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    • Aggies stun top 10 Tigers at Kyle Field
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    Aggies stun top 10 Tigers at Kyle Field

    Pabio Posted on

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    It was a tale of two halves as No.14 Texas A&M football pulled away late for a dominant victory Saturday against No. 9 LSU, 38-23.

    Thanks to two interceptions by defensive back BJ Mayes and the insertion of a substitute quarterback Marcel Reed and his three touchdowns, the Aggies outscored the Tigers 24-6 in the second half.

    “It was a major turning point. We needed a big stop to turn things around. That first pick really did that,” defensive back BJ Mayes told reporters when asked about his first of two interceptions.

    GOLDEN: Why quarterback Marcel Reed should start for Texas A&M football moving forward

    The Aggies scored on the next play after the interception, leading to three unanswered touchdowns.

    “In the first half, they did everything they had. We made a lot of mistakes in the first half,” Mayes said. “…We have turned the situation around, and when we play our brand football, they can’t bother us.”

    Reed racked up those three scores after coming in in relief of starting quarterback Conner Weigman, who was 6-for-18 for 64 yards before being pulled in the second half. Reed, a redshirt freshman, completed just 2 of 2 passes for 70 yards, but was sensational on the ground. His 62 yards on nine carries contributed to a 242-yard rushing performance by the Aggies.

    3 TO REMEMBER: Texas A&M football moves quarterback Marcel Reed past LSU

    The decision to play Reed — who was 3-0 as a starter while sophomore Weigman was injured earlier this year — was an instant spark.

    “(The Tigers) were doing a good job of mixing up the coverage. There weren’t a lot of windows open. It certainly wasn’t all about Conner,” Elko told reporters after the game. “At halftime, we understood what we had to do. It didn’t seem to be going in a better direction. We had to run the ball and we needed Marcel’s legs.”

    Running back Amari Daniels led the way with 91 yards on 12 carries while teammate Le’Veon Moss added 83 yards on 14 carries. Moss, a junior, had the most catches of any Aggie on a night where the running game overtook the passing game.

    108,852 fans attended the live return; the third largest crowd in Kyle Field history.

    “(Weigman) said, ‘Let’s go, you’ve got it.’ We’re brothers and teammates,” Reed recalled of the conversation between him and the elder passer when he was told he was going in. “I support it.”

    The Aggies proved that whatever thoughts they had about the College Football Playoff were well deserved, earning their seventh win of the season and remaining undefeated in league play. No other team is perfect in SEC competition as the calendar turns to November next week.

    In his first season, Elko led A&M to 5-0 in conference play, the Aggies’ best start since joining the conference more than a decade ago.

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    “It’s a real program. I’m not a politician here, I’m joking with everyone…For all the recruits, if you want to play really good football, this is a good place to be,” Elko said .

    The Aggies defense did its part, forcing three interceptions and holding the Tigers to just 24 rushing yards on 23 attempts.

    LSU maintained all its momentum from the start.

    After punts for each offense, including a three-and-out by the Tigers, LSU found a rhythm on its second possession, going eight plays and 86 yards to add three scores and take an early 3-0 lead.

    After LSU took the lead, Moss made a third down on the ensuing possession, but fumbled on the run, and LSU was there to recover the mistake. A&M added a 15-yard personal foul, setting up the Tigers on the 21st.

    LSU took advantage of the mistake with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Nussmeier to tight end Mason Taylor to extend its lead to 10-0.

    Trailing by two possessions, A&M had to respond to keep the game from getting too far away from them. The Aggies orchestrated a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 7-yard touchdown run by Moss to narrow the Tigers’ lead to 10-7.

    After nearly 11 minutes of play with no points from either team, the Tigers took advantage of a triple play to extend their lead to 10. Nussmeier found wide receiver Aaron Anderson for 76 yards to extend the lead to 17 -7 with 4:56 left in the first half.

    Next up for No. 14 Texas A&M is a road test against South Carolina.

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