The Southeastern Conference offers no rest for the weary as Texas A&M gears up for a massive road contest against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Saturday.
The 19-game winning streak against unranked opponents at home, offensive woes and one of the worst overall performances of the Mike Elko era must be left in Week 3 because it does not get any easier from here for Texas A&M. For the second consecutive year, Elko will be leading his team into Death Valley, where dreams come to die.
Here are three areas to watch in the 65th meeting between Texas A&M and LSU Saturday night:
Marcel Reed vs. LSU's secondary
Offseason talk from the media and those around the Texas A&M football program hasn't lived up to the hype yet. In last week's loss to Kentucky, Reed was 2-of-13
on deep throws of 15-plus yards. The junior has been tremendously inconsistent, reverting to old habits like forcing plays and being shaky facing pressure in the pocket. The bad news? It doesn't get any easier for Reed and the Aggies' offense.
They face the No. 3 total defense in the SEC in Week 4, which is allowing just 236.7 yards per game. Ole Miss found success against the LSU secondary, throwing for 363 yards and two touchdowns. If the Aggies want to succeed in Death Valley, Reed and the offense must attack the Tigers' pass defense, which ranks No. 8 in the conference entering Saturday.
Can Reed shake off a poor performance against the Wildcats, find his footing and excel against the massive challenge ahead?
Texas A&M's pass-rush vs. Sam Leavitt
On the other side of the ball, Texas A&M has struggled to get pressure on the quarterback, which is extremely uncharacteristic for an Elko-led defensive unit. The Aggies rank last in the SEC with just 4.0 total sacks against three subpar offenses.
That will not be the case on Saturday. Despite a few rocky drives against Ole Miss, a Lane Kiffin-led offense is dangerous and explosive when it is clicking. Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt ranks No. 5 in the conference with 244.0 yards passing per contest. However, he also ranks atop the league with five interceptions. Like Reed, Leavitt can be frantic under pressure and force the ball into tight windows.
Will the Texas A&M pass rush get to Leavitt and force him to make errant decisions?
Elko vs. Kiffin
Saturday night's matchup between the Aggies and Tigers is one both coaches need to get back on track and salvage playoff hopes, but these two could not be more different when it comes to their personalities and philosophies.
Elko is a defensive mastermind who preaches physicality and likes his players to crowd the line of scrimmage and create pre-snap confusion. Meanwhile, Kiffin's high-powered offense likes to create explosive plays and keep defenses off balance with a high tempo. Both coaches are two of the best in college football, which should make for an intriguing chess match at Tiger Stadium in Week 4.
Which head coach will lead their team to a bounce-back victory and set things back on the right track entering Week 5?
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M at LSU: 3 areas to watch in Death Valley
