4 winners and 1 loser from LSU Tigers’ dominant performance against Texas A&M: Sam Leavitt bounces back despite lower body injury
The LSU Tigers dismantled the Texas A&M Aggies, and there was plenty to like from Baton Rouge. The injury bug remains the one lingering concern for Lane Kiffin’s squad.
The LSU Tigers got up off the mat after the Ole Miss game and dismantled the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday night, arguably putting the Aggie season to rest after back-to-back losses for Texas A&M. This game, though, was all about LSU. Here are the winners and losers from a huge victory in Baton Rouge.
Winner: QB Sam Levitt
The biggest winner from Saturday night was quarterback Sam Leavitt. He left the game with an injury, came back, then left again with a visible limp. The full extent of what he’s dealing with remains to be seen, but coach Lane Kiffin joked about it after the game. Kiffin suggested maybe that’s what Leavitt needed, because he was much better within the pocket. He finally stood in there, trusted himself, and the numbers showed it.
Levitt finished 17-for-23 for 312 yards and two touchdown passes. He was far better as a passer than as a runner, which simply hadn’t been the case so far this season, and certainly not last weekend against Ole Miss. Given what he was dealing with injury-wise, it was a tremendous rebound performance.
Sam Leavitt full stats vs. Texas A&M
- 74% completion percentage
- 334 total yards
- 2 total touchdowns
Winner: Jackson Harris
Leavitt had some help from his pass catchers, most notably wide receiver Jackson Harris. He hauled in six catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Harris was unstoppable, going up and down the field looking like Odell Beckham Jr. against the Aggies.
Texas A&M probably isn’t the team many envisioned prior to the start of the season, but it’s still an SEC outfit, and Harris made it look easy.
Winner: Winston Watkins Jr.
Winnie Watkins didn’t have the same amount of touchdowns or high-end, game-breaking plays that Harris did, but five catches for 107 yards is nothing to scoff at. Watkins has rounded into form these last couple of weeks as a go-to target for LSU, and a nice 1-2 punch is forming between him and Harris at wide receiver in Baton Rouge.
Winner: DC Blake Baker
Blake Baker is the story of this game. His defense allowed just two field goals against Texas A&M. Marcel Reed certainly hasn’t looked like a great football player for the Aggies, but that’s neither here nor there. Four different defenders recorded a sack, and Michael Turner grabbed an interception. The Aggies couldn’t move the football to save their lives.
Baker is one of the higher-paid coordinators in all of college football, and Saturday night showed why he’s worth what he gets paid. He put on a show.
Loser: Injury luck
The only loser from this game is something no one can control. LSU is already without Tre’Dez Green and dealing with other injuries across both sides of the ball. Leavitt went down, came back, and then Landen Clark had to finish out the game. The injury luck is going to catch up to LSU if they cannot get some of these players back.
Lane Kiffin mentioned it himself after the game, saying he’s never really seen a team with this many key injuries.
The only bright side is that it’s still early. The LSU Tigers have a long season and plenty of time to get healthy. If they play like they did Saturday night, they can make a run at anything in this sport. The question is whether they’ll have the horses to do it when the going gets tough.
