With tensions bubbling to an all-time high, it just meant more for the top two teams in the Southeastern Conference.
On Saturday night, 108,852 fans were in attendance at Kyle Field to see No. 14 Texas A&M football against No. 8 LSU. A classic “good guys versus bad guys” troupe plagued the atmosphere as the Tigers were dressed in all white and the Maroon and White were clad in all black.
A scuffle in pregame warmups summarized the bad blood between the two programs as junior right guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams was the main instigator on the A&M side.
A hot start on offense for the Tigers ensued in the first quarter — a touchdown from redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to junior tight end Mason Taylor — which was set up due to a fumble by the Aggies’ junior running back Le’von Moss.
Although he had his troubles early, Moss rebounded on his next touch, breaking out for a 25-yard gain on the next drive. After getting the ball back, the A&M offense took the rock 75 yards down the field, capping off the drive by entrusting the ball right back to Moss for a 7-yard touchdown run.
The 12th Man crowd was electric, pressuring Nussmeier into trouble early. The 12th Man took matters into their own hands by making as much noise as possible when the popular song “Mo Bamba” began to rattle the stands.
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Nussmeier returned to the field, seemingly unable to think while the crowd began to scream the not-so-clean lyrics. The Tigers committed two false starts while the mob of Aggies instilled confidence in the defense as it held the Tigers to a field goal try — which was kicked wide left by junior kicker Damian Ramos.
“That was an electric atmosphere,” coach Mike Elko said. “I think at times that willed us to victory. The energy that that group brought was just unbelievable.”
Nussmeier returned in the next LSU offensive drive with a vengeance, airing out a 76-yard touchdown bomb to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Aaron Anderson on second-and-11 and momentarily silencing the mighty voice of the 12th Man.
The push-and-shove dynamic between the 12th Man and LSU’s offense continued late in the second quarter after Nussmeier made two big-time throws. The first was a 15-yard pass to junior WR Chris Hilton Jr., then the QB followed with another 30-yard completion to his leading receiver, fifth year Kyren Lacy.
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That’s when the crowd noise picked up once again, forcing three incompletions from Nussmeier and holding the Tigers to another field goal. Ramos was again influenced by the loud and obnoxious home audience as he placed the kick short.
“There’s a lot of things that we’ve got to elevate in this program,” Elko said. “Our home atmosphere is not one of them. Our home atmosphere is absolutely elite. It’s electric when you play on a Saturday night in Kyle … that was really special.”
Heading into halftime, the Aggies trailed the Tigers, 17-7, hanging on the coattails of the hyped home crowd.
Midway through the third quarter, the mass of fans put the LSU offense under fire again, forcing the Tigers into another false start penalty. Building off the roaring crowd’s momentum, senior UAB transfer cornerback BJ Mayes jumped in front of Anderson and picked off Nussmeier.
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Looking revived from the grave, the Maroon and White turned to redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed to punch in an 8-yard touchdown run, pushing the score to 17-14, LSU.
Junior linebacker Scooby Williams was the next difference-maker for A&M. On third-and-seven Nussmeier had a receiver open, but as he entered Williams’ zone, he was taken down hard by the Florida transfer and dropped the ball.
As the fourth-quarter crowd forced the stadium to rock back and forth, LSU fumbled the snap when trying to kick a field goal, giving the ball back to Reed and his offense.
“I appreciate [the 12th Man] coming out in black tonight, supporting the team,” Elko said. “I appreciate the way the environment felt [from] start to finish. It was an absolute[ly] special environment tonight.”
As the next offensive drive ensued, Reed was back at the helm to provide a scramble of 20 yards while Moss continued to strike fear into the heart of the Tigers’ defensive front with another 15-plus-yard run. Finally, A&M took the lead for the first time in the game after Reed scored a eight-yard touchdown run, putting the Aggies up, 21-17.
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Another impactful moment occurred right after Reed’s score. Mayes once again took advantage of a distracted Nussmeier, picking him off for the second time and setting up the revitalized offense for another Reed run-and-score.
As the audience in the stands swayed back and forth once more, the Maroon and White stunned Nussmeier again with “Mo Bamba,” with the crowd noise forcing the offense to commit its fourth false start of the game.
Another drive propelled by Reed’s running ability and a deep 54-yard throw to junior WR Noah Thomas put the flock of Ags back on their feet and cheering as A&M increased its lead to 35-23.
The fans could not make it any harder for Nussmeier as he was sacked on the next drive for a loss of seven and then picked off a few plays later for the third time.
Next, A&M will head to South Carolina for another primetime kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.