Texas A&M vs. LSU: Complete Game Preview

The Texas A&M football team will take on the LSU Tigers on Thanksgiving Day at Kyle Field. The game will help decide the pecking order for bowl games in the SEC West.

The Aggies enter the game with a 7-4 record overall and 3-4 in the SEC. The Tigers are also 7-4 with a 3-4 conference record.

Texas A&M has not beaten LSU during the Aggies two seasons in the SEC. The Tigers have a three-game winning streak over A&M.

The Aggies and the Tigers both feature very young teams. The winner of this game will have some momentum as they head into the bowl season and prepare to compete for the SEC title in 2015.

This is a look at how the Aggies and Tigers match up with each other.  

Texas A&M Keys to Victory

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If the Aggies want to get their first-ever conference win over LSU, then they are going to need to control the line of scrimmage on offense and defense against the Tigers. 

LSU head coach Les Miles is going to try to grind out a win on the road with his running game. The Tigers have a very physical offensive line, and LSU will attempt to impose their will on the Aggies defense. 

The Aggies need to hold up at the point of attack, and they need to tackle well against LSU. If they can limit the Tigers' ground game, they will have a great chance to keep LSU out of the end zone, as the Tigers have had inconsistent play from their quarterbacks in 2014. 

On offense the Aggies have to be able to run the ball. They cannot be a one-dimensional team against LSU because the Tigers will unleash their pass rush and create turnovers. 

This game will be won at the line of scrimmage. If the Aggies can run the ball and stop the run consistently then they will get a win on Thanksgiving. 

LSU Keys to Victory

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

LSU will beat the Aggies on Thanksgiving if they can run the ball effectively. The Aggies have struggled to stop the run all season. 

If LSU can run the ball, then they will be able to set up play-action passes to their young star receiver Travin Dural. He averages 21.3 yards per reception and has scored seven touchdowns in 2014. 

The Tigers have enough speed on defense to give the Aggies issues. No one should expect this game to devolve into a shootout. 

If the Tigers can control the line of scrimmage on offense, then they should be able to grind out a win at Kyle Field. 

Texas A&M Players to Watch

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Texas A&M true freshman linebacker Otaro Alaka was injured in the Missouri game. When he got knocked out of the game, the Aggies defense became a sieve. Missouri began to run the ball at will, rushing for 335 yards in the game. 

The Aggies need Alaka healthy against LSU. If he can start then Texas A&M will have a chance to limit the LSU running game. If Alaka is out then Aggies fans will likely have their holiday ruined by the LSU running backs. 

True freshman defensive end Myles Garrett is the best football player on the Texas A&M roster. He missed the Missouri game due to an injury, but he is expected to play against LSU. Garrett leads the Aggies with 11 sacks on the season. 

He is a disruptive force in the opponents' backfield. Any team is going to be better with their best player on the field, and the Aggies defense should improve with Garrett back. 

True freshman receiver Speedy Noil has made a major impact on offense and special teams in 2014. He should be very motivated to play against his home-state Tigers on Thanksgiving Day. 

Noil's 70-yard kickoff return in the first quarter against Missouri set up a field goal to tie the game. He is the Aggies' most dynamic player on offense and special teams. He should be a difference-maker against LSU. 

LSU Players to Watch

David Quinn/Associated Press

The LSU Tigers are very similar to the Aggies in that a lot of their best players are true freshman. Leonard Fournette is a true freshman that leads the Tigers in rushing. 

The 6'1", 230-pound running back has rushed for 745 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014. The Aggies have struggled to stop bigger running backs, and Fournette definitely fits that mold. 

Wide receiver Travin Dural is the Tigers' most explosive offensive weapon. The 6'2", 192-pound sophomore has caught 35 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014. He will be a challenge for the Aggies secondary. 

On defense, the Tigers' most effective player is junior defensive end Danielle Hunter. The 6'6", 240-pound athlete has recorded 63 tackles including 12 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2014.  

What They Are Saying

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin during his weekly press conference on his outlook:

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Right now our focus, my focus, and the whole team’s focus is on LSU Thanksgiving night. We’re trying to send 17 seniors out the right way at Kyle Field. That’s enough, based on what we’ve gone through this year, to get this team focused to play on national TV and on Thanksgiving night, and really have our seniors end the regular season with a good feeling instead of the ups and downs we’ve had all year. It could really do a lot for us going into bowl preparation.

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Sumlin on the LSU defense:

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I think defensively they’re solid. They’ve got good players, young people in positions who have gotten better this year. John Chavis’ record stands for itself, it’s as good as it gets defensively in the country.

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LSU senior left tackle La'el Collins on his outlook as the end of the season and the NFL draft approaches:

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I definitely know that in the future I’m going to have to take on everything coming my way. I’m trying to embrace my last couple of weeks here,” he said last week. “You can always make money and do those things but can never make memories. I’m trying to make the best out of what I have here.

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Prediction

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

This is shaping up to be the kind of game that LSU head coach Les Miles relishes. His team will come to Kyle Field with a chip on their shoulder 17-0 to Arkansas. 

The LSU offensive line will eventually wear down the front seven of the Aggies defense. Texas A&M freshman quarterback Kyle Allen is not quite good enough yet to carry the Aggies offense on his back. Expect the Tigers to grind out a win in this game. 

LSU will defeat Texas A&M 28-20 on Thanksgiving Day.