Credit to Rachel Perreault | Director, Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
BATON ROUGE, La. – After keeping things close in the first half, Texas A&M was overpowered by No. 14 LSU in the second half and dropped its regular season finale, 42-30, at Tiger Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Texas A&M (7-5) held a 10-point lead with 11:04 in the third quarter, before LSU (9-3) scored 21 unanswered points to move into the driver’s seat with a 35-24 lead with 8:25 left in the fourth stanza.
Texas A&M’s late glimmer of hope came after Jaylen Henderson found Max Wright for a short pass before he rumbled through a pair of Tigers for a 51-yard touchdown reception to make it a one-score game. LSU put the nail in the coffin after Jayden Daniels hit Kyren Lacy in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 42-30 with 4:13 remaining.
Henderson completed 25-of-35 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns, including 9-of-10 for 110 yards on third down passing. Jahdae Walker led the receiving corps with 80 yards on four catches, while Ainias Smith caught eight passes for 59 yards. Edgerrin Cooper and Jacoby Mathews tallied eight tackles each, as Mathews led the way with six solo takedowns.
Trailing halfway through the opening frame, Texas A&M answered to begin the second quarter as Le’Veon Moss rushed for a 2-yard touchdown that capped a 17-play, 67-yard drive eating up 9:02 on the clock. The Aggies took their first lead of the day after a 48-yard field goal by Randy Bond.
LSU drove the field on the ensuing drive to regain the lead at 14-10, before the Maroon & White countered when Henderson found Jake Johnson for a 14-yard touchdown as Texas A&M carried a 17-14 lead into the half.
Ole Sarge’s charges made it a two-score game when Mark Nabou Jr. plunged through the line for a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Facing a fourth down, Daniels broke the Aggie defense for a 49-yard rush that led to a 1-yard touchdown run, making it a 24-21 Texas A&M lead with 11:00 minutes in the third quarter.
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Texas A&M Football Post Game Notes
No. 14 LSU 42, Texas A&M 30
Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, La.)
Team Notes
Texas A&M racked up 390 yards of total offense on the day, the fifth time this season it has tallied over 300 yards of offense.
The Aggies passed for over 275 yards in a game for the fifth time this season, tallying 294 yards through the air.
Today’s captains at LSU were DL McKinnley Jackson, DL Fadil Diggs, DB Demani Richardson and WR Ainias Smith.
Individual Notes
Graduate WR Ainias Smith made it 39 consecutive games with a reception, extending his streak on A&M’s first offensive play of the game. He is tied with Christian Kirk (2015-17) for the fifth-longest streak in program history and boasts the seventh-longest streak in the nation.
Sophomore transfer QB Jaylen Henderson set new career highs with 25 completions, 35 attempts and 294 yards through the air, while matching his career best with two passing TDs.
Henderson made it back-to-back games with over 250 passing yards after finishing the ACU game with 260 yards.
Graduate TE Max Wright finished the game with 60 yards on two catches, including a career long 51-yard scoring grab late in the game.
Freshman LB Taurean York moved into the top 10 on A&M’s freshman tackles list with six takedowns in the game to move his season total to 66 and tie him for seventh him with Domingo Bryant (1982).
Sophomore DB Jacoby Mathews helped lead the defense, matching his season-high with eight takedowns.
Senior DB Demani Richardson and junior LB Edgerrin Cooper hit career tackle milestones in the game as Richardson added six in the game to pass the 300-tackle mark, upping his career total to 304, and Cooper passed 200 career takedowns after helping lead the way with eight on the day to put his total at 204.
Freshman RB Rueben Owens racked up a career-high 78 yards on kick return, including a career-long 35-yard return.
Junior PLK Randy Bond moved into second on A&M’s single-season made field goals list, connecting on his 23rd field goal of the season after sending a 48-yard attempt through the uprights midway through the second quarter.
Bond’s six points in the game (1 FG, 3 PAT) brought his season total to 115, moving him into fourth on A&M’s single-season scoring list.