LSU travels to A&M for the SEC Undefeated Teams-LSU game

BATON ROUGE – Riding a six-game winning streak, the Fighting Tigers of LSU (6-1) travel to College Station for another prime-time SEC test against Texas A&M (6-1) on Saturday night at Kyle Field.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:44 p.m. CT on ABC and the LSU Sports Radio Network. Chris Fowler (pxp), Kirk Herbstreit (Analyst) and Holly Rowe (Sideline) will join the conversation.

The Tigers are coming off an impressive 34-10 win over Arkansas in Fayetteville. Sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks had his best performance in an LSU uniform with nine tackles, a sack, an interception and a pass breakup, leading the team to a big win in a hostile environment.

This Saturday will be no different as over 102,000 spectators will cheer on the home Aggies at sold-out Kyle Field. It's up to the Tigers, says head coach Brian Kelly, to go into this venue and put it all on the line as the bye week approaches.

“You have to go into that stadium and take something from them,” Kelly said Thursday. “They won’t give it to you. This requires an incredible desire and want. You don’t want to sit around all next week when you don’t have a game and regret it.”

LSU, behind a 100-yard rusher in Caden Durham, a standout defensive player in Weeks and an unsung hero in kicker Damian Ramos, started fast and finished strong with one of the most complete performances of the season. It was four quarters of LSU football.

“The first time we played away, I thought we were being reactive,” Kelly said. “We were waiting for something to happen. We didn't wait long for this game. That’s how we have to play against an outstanding A&M team this weekend.”

Ramos, who converted 12 of his 14 field goal attempts and 25 of 25 extra points, gave the Tigers the confidence to get three points if needed. It's a thankless position and often doesn't get the attention it deserves, but Ramos has been an unsung hero to this team's success for seven games.

“His mechanics and his routine are so impeccable in terms of what he does,” Kelly said. “His ability to repeat his mechanics is what really sets him apart. So when it’s time to kick, it’s push play.”

LSU and Texas A&M will meet as top-15 teams for the fourth time since 2012. LSU is 3-0, with wins in 2012 and 2016 coming in College Station. pic.twitter.com/tw04QtpeeK

– LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 24, 2024

As November approaches, the stories will only continue to swirl. This Saturday will play a big role in deciding the SEC race and ultimately the College Football Playoff race. For Coach Kelly, the message was clear: control the controllable things.

“It’s a week-to-week thing,” Kelly said. “Whatever the narrative is, whatever people say, we (as staff) have already reported on it. What really matters is what you can control. Control the controllable things.”

The Aggies are led by sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, who has 718 passing yards and three touchdowns. Junior running back Le'Veon Moss has accumulated 674 yards on the ground with eight touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per touch. Noah Thomas leads the team in receiving with 21 receptions for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, A&M is led in tackles by Taurean York, who has 40 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Defensive backs Will Lee III and Dalton Brooks are both tied for second with 28 apiece.

“Mike Elko is doing a great job with this football team in his first year,” Kelly said. “Very similar to what our team did. We lost the opening game, they lost the opening game and they are playing better and better every week. They are very balanced on offense. Conner Weigman is a really good quarterback. He has very good weapons.”

To put this matchup in perspective, the home team has won the last seven meetings in the series, including a 42-30 victory by LSU last year at Tiger Stadium. The Aggies have won the last three games against LSU at Kyle Field, including a 38-23 victory in the 2022 regular season finale. LSU's last win at Kyle Field came in 2016, 54-39.