No. 10 LSU bounces back from Ole Miss loss with dominant 29-point win over No. 23 Texas A&M

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No. 10 LSU lost its first game under new head coach Lane Kiffin last week to Ole Miss, and this was the first chance for the Tigers to show how they would respond.

LSU took control early, scoring two first-half touchdowns and holding the Aggies to just three points. It looked like it would be a grueling game, but the Tigers came out of the half and dominated every phase. When the dust settled, LSU had earned the 35-6 blowout victory.

Although it came just four minutes into the second half, the game appeared mentally over for Texas A&M. LSU forced a three-and-out and then quarterback Sam Leavitt faked a run and flipped a pass to Jackson Harris, completely fooling the defense for the 57-yard score.

After the score, Texas A&M turned the ball over on downs. LSU then responded with another touchdown, and the Aggies never found a successful rhythm. No offensive drive lasted more than six plays for the remainder of the game.

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt was dealing with an ankle injury throughout the game. He wasn't able to run much, but fought through the injury. The quarterback left the game twice when the Tigers got to the goal line, and backup quarterback Landen Clark punched in two rushing touchdowns. Leavitt also got to sit for most of the fourth quarter as Clark got more reps.

Kiffin wasn't satisfied with the blowout win. On the other side of the two-minute timeout, even up 29, Kiffin continued to call plays and move the offense down the field, despite being able to kneel out the clock. The Tigers would have scored another touchdown if their wide receiver Jayce Brown hadn't dropped a pass from Clark.

After the game, Kiffin called it "a really good rebound, from obviously, the devastation of last week of letting go of that game we felt we could've won. It was good to come back and get a win."

Kiffin clarified after the game that last week's loss to Ole Miss wasn't their Super Bowl, just the Rebels'. He praised his team for their ability to respond this week.

The Aggies couldn't get anything going on offense. Rueben Owens II ran the ball efficiently, picking up 62 yards on 11 carries. Unfortunately, the game script took the ball out of his hands.

Quarterback Marcel Reed had one of the worst games of his career, finishing 10-of-26 for 106 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. It was the fewest amount of yards he had in a game in which he attempted at least 12 passes.

Reed had to start forcing passes to get the offense moving, but he threw an interception in the fourth quarter. The QB was trying to hit a receiver on the sideline or throw it away, but a Tigers DB jumped the route, and LSU was already in the red zone. The Tigers scored, increasing their lead to 29 and putting the final nail in the coffin.

Texas A&M began the season ranked eighth. With 2-2 record through four games, the Aggies will fall out of the Top 25 in the next AP poll. Texas A&M will look to bounce back next week at home against Arkansas after back-to-back conference losses.

LSU's loss to Ole Miss dropped the Tigers down to No. 10 this week. After taking on three Power Four teams in the first five weeks of the season, LSU will face McNeese next weekend in a game where Leavitt can hopefully get extra rest and heal up before a seven-game SEC slate to end the season.

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