For the second consecutive season, No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1) will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face No. 10 LSU (2-1) at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night.
The Aggies are coming off one of the most disappointing performances of the Mike Elko era in a shocking 31-21 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, snapping a 19-game winning streak against unranked opponents at Kyle Field. Texas A&M allowed 408 total yards, the highest mark in regulation against an unranked opponent under Elko.
While the defense struggled to stop Will Stein's high-powered offense, junior quarterback Marcel Reed was vastly inconsistent, going 2-of-13 on deep throws of 15-plus yards and throwing two interceptions. Reed wasn't sacked in the contest, which is a good sign for the struggling
offensive line, but he must fix his inconsistent play heading into this weekend's contest against one of the SEC's most potent defensive units.
Here is a full preview of what Texas A&M will be facing in Death Valley in Week 4:
LSU offense
Three players to watch: Sam Leavitt (QB), Dilin Jones (RB) and Winston Watkins Jr. (WR)
Tale of the tape: LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is an offensive guru. His high-tempo, explosive offensive scheme aims to wear down the defense and keep them off balance. To run Kiffin's offense, the quarterback must be mobile, confident and have that touch of swagger that could swing a game in an instant.
Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt has all of those qualities, but has some holes in his game that the Texas A&M defense could expose. Leavitt has displayed a tendency to panic under pressure, forcing him to scramble and make some errant throws. He leads the conference with five interceptions through the first three games, including the game-ending pick against Ole Miss last Saturday.
The key for Texas A&M is to get pressure on Leavitt, force him to make mistakes and capitalize on those mistakes, something the Aggies have not been able to do so far this season.
LSU defense
Three players to watch: Whit Weeks (LB), Princewill Umanmielen (DE) and TJ Dottery (LB)
Tale of the tape: Despite allowing over 400 yards of total offense to the Rebels in Week 3, the Tigers rank No. 3 in total defense in the conference entering Saturday's night game in Death Valley.
There are veterans all over the field, including linebackers Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery, who rank first and second on the team in total tackles. If there is any weak spot with this LSU defense, it would be in the secondary. The Tigers are allowing 203.7 passing yards per game, which ranks No. 8 in the SEC.
That is an area that Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was able to attack, throwing for 363 yards and two touchdowns.
Reed must be able to take that next step as a passer, however. His accuracy, decision-making and ability to get the ball in the hands of electric weapons like Mario Craver and Isaiah Horton will be the key to putting up points against the ferocious LSU defense.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU: Everything to know about the Tigers
