With the inclusion of Texas and Oklahoma in the Southeastern Conference, the rankings have been in disarray. Usual top dogs Georgia and Alabama have both suffered a loss, with the Crimson Tide dropping an unprecedented two games while No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 8 LSU have reigned supreme at the top.

Though unexpected, the two powerhouses were on a collision course that finally arrived on Saturday when the Aggies donned their new black uniforms and welcomed the white-out Tigers.

In front of a raucous crowd of 108,852, A&M — despite an uninspired and stale first half — rallied behind the coattails of unexpected heroes to sit alone at the top of the SEC, leashing the Tigers with a 38-23 win.

The first half offensive yin and yang

One of the two quarterbacks that took the field had a near-perfect first half with 259 passing yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, for the home crowd, that was redshirt junior Garrett Nussmeier, dressed in a white uniform with purple and gold.

The Tiger showed why he’s been one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, demonstrating both his ability to throw short and long with connections to nine different receivers. LSU’s playmakers also proved deadly, catching A&M’s secondary off guard on multiple occasions. Fifth year wide receiver Kyren Lacy became Nussmeier’s safety valve, freeing himself up near the sidelines whenever his playcaller was in trouble while freshman running back Caden Durham’s yards after-catch ability in the first quarter moved the chains, garnering 52 yards.

However, the biggest momentum-shifter came when redshirt sophomore WR Aaron Anderson capitalized on a missed A&M tackle and broke off for a 76-yard touchdown.

While Nussmeier wheeled and dealed, redshirt sophomore QB Conner Weigman struggled to replicate the same success. He salvaged 49 yards and went 5-of-14, accruing incomplete passes due to the mix of the LSU defensive line and errant throws, struggling with slant routes that would’ve kept crucial A&M drives going.

Junior RB Le’Veon Moss also proved to be human after coughing up his second fumble of the season that led to the Tigers’ first touchdown, but the workhorse later made up for the mistake, punching in a seven-yarder to put the Aggies on the board.

Usual A&M playmakers were left off the statsheet,  as junior WRs Noah Thomas and Cyrus Allen and senior Jahdae Walker had zero yards with just a mere three targets to Thomas in the first half. LSU capitalized on its defensive line, disrupting Weigman and his receivers. Despite the bumps, A&M only found itself down 17-7.

Unsung, unexpected heroes in the second half

Down the long list of stars between the two SEC squads, the names Marcel Reed and BJ Mayes don’t particularly jump out. It looked to be Nussmeier’s night, especially after his first-half performance with his playmakers and the LSU defense to boot. However, things changed drastically in the second half.

Senior defensive back Mayes single-handedly kickstarted A&M’s comeback effort in the third quarter when he got his first interception off a 50/50 ball from Nussmeier, returning it 27 yards to set up the Aggies with an easy field position.

Then, much to the surprise of everyone in the stadium, Marcel Mania made an appearance.

The redshirt freshman QB — who already has quality wins against Florida and Arkansas under his belt — was called on to capitalize on the short-field position. The Nashville, Tennessee native stayed composed. With Reed’s ability to run the ball, offensive coordinator Collin Klein cooked up a read option between Reed and Moss that left LSU clueless as Reed pulled the ball last second and cut through gaps to bring the Aggies within three.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Reed was far from done, adding on points and momentum.

On the following A&M drive, Klein stuck to the ground game and the trenches, and LSU struggled to keep up with the backfield threats, leading to a thrid-and-five on LSU’s eight-yard line. With the chance to finally get over the hump of being down all game, Reed surveyed the field and, after finding no one open, tucked it and ran towards the end zone. Though the Tigers stonewalled him initially, a big offensive line push piled #No. 10 back in between the pylons.

Almost as fast as it scored, the offense came on back after Maye jumped in front of a pass intended for Anderson and in a change of fate from the first half, gave the Aggies — and the 12th Man — more life.

Reed once again took advantage of the short field and had his best fake out yet when he pulled away at the last second on another run option and punched it in for his third touchdown. Though the team stuck with the run game for the second half, Reed aired it out on his next drive and found Thomas for a monumental 54 yards that set up Moss’s second touchdown.

After defending its home turf, A&M goes back on the road to take on a dangerous South Carolina team on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.