LSU vs. Texas A&M: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
Thursday marks the 53rd meeting in the LSU-Texas A&M rivalry. This historic series dates back to 1899 and is led 29-20-3 by LSU. This rivalry went on a hiatus following the 1995 season but was rekindled in 2011 when the Aggies were defeated by the Tigers in the Cotton Bowl. LSU has won the two meetings since.
This year, these teams may be the SEC's most enigmatic.
Texas A&M began the season with a 52-point scoring frenzy against South Carolina, but after dropping three straight to ranked conference opponents, the team fell out of the picture. However, a win against Auburn in early November finally earned the Aggies bowl eligibility. They enter Week 14 at 7-4.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
LSU has much of the same story. The Tigers got off to a great start, defeating Wisconsin to begin their season. However, dropping games to Mississippi State and Auburn took the team out of College Football Playoff contention. LSU did take down Ole Miss in October but has since lost two consecutive contests to Alabama and Arkansas. The Tigers are 7-4 entering the final game of the regular season.
The history of this series says it all. These teams have been going at it for years, producing a bevy of memorable performances. We're poised to get another this time around.
Clash of Styles
There may not be two teams with greater differences in the entire SEC.
LSU is extremely defensive-minded and has been for quite some time. However, this year, the Tigers defense has been more crucial than ever due to the lack of the team's offensive efficiency.
Sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings needs much more time to develop into a viable option under center. He hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards or more than one touchdown since LSU's first two games of the season.
The team has fared slightly better on the ground, as freshman running back Leonard Fournette leads the charge with 745 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, but he's only eclipsed the 100-yard mark three times this season. Luckily for the Tigers, Texas A&M doesn't feature too strong of a defense and is ranked 104th in the nation against the run.
This tweet from Glenn Guilbeau of USA Today sums up both teams' weaknesses:
On the flip side, the Aggies are all about offense. Although, they've had to put up points with two different quarterbacks at the helm this season. Kenny Hill began the season with a flourish, throwing for 511 yards and three touchdowns against South Carolina. However, he began to struggle later in the season and was benched in favor of Kyle Allen.
Allen's had his moments since he was named starter, the biggest of which came in a victory over Auburn. The quarterback threw for 277 yards, four touchdowns and one pick in that game, as the Aggies ran a very balanced attack.
Speaking of balanced attacks, that may be the only way around a superb LSU defense that's only allowing 16.4 points per game. A trio of ball-carriers featuring Tra Carson, Trey Williams and Brandon Williams will attempt to find a way to reach paydirt against a Tigers defense that's only allowed 12 rushing touchdowns this season.
Home Sweet Home
While these teams are very different, one factor could be even more prominent than their diverse styles of play. That would be home-field advantage.
The Aggies are 4-2 at Kyle Field after plenty of mixed results this season. They blew the doors off lesser opponents such as Lamar and Rice, were taken to overtime by Arkansas and were defeated by Ole Miss and Missouri. That last defeat was the most concerning.
Missouri came into College Station without an extremely potent rushing offense but still racked up a total of 335 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per carry along the way. That's not good news for the Aggies, as the Tigers will be coming into town with a ground-and-pound mindset.
LSU is 1-2 on the road this season, and the results haven't been pretty. The Tigers just edged Florida by a three-point margin, notching their lone road win of the year; however, the other two featured bad losses at the hands of Auburn and Arkansas.
Much of this can be pegged on LSU's inability to establish its running game away from home. In Death Valley, the Tigers have been all over opposing defenses, averaging 235.1 rushing yards per game and scoring a total of 18 rushing touchdowns. It's been completely different on the road, as the team is only averaging 123 yards per game on the ground, scoring just four times.
Making matters worse, 14 of the team's 15 passing touchdowns this year came at home. Needless to say, an already sluggish Tigers offense is completely lethargic when out of its comfort zone.
When: Thursday, November 27
Where: Kyle Field in College Station, Texas
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 49.5
- Spread: LSU -2.5
Team Injury Reports
| Vadal Alexander | G | 11/24/2014 | Probable | hand |
| Jared Foster | QB | 09/06/2014 | Out | foot |
| Trey Lealaimatafao | DT | 08/02/2014 | Out | arm |
| Elliott Porter | C | 11/22/2014 | Questionable | ankle |
| Rashard Robinson | CB | 11/08/2014 | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Dwayne Thomas | CB | 09/29/2014 | Out | knee |
| Travonte Valentine | DT | 09/10/2014 | Out | eligibility |
| Otaro Alaka | LB | 11/22/2014 | Probable | undisclosed |
| Darian Claiborne | LB | 08/06/2014 | Out | disciplinary |
| Myles Garrett | DE | 11/22/2014 | Probable | concussion |
| Isaiah Golden | DT | 08/06/2014 | Out | disciplinary |
| A.J. Hilliard | LB | 09/02/2014 | Out | ankle |
| Germain Ifedi | T | 11/05/2014 | Out | knee |
| Ivan Robinson | DT | 11/22/2014 | Probable | undisclosed |
Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
Despite the massive amount of differences between these two teams, they actually match up quite well. We should absolutely expect a low-scoring game, as the Aggies will struggle moving the ball against LSU's defense and the Tigers' road struggles on the offensive side of the ball will continue.
In contests like this, the upper hand generally goes to the team with the better defense. In this case, that would be LSU. Expect the Tigers to cause plenty of issues for Allen and Co., creating turnovers, winning the battle for field position and giving their offense short fields to work with.
The Aggies have some playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, and creating a big play isn't out of the question here. Texas A&M may get on the scoreboard due to its ability to take the top off a defense, but it can't count on that to defeat the Tigers.
Prediction: LSU 23, Texas A&M 17
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
