BATON ROUGE - The margin was loud. The roster math that walked into Death Valley was quieter and may last longer.
No. 23 Texas A&M lost 35-6 at No. 10 LSU on Saturday night, the school's official recap reported, falling to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play. The Aggies managed 197 yards of offense. LSU piled up 506.
David Olano supplied every A&M point on field goals of 24 and a career-long 53 yards. That is the box score. The deeper problem is who was not available to change it.
Morrow out, Bussey already gone
Running back Jamarion Morrow was downgraded from doubtful to out hours before kickoff, Saturday Down South reported from the final availability note. Wide receiver and returner Terry Bussey had already been ruled out for the season after a non-contact lower-body injury on the opening kickoff against Kentucky, USA Today's College Sports Wire and other outlets reported last week after Mike Elko confirmed the diagnosis.
Ashton Bethel-Roman, questionable most of the week and also out against Kentucky, was listed as a game-time decision Saturday, the same availability report said. Marcel Reed completed 10 of 26 passes for 106 yards, the official A&M release said. LSU's account added that Reed finished with minus-13 rushing yards on a night the Tigers' front dictated the pocket.
Rueben Owens II led A&M's ground game with 62 yards on 11 carries.
An offense already searching for answers after the Kentucky loss played a ranked road SEC game without its season-ending return threat and without Morrow. The result in Tiger Stadium was not a surprise built from nothing. It was a ceiling the available roster could not raise.
Elko's postgame left no soft landing
Elko's postgame comments, posted by the school, did not hunt for moral victories. He said the Aggies were not playing football at a good enough level, that they had to find answers fast, and that the staff had to look at everything - run game, execution, the full operation.
Reed, asked about the offense, said the group was still trying to identify the issue and would meet to get it rolling. Safety Dalton Brooks framed the next step as work rather than dwelling.
