Cornflakes? Ruined.
Defying all odds, Texas A&M upended No. 5 LSU's playoff aspirations with a 38-23 upset win in Saturday night’s season finale at Kyle Field. Devon Achane’s career night highlighted an efficient offensive outing as the Aggies registered 429 total yards to end a disastrous 2022 season on a high note.
The victory is the Maroon & White’s third top-15 win of the season, making it the first three-win year against top-15 foes since 1998.
With possession deferred to LSU to start the game, quarterback Jayden Daniels quickly completed his first throw of the night with a 15-yard completion. A&M’s rush defense, which is ranked 123rd in the nation, held firm against running back John Emery Jr. before an incomplete pass by Daniels forced the Tigers to punt.
Achane made his highly-anticipated return after missing the last two games due to a foot injury and picked up three yards to switch on the Aggie offense. Quarterback Conner Weigman connected with fellow true freshman Noah Thomas on a 6-yard dart, and Achane then powered his way through the middle to earn a first down. Tight end Donovan Green gathered another fresh set of downs with a 10-yard reception, and Achane once again lowered his shoulder and endured heavy contact for an 11-yard run.
Despite Weigman being sacked by Sai’von Jones, the Ags recovered without hesitation as Evan Stewart’s 9-yard reception broke through midfield. With A&M’s top playmakers in action early, the Aggies soon ended a nearly eight-minute opening drive with a 10-yard touchdown courtesy of Achane.
Looking for a response, Daniels created room around the pocket and ran for three yards. A pass interference call on Jaylon Jones gave away a free first down to the Tigers, and Emery’s subsequent 11-yard rush up the middle continued to move LSU down the field. A series of short passes were good enough to keep the Tigers flowing until Noah Cain fumbled on a strip by Antonio Johnson. Fortunately for LSU, Emery Jones narrowly recovered the ball. Still hanging on, Daniels found Kayshon Boutte for an 8-yard grab before taking matters into his own hands with a 16-yard scramble.
On A&M’s 4-yard line, Emery pounded through the gut for a touchdown to tie the game early in the second quarter.
Moose Muhammad hauled in a 12-yard catch to continue Weigman’s perfect start to ignite the following drive. Muhammad’s agility was highlighted once again as he pulled down an 18-yard reception for another first down. Achane stacked consecutive rushes of five, four and four yards to maintain a sturdy attack from the ground and finally broke through to the red zone. A&M’s offensive line faltered, but Weigman carefully weaved his way around the Tiger defense for an impressive nine-yard run to LSU’s 10.
Unlike their first drive, the Aggies were unable to find the end zone, and Randy Bond was called out for a 25-yard field goal to regain the lead, 10-7.
The Aggie secondary struggled to stop Daniels as he made good on back-to-back 13- and 22-yard throws. Facing third-and-6, Daniels bulleted a 10-yard pass to Malik Nabers, and another short pass, this time to Mason Taylor, penetrated through the red zone. One incomplete pass later, the Tigers were forced to settle for a 34-yard field goal that tied the game.
With the ball back in his hands, Weigman handed it off to Achane, who burst through the defense and nearly broke away all by himself on an incredible 29-yard rush. With nowhere to go or throw to, Weigman was quickly met by B.J. Ojulari and then lost two yards the next play. On third-and-12 and with no other option, Weigman initiated a Manziel-like scramble and slid his way toward a first down. Achane’s world-class speed was on full display yet again as he blasted by for 17 yards to not only put the Aggies well within striking distance at LSU’s 3-yard line but also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.
Unsuccessful runs saddled the Aggies with third down, and as Weigman drifted back, he managed to perfectly lob a pass to Green for a 3-yard touchdown to forge a 17-10 lead before the half.
The Tigers nearly threatened as they crossed midfield to A&M’s 49, but their final drive of the second quarter ultimately amounted to nothing.
Punter Nik Constantinou saw his first minutes of the game as Texas A&M went three-and-out to start the third stanza.
Finding Nabers for a short 4-yard pass, the Tigers continued to test A&M’s rush defense with successive rushes that totaled 36 yards on four plays. LSU leaned heavily on short gains in the air and on the ground to eventually set up a 19-yard rush by Emery through the end zone.
Weigman’s offense returned looking to create permanent distance but ended up stalling at their own 31-yard line, punting after going three-and-out.
Yet, in the most unexpected way possible, the Aggies garnered game-changing momentum on a scoop-and-score by Demani Richardson on the ensuing drive as Edgerrin Cooper forced Daniels to fumble on third-and-1. With the ball loose, Richardson sped off for a 27-yard return all the way to the house to retake the lead, 24-17.
Daniels and the Tigers stormed back out onto the field and collected a quick first down thanks to an 8-yard pass to Emery and a short gain by Cain. They eventually broke through midfield and carried on with another 8-yard reception by Kyren Lacy. LSU was pushed back 10 yards on a holding call on Emery and were eventually shut down by D.J. Durkin’s defense, punting after Shemar Turner hurried Daniels into an underthrown pass attempt.
