No. 14 Texas A&M blocks out outside noise ahead of its prime-time matchup with No. 8 LSU

No. 14 Texas A&M Football continues its run through the SEC when it hosts No. 8 LSU in a primetime showdown at Kyle Field on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The programs have traded wins every season since 2018, with the home team winning each time to the Aggies’ advantage this year.

When the Tigers last visited College Station in 2022, A&M saved its season with a 38-23 win over No. 6 LSU. Here are a few takeaways from Monday’s weekly press conference, when coach Mike Elko and three players previewed the game.

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An opportunity awaits the Aggies

Nearly two months ago, this writer wrote an article about A&M’s platform to make a statement on the national stage when it opened the season against Notre Dame. It’s well-documented that the Aggies suffered a loss to the Fighting Irish, but the last eight weeks have increased A&M’s chances of redemption.

LSU is the third top-10 opponent to visit Kyle Field this season and likely won’t be the last if No. 5 Texas continues on its current path. A win on Saturday will likely put the Aggies in position to move into the top 10 and strengthen their status as a College Football Playoff contender. With A&M already leading the SEC, who’s to say it can’t contend for the conference championship if it defends the outcome of things?

“From the outside looking in, there’s a lot at stake,” Florida transfer linebacker Scooby Williams said. “Internally it’s just another week, just a different team. We just have to focus and prepare like we normally do and not let up.”

A rivalry duel under the lights in front of a cheering home crowd understandably creates a lot of buzz and excitement. In the team facility, Elko and his coaching staff try to suppress the intrusion of outside noise.

“We spend so much time talking about where success comes from,” Elko said. “You can spend the whole week thinking about the piece you’re going to do, the celebration and what you’re going to look like in it [uniforms]. Or you can spend the entire week focusing on Saturday on all the things that will help you succeed. It’s just a matter of changing your perspective every day on the trail and staying there as long as possible, with the firm knowledge that they are 18 to 23 years old [years old] and it’s an ongoing process.”

Saturday’s match is just one part of a packed weekend in the Elko household.

“On to next week, it’s a really, really big week,” Elko said. “My older son is starting his World Series, so he has Games 1 and 2 of the World Series. My younger son is playing in a battle of the undefeated in Apex, North Carolina for the conference title. My daughter and wife go to see Taylor Swift in New Orleans.

“So yeah, that’s probably all we have to do this week.”

No, Elko’s son doesn’t play for the Yankees or Dodgers.

A&M is seeing growth on both sides of the ball

In addition to Elko, coach Adam Cushing is one of the people who led the turnaround of the A&M football program this season. The offensive coach has turned a once much-maligned unit into one of the team’s greatest strengths. With veterans deployed, these painful years have helped bring the unit to where it is today.

“I think we’ve really grown up and we’ve grown up together,” junior right tackle Dametrious Crownover said. “We discovered what it means to play as an offensive player. We haven’t had success the last two years, but it helped us realize what we needed to do to get where we are.”

The Aggies have allowed the second-fewest sacks in the SEC, averaging just one per game, including perfect performances in games at Florida and Mississippi State. The success hasn’t come without adversity: Sophomore center Mark Nabou Jr. suffered an injury early in the season and redshirt freshman offensive lineman TJ Shanahan was also missing.

“Coming into the season we knew it was a battle every time on offense,” Crownover said. “We know people are going to go down, we knew that. Our goal was to say, “Oh, we’re losing someone, who’s next?” Someone has to be able to step up to that position and know the role they have to play and know how we want that to happen he plays and meets our standards.”

In the linebacker corps, the huge void left by Green Bay Packer Edgerrin Cooper from last season has been filled by the combined efforts of Williams and sophomores Taurean York and Daymion Sanford. Williams said the highlights of the session on the field reflect the work she puts in on the practice field.

“Our linebackers, it’s always competitive, we’re always trying to get better,” Williams said. “We always try to improve each other. I feel like it’s going to pay off, and it’s going to pay off on Saturday [at Mississippi State] it paid off. We all came up prepared, even overprepared. … We all motivate each other and meet up with our friends more often after training [graduate assistants] and our coaches, so I feel like it all adds up over time and you all get to see the results on Saturdays.”

Aggies prepare to be tested by Tigers’ offense

A&M will face arguably its biggest offensive challenge through seven games this season, as LSU has the SEC’s No. 5 offense at 34.1 points per game, just behind Notre Dame’s average of 34.6 points. The Bayou Bengals relied heavily on their aerial attack, averaging 322.4 yards per game, the eighth-most in the country.

“The quarterback is pretty special, he has a big arm,” junior safety Bryce Anderson said. “Their receiver corps is very special. I feel like as a group it’s going to be one of the best and best receiving teams we’ve ever seen this season [fifth year wide receiver Kyren] tips, [redshirt sophomore WR] Aaron Anderson. They have a few other guys who are really special. We have to keep an eye on the coverage and limit the big games.”

Redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, son of former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, has been patiently waiting his turn to take charge of LSU’s offense. He sat behind Max Johnson in 2021, who later transferred to Texas A&M before backing up Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels the last two seasons.

“I think he’s proof that he kind of got it right,” Elko said. “I think he’s stayed the course, I think he’s really comfortable in their system, I think he’s grown and developed. He got his chances in the first few years when the opportunities presented themselves. I think that prepared him to get into this phase this year and really be their leader.”

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