The LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies are set for an SEC clash this Saturday night in Death Valley. LSU fell from No. 10 to No. 20 in the AP Poll following last week's loss to Vanderbilt, while Texas A&M jumped from No. 4 to No. 3 after a road win over Arkansas. LSU is looking to bounce back and avoid a third conference loss on the season, while Texas A&M is looking to stay undefeated and move to 8-0.
One crucial matchup in this game will be Texas A&M's vaunted pass rush going up against LSU's offensive line. The offensive line play for LSU has not been great this season, and it doesn't help that starting tackle Tyree Adams has already been ruled out with an ankle injury. Garrett Nussmeier was under constant duress against Vanderbilt, and the Tigers have a lot of work to do in order to keep him upright against Texas A&M.
Texas A&M can get after the quarterback
The Aggies own one of the best pass rushes in all of college football. Mike Elko's team has racked up 25 sacks on the season, which is good for 6th in the country. Furthermore, their 3.6 sacks per game ranks 3rd nationally. Nussmeier was sacked just twice against Vanderbilt, but that number could have very easily been a lot higher. Now LSU's offensive line has another tough test ahead.
The biggest name that LSU needs to worry about is senior DE Cashiu Howell. Howell leads the SEC and ranks 6th nationally with 8 sacks on the season. He transferred to Texas A&M from Bowling Green in 2024, and has racked up 12.5 sacks with the Aggies. His play has drawn comparisons to Von Miller, who was selected with the 2nd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. CBS Sports' Mike Renner has Howell being selected with the 27th overall pick in his latest NFL mock draft.
If the Aggies dial up the pressure, LSU needs to be ready. Texas A&M ranks 6th in the country with 55.0 team tackles for loss this season. They also have the highest pressure rate (56.3%) when blitzing. LSU has struggled to keep opposing defenses out of the backfield - even without blitzes coming. With Adams out and Carius Curne and DJ Chester in line for bigger roles, the Tigers will have their hands full.