Texas A&M Loses To LSU
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BATON ROUGE, La. — Zach Mettenberger threw two touchdown passes to Jarvis Landry and No. 22 LSU used a powerful stable of running backs and an aroused defense to suffocate Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel’s point-a-minute offense in a 34-10 rout of No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.
Mettenberger completed 11-of-20 passes for 193 yards and threw scoring strikes of 40 and 10 to Landry, and LSU rolled up 517 yards in total offense, including 325 on the ground.
Terrence Magee had 149 yards on 13 carries, including a one-yard scoring dive in the first quarter that he set up with a 65-yard burst down the left sidelines.
In controlling the ball for 40:19, LSU converted on 11-of-17 third downs, flashing their status as the best third-down team in the country.
The Tigers (8-3, 4-3 in the SEC) scored on six of seven possessions in a stretch that started late in the first quarter. Kenny Hilliard had a two-yard touchdown run and Colby Delahoussaye added field goals of 21 and 36 yards in the second half for LSU.
Perhaps even more impressive was the Tigers’ defensive
effort.
Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3) had averaged 49.2 points and 578 yards per game, but Manziel, who had the worst game of his career last season in a loss to LSU, once again looked mortal against the Tigers.
Manziel had accounted for at least 300 yards in 19 consecutive games, but he completed only 16-of-41 passes for 224 yards and threw two interceptions.
Manziel rushed for another 54 yards, giving him 278 yards in total offense.
The LSU defense, which has had difficulty stopping top-tier offenses all season, came up huge in the first half until allowing a three-play, 73-yard touchdown drive in the final two minutes of the half.
Manziel’s 51-yard bullet to Derel Walker on the left sidelines, aided by a slip by cornerback Tre’Davious White, cut the LSU lead to 21-10 with 1:08 left in the half.
Until that series, Manziel had completed only 6-of-19 passes for 78 yards, as LSU’s front four rushed cautiously in order to prevent his trademark scrambles.
The LSU offense, meanwhile, was successful in keeping Manziel on the bench by running the ball effectively and connecting on big passing plays when needed.
Terrence Magee burst 65 yards to the Texas A&M one-yard-line late in the first quarter and got the game’s first score three plays later on a dive over left guard.
On the next series, Manziel overthrew receiver Mike Evans down the right sidelines for his ninth incompletion in 11 passes, and LSU drove 65 yards in seven plays to take a 14-0 lead on Mettenberger’s 10-yard slant to Landry on third down.
The score was set up by Mettenberger’s 36-yard pass to tight end Dillon Gordon when A&M bunched nine defenders close to the line of scrimmage, anticipating a run.
Texas A&M drove 89 yards to the LSU three on its next possession, but Walker dropped a sure touchdown pass on third down. Instead of taking the chip-shot field goal, A&M coach Kevin Sumlin gambled on fourth down, and Manziel was chased back to the LSU 30 before firing an incompletion into the end zone.
The Aggies finally cracked the scoreboard with a 41-yard field goal by Josh Lambo, but that was another wasted opportunity considering they took over the LSU 26 following a shanked punt.
Earlier in the game, the LSU defense also stiffened without yielding a punt after Texas A&M took over at the LSU 39.
Mettenberger made it 21-3 1:37 before halftime with a 40-yard strike to Landry, capping a 91-yard drive.
