Aggies Ruin LSU's Breakfast Of Champions With Upset Of Previously Playoff-Bound Tigers
Scoop, score, and the SEC championship game is suddenly a meaningless scrimmage - as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned.
Unranked and unloved Texas A&M broke a six-game, two-month SEC losing streak Saturday night with a blockbuster, 38-23 upset of No. 5 and SEC West champion LSU in front of a rocking 102,000 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M tight end Donovan Green makes a catch for a 3-yard touchdown and a 17-10 lead over No. 5 LSU late in the first half Saturday night in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The 10.5-point favorite Tigers (9-3, 6-2 SEC) will still go to Atlanta to play No. 1 Georgia (12-0, 8-0 SEC) Saturday (4 p.m., CBS) in the SEC title game. But even if LSU wins, it will likely not make the CFP four-team playoff. A two-loss team has never even made the field, but the Tigers would have likely made it with a win over Georgia ... before Saturday.
But not with three losses, and not with the last one to a 5-7 Texas A&M that finished 2-6 in the SEC for last in the West.
"We didn't do our job as coaches," a despondent first-year LSU coach Brian Kelly said. "We didn't do our job as players. I wish I could give you a specific answer. We didn't get the job done, and very disappointed because of that."
Every picture tells a story, don't it? LSU coach Brian Kelly as Texas A&M coasts to victory in the fourth quarter Saturday night at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
JIMBO FISHER MAY HAVE TO STOP CALLING PLAYS
Meanwhile, embattled Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher can breathe a sigh of relief after his then-possible firing had been discussed for weeks. He may have survived anyway, but now he goes into the off-season with a huge win as the Aggies ruined LSU's CFP dream.
Texas A&M wide receiver Jalen Preston predicted two weeks ago that the Aggies would ruin LSU's cereal with an upset. Consider LSU's Wheaties soggy now. No Breakfast of Champions for the Tigers. And the Aggies finally have something to smile about.
"We haven't got the results we wanted," Fisher said of a team that was ranked No. 6 before the season. "I always say adversity reveals character. I'm happy for the seniors and for the future and what we can do."
Texas A&M Took Back Momentum With Scoop And Score
LSU had come back from a 17-10 halftime deficit to tie 17-17 in the third quarter after a three-and-out by the Aggies and had the momentum. But LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels fumbled on a third-and-one play from his 35-yard line after a hit by lineback Edgerrin Cooper. Defensive back Demani Richardson scooped and scored from 27 yards out to give the Aggies a 24-17 lead midway through the third quarter.
Now, it will not matter which team wins the SEC title game. Georgia is going regardless. LSU is not going regardless.
LSU was the second top five team in the CFP rankings to fall on Saturday. No. 2 Ohio State lost big, 45-23, at home to No. 3 Michigan early in the day, damaging its playoff hopes.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF DOWN TO 6 FOR 4 SPOTS
So, the top four in the next CFP rankings on Tuesday night could be No. 1 Georgia (12-0), No. 2 Michigan (12-0), No. 3 TCU (12-0) and No. 4 USC (11-1). TCU is currently No. 4 and beat Iowa State, 62-14, Saturday night. No. 6 USC beat No. 15 Notre Dame, 38-27, late Saturday night.
USC Could Be The Team That Moves Into Top 4
With a win over No. 16 UCLA last week, USC could close the season with three straight wins over ranked teams by beating No. 14 Utah (9-3) in the Pac-12 title game Friday (8 p.m., FOX).
Amazingly, LSU has wins over five of the six SEC teams that beat A&M this season - Mississippi State, Alabama, Ole Miss, Florida and Auburn.
Texas A&M took a commanding 31-17 lead on a one-handed, 21-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Moose Muhammad III from true freshman quarterback Conner Weigman on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Aggies went up 38-17 on a 10-yard run by tailback Devon Achane midway through the fourth quarter.
The Aggies' Devon Achane Dominated LSU
Achane, a junior, played after missing A&M's last two games with an ankle injury, refusing to opt out in a meaningless game for the Aggies as far as postseason. Texas A&M is not bowl eligible. And LSU opted not to stop him. He finished with 215 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns.
"That's Devon," Fisher said. "He's the absolute competitor."
Achane gained 54 yards on nine carries in the Aggies' first drive and scored on a 10-yard run for a 7-0 lead, setting the tone for the game. He had 119 yards by halftime.
"He has natural running skills," Fisher said. "So patient. He knows when to explode."
LSU cut it to 38-23 at the six-minute mark on a 3-yard touchdown run by tailback John Emery, but it was already over.
The A&M fans were obviously not used to winning in the SEC as their postgame field storm was not executed well. They ran onto the field before the game ended, and had to return to the stands.
Texas A&M will return a young team in 2023 with the No. 1 class in the nation from 2022, including blossoming true freshman quarterback Conner Weigman. A&M's third starting quarterback this year due to injuries that plagued the whole season, Weigman finished 12-of-18 passing for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
"Conner really managed the game," Fisher said.