The Good, The Bad and The Ugly vs. Texas A&M

LSU saw Marcel Reed make his return to Tiger Stadium after a full offseason of trolling and reminding all of Tiger Nation just how much he has dominated the Tigers. The anticipation for the matchup was not at the level of Ole Miss, but the game was hyped to see if LSU would finally be able to put a stop to Reed and the Aggie offense. Last year, the Aggies treated the Tigers like they were cubs. This year was, as Lane Kiffin says, “Just different.”

The Good

LSU’s defense is where this should start. Marcel Reed, in two games against LSU, had 170 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, he had 272 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

The obvious question was: Can LSU stop Reed from running the ball?

The very first play from scrimmage for A&M was a 12-yard QB run. That would be the last time Reed had that much success running the ball. Reed finished the game with 10 rushing attempts and -13 rushing yards after sacks were factored in. Without the sacks, he only managed around 30 yards on the ground.

The defense was all over Reed and the Aggie offense. They made him uncomfortable and forced him to do what they knew he couldn’t do: beat them by passing. Reed finished with 10 completions on 26 attempts for a 38.5% completion percentage. He had only 106 yards through the air, no touchdowns, and one interception.

Reed looked like he should not be a starting QB in the SEC, and not only did the Tigers make Reed look bad, but the defense made the entire Aggie offense look horrible. A&M now has two losses on the season and is on the outside of the Top 25, with its season just about over before October 1.

More Good

Sam Leavitt and the passing game finally came alive.

Leavitt and his ability to sit in the pocket were rightfully being questioned entering this game. The passing game through three weeks had not been smooth and often looked very rushed. But on Saturday night, Leavitt and the offense got rolling.

It took Leavitt tweaking his hamstring to force him to stand in the pocket, be patient, and deliver absolute dimes all night long. Leavitt found Jackson Harris multiple times for devastating completions.

The biggest completion came on a fourth-and-1 in the third quarter when Leavitt connected with Harris for a 57-yard bomb that blew the game wide open and forced A&M to try to keep the game close. With the way its offense was performing, that was a tall task to live up to.

Harris finished the game with 163 yards and two touchdowns. Winnie Watkins was also able to quietly put together another 107-yard receiving performance.

Leavitt finished the game with 17 completions on 23 attempts for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The interception came on a great play by a defender who tipped the ball and affected its flight. If that didn’t happen, Leavitt may have had a 70-yard touchdown pass.

They were on fire, and the play-calling was fantastic. Leavitt had the highest completion percentage of his career against A&M at 74%.

The Bad

The one bad thing that really stood out from this game was the third-down conversion percentage, as well as a missed field goal.

The Tigers were 4-of-12 on third down for 33%. If they had been able to convert a few more of those opportunities, the game could have been much worse for A&M than it already was.

Also, missing a 24-yard field goal simply cannot happen. It is very important to capitalize on every scoring opportunity that presents itself. Fortunately, those missed points did not hurt LSU this time around, but there cannot be a next time.

The Ugly

LSU suffered more injuries on Saturday night.

While Leavitt was able to stand in the pocket and throw all over the field, he was forced to do so because he was limited by a left hamstring injury. He was not able to run and escape the pocket, which takes away one of his superpowers. Hopefully, this is not a long-term issue and the Tigers can get back to full health for the road game against Kentucky.

There were also two other key injuries on defense, more specifically within the linebacker group.

Linebacker Charles Ross is gone for the year with an ACL injury. This is now the seventh season-ending injury for the Tigers, with multiple players battling ACL injuries. This injury is a major factor, especially since right after Ross was injured, Whit Weeks also went down with an injury that could jeopardize his season as well.

Weeks suffered a fractured right fibula on Saturday and had surgery on that leg Monday morning. There is optimism around his camp that he could return for the Alabama game on November 7, but nothing has been officially determined yet.

For two consecutive weeks, LSU has seen both No. 7s leave the field in the third quarter on crutches.

This is an injury you don’t want to see for a player like Whit Weeks, who has had to battle several ankle injuries on the same leg during each of the previous two seasons. Weeks was having a great year so far, and everyone hopes that he is able to fully recover, regardless of when—or if—he is able to make his return for the Tigers.

Was there a good, bad, or ugly that you feel was missed? Do you think Whit Weeks comes back for LSU? Do you think the No. 7 jersey is cursed?

Share your thoughts in the comments.