Even with the peaks and valleys the Aggie football season has seen, A&M still has a lot left to play for on Saturday. The Aggies will finish as the second place team in the SEC West if they win and Ole Miss loses to Mississippi State.
On the cusp of a 9-3 season — and a possible 10-win season with a bowl win — A&M enters LSU following a 25-0 shutout of Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Here is what you should be watching for Saturday as the Aggies take the field in Death Valley.
Kyle Allen, QB
After struggling and being demoted to the third-string quarterback, Allen shined in his return to the field, going 18-for-36 with 336 yards and a touchdown in the win over Vanderbilt. Something was clearly wrong with Allen early in the year, whether it was a mentality issue or an injury, but Allen looked to be his old self on Saturday night. He will face an LSU defense that has been reeling ever since the loss to Alabama and was most recently gashed by Chad Kelly and Ole Miss. Also, remember what happened the last time Kyle Allen went on the road in November against an SEC West school? Look for him to have a solid game.
The Defense
Saturday’s 25-0 shutout win was a culmination of the hard work John Chavis and the defense have put in this season. They have kept A&M from being run out of the building on multiple occasions, and on Saturday they looked the best they have all season. They held Ralph Webb to 79 yards rushing, and forced an interception. The linebackers looked drastically improved, and the secondary was rock solid again, and they are actually ranked seventh in the nation against the pass. This week is a different animal in Leonard Fournette, and it will be a very nice challenge for the Aggie run defense.
Richard Moore, LB
The linebacker was all over the field on Saturday, and just might be the type of SEC-caliber linebacker the Aggies have been lacking since they joined the league. He posted nine total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack in the shutout. His performance was a breath of fresh air for the Aggie defense, which had been gashed on the ground by multiple running backs this year. Now, he must step up into the role of being able to corral Fournette and the nation’s ninth ranked rushing offense. As he gains experience, he will only get better. This week will provide him with his biggest challenge so far, as he will likely be the starting middle linebacker moving forward.
Josh Reynolds & Ricky Seals-Jones, WRs
The focus of the Aggie offense has run through Christian Kirk. LSU’s secondary is going to do whatever it can to keep him contained and out of the open field. This means Allen is going to have to look elsewhere for production, and with a receiving corps such as A&M’s, you do not have to look far to find another playmaker. Seals-Jones and Reynolds have combined for 1,185 yards and seven touchdowns this year. If they can get going, it might open Kirk up for some big plays as well.
Andre Perrard is a sports management senior and assistant sports editor for The Battalion.