Achane showed he still had plenty left in the tank after a 9-yard rush to start A&M’s next possession. Making his first carry with Achane taking a break, Amari Daniels powerfully stiff-armed a defender for an 11-yard gain. The Weigman-Stewart connection paid off on a 13-yard reception to pick up a first down before Daniels bolted for 23 yards. One play later, bleeding into the fourth, Muhammad finally capped off the drive with a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone to cushion a 31-17 advantage.
Stunned, the Tigers were further setback after Walter Nolen sacked Daniels for a 5-yard loss and even more so when he exited the game after a hard fall on a tackle by Tyreek Chappell. Garrett Nussmeier was temporarily handed QB duties but couldn’t make anything happen as the Tigers went three-and-out.
Everything continued to align for the Aggies as Muhammad made yet another magnificent catch on third down. Racing under coverage, the pass initially appeared incomplete, but Muhammad wrestled for the ball and a 39-yard gain. Achane then collected a series of runs to total 24 yards on three plays to put the team back in the red zone.
Before long, it was all Achane again. His 10-yard rush put him back in the end zone for his second touchdown to make it 21 unanswered points by the Aggies, 38-17.
Daniels returned for the Tigers and immediately sped away for a 24-yard rush. He then completed three consecutive passes to break through midfield and rushed for another 16-yard gain to slip into the red zone for the fourth time. Emery followed up with a touchdown run to end their scoring drought. Desperate to insert themselves back into the game, they attempted a two-point conversion but failed.
On the next drive, A&M went three-and-out and gave the ball back to LSU with just under four minutes remaining. Daniels bulleted a 15-yard pass to Cain for a quick first down. Two holding penalties advanced the Tigers up the field before incomplete passes forced fourth down. Jaray Jenkins nearly pulled down a miraculous touchdown deep in the end zone, but after review, it was called incomplete as he didn’t secure a firm handle on the ball, turning the ball over on downs.
From there, the Aggies coasted through one final possession with the once unlikely win secured and one last field storming.
Ineligible for a bowl game for the first time since 2008, Texas A&M officially concludes its frustrating season with a 5-7 record.
RUMBLED: Good things happen when you feed Devon Achane. In past years, LSU is usually the team tormenting the Aggies from the ground. This time, it was all Achane. It was quite obvious he was sorely missed the previous two games being out with a minor foot injury, and he made the most out of what potentially could be his last action at Kyle Field. In addition to two touchdowns, he ran for a career-high 215 yards on 38 carries and also achieved the first 1,000-yard season of his career late in the second quarter. Despite being limited all week long in practice, he was the driving force and difference maker in A&M’s offense.
STUMBLED: The LSU defense. Led by former A&M commit Harold Perkins and defensive end B.J. Ojulari, the Tigers had previously limited opponents to 24 points or less. But not this time. Though the Aggies hadn’t scored more than 30 points against another FBS team, they put up a season-high 38 points to dash LSU’s playoff hopes in dominating fashion.
TURNING POINT: Demani Richardson is just that dude. Eerily similar to a previous scoop-and-score by Richardson earlier this season against Arkansas, the Aggies never looked back after the huge stop in the third quarter as they went on to add two more touchdowns. It also marked the first time a defensive player for A&M has scored multiple times in a season since Tyrel Dodson in 2018.
UNSUNG HERO: Moose Muhammad. While all eyes were on Achane, Muhammad led A&M’s receiving corps with 94 yards on five receptions and made a pair of spectacular grabs. His one-handed catch in the fourth added some much-needed insurance to A&M’s lead and was just the latest in a year full of highlight catches from the sophomore.
KEY STAT: The Aggie offense has been mostly disjointed throughout the season and seemed incapable of putting together complete drives. Tonight, they proved otherwise. Off the bat, too. Texas A&M’s first possession culminated in a 15-play, 90-yard scoring drive — their longest game-opening drive of the season. Coupled with Weigman’s hot start (7-of-7), A&M’s hot start seemed to make all the difference.
First-quarter
A&M: 4:54 - Devon Achane 10-yard rush. Drive: 15 plays, 90 yards. TOP: 7:37. Texas A&M 7, LSU 0
Second-quarter
LSU: 14:00 - John Emery Jr. 4-yard rush. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 5:54. Texas A&M 7, LSU 7
A&M: 9:27 - Randy Bond 25-yard field goal. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards. TOP: 4:37. Texas A&M 10, LSU 7
LSU: 5:38 - Damian Ramos 34-yard field goal. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards. TOP: 3:54. Texas A&M 10, LSU 10
A&M: 1:10 - Conner Weigman 3-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Green. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards. TOP: 4:23. Texas A&M 17, LSU 10
Third-quarter
LSU: 9:40 - John Emery Jr. 19-yard rush. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards. TOP: 4:34. Texas A&M 17, LSU 17
A&M: 7:03 - Demani Richardson 27-yard fumble return. Texas A&M 24, LSU 17
Fourth-quarter
A&M: 14:54 - Conner Weigman 21-yard touchdown pass to Moose Muhammad. Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards. TOP: 3:03. Texas A&M 31, LSU 17
A&M: 07:46 - Devon Achane 10-yard rush. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards. TOP: 4:43. Texas A&M 38, LSU 17
LSU: 6:21 - John Emery Jr. 3-yard rush. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 1:25. Texas A&M 38, LSU 23
