LSU Offensive Playmakers Texas A&M Must Contain In SEC Road Test
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Texas A&M’s defense doesn’t get much time to recover from one of its roughest performances of the season.
After surrendering 31 points in a home loss to Kentucky, the No. 23 Aggies head to Baton Rouge Saturday night to face No. 10 LSU and an offense capable of stressing a defense in several different ways.
MORE: Texas A&M Teammates Rally Behind Marcel Reed After Kentucky Loss
The first problem is quarterback Sam Leavitt.
Leavitt was dealing with an injury before LSU’s loss to Ole Miss, but he came off the SEC availability report and played.
Through his first two LSU games, the Arizona State transfer threw for 574 yards while adding 135 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
His mobility makes him particularly dangerous against an Aggies defense that struggled with assignment discipline last week.
Running back Dilin Jones might be an even bigger concern.
Jones rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns in LSU’s season-opening rout of Clemson and followed that with another strong performance against Ole Miss, topping 100 yards with a touchdown.
He gives Lane Kiffin a physical runner capable of forcing Texas A&M’s linebackers to tackle cleanly for four quarters.
“He wasn’t a big name coming in,” Kiffin said earlier this season. “We just go off what we see.”
What LSU sees is a back who keeps producing.
On the perimeter, Winston Watkins Jr. has quickly become one of Leavitt’s most dependable weapons.
Watkins opened the season with seven receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown against Clemson, then scored again against Ole Miss.
Eugene Wilson III gives LSU another explosive option. The former Florida receiver entered LSU with 107 career catches for 1,043 yards and 10 touchdowns and has the short-area quickness to create problems after the catch.
That combination creates a difficult assignment for Texas A&M.
The Aggies can’t simply load the box to slow Jones because Leavitt can escape with his legs and LSU has enough speed outside to punish aggressive coverage.
MORE: Texas A&M Teammates Rally Behind Marcel Reed After Kentucky Loss
After Mike Elko called the Kentucky performance one of his defense’s worst under his watch, Saturday provides an immediate test.
Texas A&M’s response will have to start with containing these four.
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