News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – BJ Mayes recorded a pair of game-changing interceptions and Marcel Reed rushed for three scores as the No. 14 Texas A&M football team used a 31-point second half to down No. 8 LSU, 38-23, Saturday night in front of 108,000-plus at Kyle Field.
With the win, the Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) are off to their best start in SEC play in program history and have defeated two top-10 opponents at home in the same season for the first time since 1989.
After taking over under center in the second half, Reed completed both of his passes for 70 yards and rushed for 62 yards on nine carries to go along with three touchdowns. Amari Daniels led the rushing attack with a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries, while Le’Veon Moss added 83 yards on 14 rushes and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Maroon & White were led by Taurean York who logged a team-high seven tackles to go along with 1.0 tackle for loss and his first career interception. Bryce Anderson followed with six tackles, five of which were solos, and Nic Scourton added a half sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
After the Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening quarter, the Aggies answered back in the closing seconds as Moss powered it in from 7 yards out to cap off a nine play, 75-yard drive. In the second, LSU missed a pair of field goals but was able to add another touchdown to take a 17-7 lead into the break.
In the third, Mayes switched the momentum with his first interception as an Aggie to set Texas A&M up with a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line. Reed capitalized on the next play as the redshirt freshman punched it in from 8 yards out to cut the deficit to 17-14 with 8:10 remaining. Following a fumbled snap on a Tiger field goal try, Ol’ Sarge’s charges found the end zone again as Reed powered his way in from 8 yards out to give the Aggies their first lead of the night, 21-17, with 1:00 left in the third.
In the closing seconds of the third, Mayes logged his second interception of the night to set up another Texas A&M score. Reed once again capitalized on the LSU miscue as the signal caller took it in from 4 yards out to stretch the lead to 28-17 as 14:07 showed on the clock. The Tigers answered with a 1-yard quarterback sneak but failed to convert the two-point conversion as the Aggies led 28-23 with 9:57 left in the contest.
Texas A&M continued to punish LSU on the ground on the ensuing drive as Moss logged the fifth rushing touchdown of the night with a 3-yard run to push the advantage to 35-23 with 8:09 left to play. York put an end to the following Tiger drive with his first career interception to set up a 26-yard field goal from Randy Bond to make the final 38-23.
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Texas A&M Football Post Game Notes
No. 14 Texas A&M 38, No. 8 LSU 23
Kyle Field (Bryan-College Station, Texas)
Team Notes
- The Maroon & White started a conference slate 5-0 for the first time since a 7-0 start in the Big 12 in 1998.
- The Aggies defeated two top-10 opponents at home for the first time since the 1989 season when they beat No. 7 LSU, 28-16, and No. 8 Houston, 17-13.
- Texas A&M registered three interceptions in a game for the second time in 2024 – the other came against Florida in Week 3. The last time A&M had multiple three-interception games was 2013 in back-to-back games against Vanderbilt (10/26) and UTEP (11/2).
- The Aggies owned a 242-24 advantage in rushing yards, including 144-0 in the second half. This was the fifth time this season A&M has held its opponent to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground.
- Texas A&M has now recorded a rushing touchdown in seven of its eight games this season, scoring multiple times on the ground in four outings.
- Texas A&M was 6-of-6 on red zone trips, with touchdowns on the first five visits and a field goal late to ice the game.
- The Maroon & White topped the Tigers in Kyle Field for the fourth consecutive time, matching their longest home win string in the series.
- The Aggies overcame a double-digit deficit against a top-10 foe for the first time since trailing 14-0 against No. 10 Arkansas on Sept. 24, 2022, and pulling out a 23-21 win. They outscored the Tigers 31-6 in the second half.
- Attendance for the LSU game was 108,852, marking the third-highest attendance all-time at Kyle Field.
Individual Notes
- Junior RB Le’Veon Moss made it three straight games with multiple rushing scores with a 7-yard run in the first quarter and a 3-yard plunge in the fourth quarter. It marked his fourth game of the season with multiple rushing touchdowns, and he became the first Aggie to rush for 10 TDs in a season since Trayveon Williams in 2018.
- In addition to 83 yards on 14 rushes, Moss amassed a career-high 42 receiving yards on three catches.
- Junior RB Amari Daniels rushed for a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries for a 7.6 average.
- Freshman QB Marcel Reed rushed for multiple touchdowns for the first time in his career and became the first Aggie QB to score three-or-more touchdowns in a game since Trevor Knight did so against Tennessee in 2008.
- Reed ended the game going 2-for-2 through the air for 70 yards and rushing nine times for 62 yards after entering the game at the 8:17 mark of the third quarter.
- Senior DB BJ Mayes intercepted two passes in the third quarter, marking the first time an Aggie has had multiple picks in a game since Leon O’Neal had a pair against Kent State to open the 2021 season.
- Sophomore LB Taurean York sealed the game with his first career interception with 6:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. He had a game-high seven tackles, including five solo takedowns and 1.0 TFL.
- Junior DL Nic Scourton has registered at least 1.0 tackle for loss in seven of A&M’s eight games this season.
- Sophomore DL Rylan Kennedy recorded his first career solo sack late in the fourth quarter.
- Freshman P Tyler White boomed three punts 50-plus yards down field, landing four of his five punts inside the 20.
- Graduate K Randy Bond became the 10th Aggie to connect on 100 extra points, hitting 5-of-5 in the game to improve to 103-of-103 for his career.