Texas A&M football sits alone atop SEC standings after comeback victory against LSU.
Mike Elko’s quarterback change to Marcel Reed accelerates Aggies after first-half struggles.
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier gains Heisman Trophy buzz before giving it all away with second-half meltdown.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Mike Elko jumped off the sinking ship and boarded a speed boat to a pivotal Texas A&M victory.
With backup quarterback installed Marcel Reed at the wheel of Texas A&M’s offense, the Aggies wriggled out of trouble and accelerated to the top of the SEC standings.
Texas A&M to the SEC championship game? Then, to the College Football Playoff? SEC coach of the year for Elko?
It’s all possible after the No. 14 Aggies surged past No. 7 LSU, 38-23, Saturday night in front of 108,852 screaming fans at Kyle Field.
The Aggies (7-1) are 5-0 in the SEC for the first time ever.
Credit Texas A&M’s first-year coach for a brave third-quarter substitution, and to their backup quarterback for running circles around a befuddled LSU defense that played as if it spent exactly zero seconds this week preparing for Reed.
LSU’s pass rush harassed Aggies starting quarterback Conner Weigman throughout 2½ quarters. The sacks mounted. Weigman’s incompletions piled up. LSU led by 10 points, but it ought to have been ahead by more.
As the Aggies’ season rested on the line, Elko yanked Weigman, a pocket passer, in favor of Reed.
Reed fueled three touchdown drives while throwing just a single pass.
No need to put the ball in the air considering how the Reed-option baffled the Tigers.
The quarterback who runs like a wide receiver ran the ball across the goal line three times, handed off to Le’Veon Moss for another score, and pushed LSU (6-2) to the brink of playoff elimination.
“We needed to run the ball. We needed Marcel’s legs,’ Elko said. ‘We just felt like the style of offense that Marcel brings was going to give us a spark.”
Yeah, I’d say that strategy worked to perfection, and Reed’s execution after Elko’s big decision put the Aggies in enviable position for the playoff.
The Aggies only have one ranked foe (Texas) left on the schedule.
“We have an amazing opportunity right now that we really want to take advantage of,’ Elko said.
Elko keeps solving problems that would’ve left Fisher staring at his playsheet in search of answers that rarely arrived.
Marcel Reed rallies Texas A&M after Conner Weigman struggles
Would Reed keep the ball on the option or hand it to Moss? The Tigers guessed incorrectly play after play.
When Reed finally tossed a second pass, it was a beautiful 54-yard teardrop to Noah Thomas to spur his fourth touchdown drive.
The in-game quarterback switcheroo marked coaching growth for Elko. He stuck with a woeful Weigman throughout a season-opening loss to Notre Dame in which the Aggies mustered just a single touchdown.
A quarterback change would’ve been a smart choice that night. At least Elko didn’t repeat his error.
Reed showed in September that he can position the Aggies for success. He went 3-0 as a starter against inferior opponents while Weigman recovered from injury. Once Weigman got healthy, Elko put the offense back into his hands. And that paid off. Weigman looked as good as ever in a romp against Missouri.
Juggling two quarterbacks can be one of the trickiest tight-rope acts for even the most experienced coaches, but the Aggies’ new boss has handled Weigman and Reed masterfully these past few weeks, while serving a winning product to a starved fan base.
The Aggies starved for offense throughout the first half, while LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier showed off his big arm that makes NFL scouts salivate.
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier squanders brief Heisman Trophy buzz
At halftime, with LSU seemingly in control, the press box buzzed with the idea of Nussmeier inserting himself into the thick of the Heisman Trophy race.
Three second-half interceptions later, and let’s hold off on booking Nussmeier a trip to New York City.
Nussmeier’s first pick proved particularly brutal. LSU had a two-score lead and all the momentum when Nussmeier threw across his body in a daring attempt on third down. Aggies defensive back BJ Mayes intercepted the pass. One play later, Reed celebrated in the end zone.
‘I started a spark,’ Reed said.
The Aggies had stolen the momentum, and it wouldn’t be long before they had the lead.
LSU’s one-dimensional offense looks bountiful when Nussmeier’s passes find their way to Kyren Lacy or Aaron Anderson or Mason Taylor, but if he loses his touch, the Tigers are helpless to find their way, in the absence of any ground game.
And Nussmeier got swallowed in the din of the second half.
Aggies faithful clad in all black and waving white towels made this college football cathedral tremble and shake all night, and Nussmeier and his Tigers lost their way in the black-out after halftime.
In the closing minutes, the stadium loudspeakers played Garth Brooks song ‘Calling Baton Rouge’ in mockery of LSU.
Are we sure Austin is home to the best ball in Texas?
Ninety minutes of second-half football at Kyle Field suggested otherwise.
While the Aggies bottled up Nussmeier and Reed provided a blur of offense, every Aggies fan in the building probably gleefully looked ahead to Thanksgiving weekend.
And we’ll settle then whether or Texas or Texas A&M rules the Longhorn State, but until then, you can’t argue with the Aggies’ first-place spot in the SEC standings.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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