who was 10-for-26 through the air for 106 yards. He had one solid run early, but finished the night with 10 carries for -13 yards.
Baker's defense picked up where they left off in the second half last week, as they didn't let Texas A&M breathe for most of the night. Princewill Umanmielen had his seventh sack of the season. Deuce Geralds continues to look like a future superstar. Tamarcus Cooley answered the call well, filling in for Dashawn Spears, who was lost for the year last week.
The defense did take another huge hit in this game, though, as star linebacker Whit Weeks left the game early on crutches in the third quarter. Kiffin didn't seem very optimistic when asked about it after the game. All eyes will be on him over the next couple of days as the fanbase awaits news.
Injuries are starting to add up, with Spears and wide receiver Phillip Wright lost for the year, along with Trey'Dez Green out indefinitely. Charles Ross also went down with an injury on special teams in this game. Winnie Watkins Jr. went into concussion protocol, but appears to be fine.
It is never smart to overlook an opponent, but one has to imagine the matchup against McNeese St. next weekend will be used to give a few people some well-earned rest.
