Texas A&M Has a Chance to Change the Narrative at LSU
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There are plenty of narratives to choose from when Texas A&M walks into Tiger Stadium this weekend to take on No. 10 LSU.
For LSU, the questions center around how Lane Kiffin and the Tigers bounce back after the emotional loss to Ole Miss. For Texas A&M, there has been plenty of conversation about Marcel Reed and whether he can consistently perform against big-time competition. Additionally, the physicality that was supposed to become a defining characteristic of this team suddenly looks a lot less certain after what happened against Kentucky.
Then there is the bigger picture hovering over all of it. With both teams already carrying a loss, another one could make the path to the SEC title game, as well as the College Football Playoff, considerably more complicated.
But for Texas A&M, all of those conversations eventually lead back to the same question: Can the Aggies respond?
Texas A&M Finally Has to Respond
That question is particularly interesting because Texas A&M spent much of last season in a comfortable position, not facing that much adversity along its journey.
The Aggies went through long stretches last season without suffering a defeat, and even when questions emerged along the way, there wasn't quite the same urgency surrounding them because wins were coming at high speed regardless of any of the issues. Texas A&M could talk about what it was building and where things were headed because, for the most part, the results allowed it to.
That luxury completely disappeared against Kentucky.
Now Texas A&M has to respond. Not eventually, and not after spending a few weeks working through whatever went wrong. No, the Aggies have to turn around and travel to Baton Rouge for a ranked SEC matchup and figure it out on the fly.
This is not just a simple bounce-back opportunity. This is much more than that. For Mike Elko and company, this is an opportunity to define what Texas A&M can be – define how his team will respond when the going gets tough and the road becomes bumpier than it appears the car can manage.
A Chance to Change the Conversation
Elko doesn't seem particularlyinterestedin spending too much time looking backward.
"I don't think we're going to focus on last week much more," Elko said. "I think we know we have an opportunity in front of us and I think we're excited for the challenge."
Texas A&M can't change what happened against Kentucky, but it gets an immediate chance to change what people are saying about it afterward. Going into Tiger Stadium and beating LSU wouldn't suddenly make every concern from last weekend disappear, nor would it mean those concerns were never legitimate in the first place. It would, however, show us something about this team that we haven't really had the opportunity to see.
Texas A&M got knocked down last weekend. Now comes the considerably more interesting part: the response.
Today's best reads
- Mike Elko Reveals What Texas A&M Must Fix Before LSU
- Mike Elko Says Texas A&M Defense Must 'Catch Up Quick' Before LSU
- Texas A&M's Loss to Kentucky Exposed an Uncomfortable Truth About Marcel Reed
- Mike Elko Gives Texas A&M's Marcel Reed Vote of Confidence Ahead of LSU
- Here's How Texas A&M Gets Back On Track Against LSU
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as Texas A&M Has a Chance to Change the Narrative at LSU.
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