No. 5 Texas A&M Beats Unranked LSU Behind Isaiah Spiller's 141 Rushing Yards

On Tuesday, Texas A&M debuted at No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. On Saturday, the Aggies knocked off defending champion LSU, 20-7.

There may have been better weeks around Texas A&M's program, but rarely has the future looked this bright in College Station.

It was only a year ago when the Tigers routed TAMU, 50-7, behind quarterback Joe Burrow. This year, it was Aggies tailback Isaiah Spiller's turn to shine as the senior rushed for 141 yards and a score in the victory. The win marks the fifth straight for Texas A&M (6-1) since falling to then-No. 2 Alabama on the road in early October. LSU drops to 3-4 on the season.

The Aggies will need a little help and some big wins in order to crack the Top Four in the CFP rankings. Saturday's performance will certainly help their case.

Notable Performers

Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M Aggies: 11-34, 105 yards

Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Aggies: 27 carries, 141 yards, 1 touchdown

DeMarvin Leal, DE, Texas A&M Aggies: 7 total tackles, 5 solo, 2 QB hits

TJ Finley, QB, LSU Tigers: 9-25, 118 yards, 2 interceptions

Tyrion Davis-Price, RB, LSU Tigers: 11 carries, 18 yards

Spiller Saves Aggies Offense

If the CFP committee was looking for a performance out of Texas A&M to help justify giving the school a No. 5 ranking, Saturday's performance didn't provide it.

Instead, an offense averaging 33.7 points per game could only muster 13 by halftime and only seven after that. The passing game was virtually nonexistent thanks to some inconsistent throws from Kellen Mond and a good dose of rain that made large gains through the air even more difficult.

Which is why it was a good thing Spiller was able to find his footing and gash a porous Tigers defense.

A 52-yard touchdown run from Spiller at the end of the first quarter helped push the Aggies up 10-0, giving TAMU all the padding it would need to pull off the victory. It was also a bit of a harbinger for the rest of Spiller's day.

The freshman broke off five runs of at least 10 yards with a 32-yard sprint coming on the first carry after his touchdown.

There's no question the Aggies weren't at their best Saturday. Spiller made that rather moot.

With two games left on Texas A&M's schedule, Jimbo Fisher's program still has an opportunity to prove itself not only worthy of its ranking but also potentially move into a Top Four slot. No. 4 Ohio State still has to face Michigan State and Michigan, but if either of those games is canceled, the Buckeyes might not be eligible for the Big Ten Championship Game—six games played minimum—depriving the team of a much-desired stage to make its final case to the committee.

Meanwhile, the Aggies keep turning out victories, waiting to vault into the playoff picture before they run out of games to make their case.

Finley Gives Glimpse of LSU Future

It may be a while before TJ Finley is QB1 at LSU, but he gave Tigers fans reason to eagerly await his time running the offense.

Finley wasn't good enough to give LSU a chance against a title contender Saturday while splitting time with Max Johnson (14-22, 113 yards, one touchdown), yet LSU was outmatched from the start. Especially with starting quarterback Myles Brennan out because of a lower body injury that could sideline him for the rest of the year.

After showing out with 271 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas last week, Finley launched a few noteworthy passes that should give the Tigers' coaching staff optimism moving forward.

Following an LSU fumble at the 15-yard line, Finley fired a 54-yard dart before a perfect pass to the pylon seemingly gave the Tigers their first score of the day. The ruling was overturned moments later, not because of the pass, but because wideout Kayshon Boutte couldn't maintain possession.

The next pass Finley tossed went for an interception—one of two on the day.

Those were the plays that showed Finley can excel on this level, even if they didn't count for much. Of the nine passes the QB completed, a third went for at least 18 yards. Progress may be slower than Tigers fans prefer at the moment, but there's no question the quarterback position is trending up in Baton Rouge.

What's Next?

Texas A&M will travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium next week to face a No. 22 Auburn team coming off a 42-13 loss in the Iron Bowl to No. 1 Alabama. Meanwhile, LSU will host the Crimson Tide at 7 p.m. ET on CBS in a contest that was rescheduled from Nov. 14.