Saturday in Baton Rouge is no longer a ranked-vs-ranked showcase drawn up in August. It is a repair job for two SEC teams that each took a first loss last weekend.
Texas A&M is 2-1 and 0-1 in league play after Kentucky's 31-21 win at Kyle Field on Sept. 19. The Aggies fell 14 spots to No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, Aggies Wire reported, after entering the week at No. 9.
LSU is 2-1 and 0-1 as well following a 32-24 loss at Ole Miss, and the Tigers sit at No. 10 in the same poll. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC, the time the SEC announced earlier this month on 12th Man.
What Kentucky exposed
Kentucky's official postgame notes put the damage in plain numbers. The Wildcats scored 21 points in the third quarter, averaged 7.6 yards per play and finished with Kenny Minchey completing 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Texas A&M committed three turnovers, including two interceptions by Marcel Reed, Aggies Wire's LSU preview noted.
The Aggies' defense allowed 411 total yards in that account; Aggies Wire's AP-poll story separately cited 408 yards, the highest total allowed to an unranked opponent in the Mike Elko era.
Kentucky led 28-7 entering the fourth. Adam Zouagui's career-long 52-yard field goal made it 31-14 before A&M's late scoring. First-year UK coach Will Stein collected his first road win, first SEC win and first win over a ranked opponent in the same afternoon, per Kentucky's notes.
The home streak that ended was real: Aggies Wire said Kentucky snapped A&M's 19-game home winning streak against unranked opponents. That is the tape LSU will study. It is also the tape A&M has to answer on the road for the first time this season.
LSU's parallel problem
The Tigers are not arriving clean. Aggies Wire's Week 4 preview said LSU fell behind 17-0 at Ole Miss, trailed 24-7 at halftime, tied the game with 17 unanswered points, then lost when Sam Leavitt threw an interception in the end zone on the final chance. Both clubs are 0-1 in the SEC and both are searching for a cleaner second league start.
Texas A&M has won the last two meetings with LSU, including a 49-25 win in Baton Rouge a year ago, according to the official kick-time release. The last 10 meetings are split 5-5.
