Numbers don’t lie: LSU Tigers vs. Texas A&M Aggies

After falling to the Ole Miss Rebels 32-24 last weekend, the LSU Tigers will return home to Baton Rouge to defend Death Valley against the visiting Texas A&M Aggies, who are coming off a 31-21 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. Let’s look at how the numbers break down ahead of this Saturday’s primetime action between two teams searching for their first conference win.

-1: Blake Baker’s defense has been stingy thus far, forcing five takeaways in three games. The only problem is that LSU’s offense has turned the ball over with six giveaways in those same contests. The Tigers have got to learn to limit the possessions given up and must take advantage of the extra opportunities when they arise.

2: Texas A&M has now gotten the better of LSU in back-to-back seasons, and although LSU is in just the first year of the Lane Kiffin era, he will now have to lead the Tigers into battle against the Aggies while fending off the school’s first three-game losing skid to A&M since 1993-95.

6: Ole Miss transfer and new LSU Tiger, Princewill Umanmielen, is currently tied for the country’s lead in sacks with North Carolina’s Xavier Lewis. Each player has six sacks through three games. A season ago, LSU’s end-of-season leader was LB Harold Perkins Jr., who managed just four sacks the entire year.

17: Texas A&M’s defense is giving up an average of just 17 points per game so far. Something will have to give when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object this weekend in Louisiana’s capital.

19: Texas A&M has been perfect through three weeks when trying scoring kicks (XPs and FGA). Placekicker David Olano (senior) has gone a combined 18-for-18. Asher Murray (freshman) converted his lone FGA this season, drilling a 47-yarder, the longest make this season for the Aggies.

170: Mobile quarterbacks have a history of giving LSU defenses trouble throughout the years, but none more recently than A&M senior QB Marcel Reed. In the Aggies’ most recent victories over the Tigers, Reed has given LSU the WORK on the ground. 170 total rushing yards given up just to Reed, 62 in 24’ and 108 more last season, will not win you many football games. With another performance like that, things could get ugly for LSU this weekend.

500.7: The LSU Tigers have one of the highest-octane offenses through the first few games of this young season as they average just over 500 yards per game, ranking 18th in the nation. This time last year, LSU was averaging just over 345 yards per game. Quite the increase in production, right?

1998: Both LSU and Texas A&M are in search of their first SEC win this season, but the loser of Saturday’s game will fall to 0-2 in conference play. A member of the SEC that starts with two conference losses has not made it to the SEC Championship since Mississippi State in 1998. The Bulldogs would eventually lose to the Tennessee Volunteers.