And then there was one.

Texas A&M Aggies, ranked 14th, came from a 10-point deficit at halftime and beat the LSU Tigers, ranked 8th, 38-23, to become the sole owner of the top spot in the SEC rankings.

The Aggies have won seven straight games and are the only team in the SEC to go undefeated against conference opponents.

In a game that has been a definite up-and-down for the 12th Man, this should be a positive progression as the Aggies focus on maintaining their undefeated conference record.

Here are five takeaways from Texas A&M’s win over LSU so far:

Is There Still a Quarterback Controversy in College Station?

Conner Weigman started for the Aggies tonight, as he did in the last two games.

The only problem was that it probably didn’t go the way Mike Elko expected.

Weigman struggled to hit his receivers in the first half, as the Tiger defense held him to six completions on 18 attempts for a 64-yard pass. Fortunately, there was no interception, but the redshirt quarterback’s production just wasn’t there.

Enter Marcel Reed again.

Reed got the nod for the second half, with Mike Elko claiming the passing game “wasn’t working” and needing Reed’s mobility in the backfield.

And boy, did he get it.

Immediately after the kick, Reed found his way to the end zone for the Aggie score, one of his three rushing scores tonight. He finished with nine rushes for 62 yards and three touchdowns.

In terms of passing, Reed only completed two passes and completed both for 70 yards; This included a 54-yard rainbow that fell into the arms of Noah Thomas. Needless to say, he was a huge part of tonight’s Aggie win, and it will be interesting to see who Elko centers to start the game against South Carolina.

Run TAMC Strikes Again

After doing some lifting last week against Mississippi State, the Aggies’ face-to-face running game returned in both yards and points against the Tigers this week, with 242 yards and five touchdowns. Amari Daniels led the way with 91 yards on a dozen carries, Le’Veon Moss caught 14 passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns, and as previously mentioned, Marcel Reed chipped in with 62 yards and three touchdowns in his own half. As in all SEC games, trust your running game and take advantage.

12. Come for the Man, You Better Don’t Miss

Garrett Nussmeier isn’t the only quarterback on the SEC team, the Tigers, who has tested the 12th Man’s noise levels this season.

When asked about the atmosphere in an interview earlier this week, Nussmeier responded, “Kyle Field was loud, but it’s not Death Valley,” referring to LSU’s home field, Tiger Stadium.

And history seems to have repeated itself.

LSU faced false start after false start. “Mo Bamba” blared from the Kyle Field speakers at deafening volume for the entire game. A decibel reader reads 114 decibels. The Tigers struggled to get it all together in the second half, with a trio of tackles by Nussmeier sending the six-figure crowd into a complete frenzy.

It will be interesting to see if anyone from New Mexico State or Texas tries to scare the 12th Man. As Missouri and LSU learned the hard way, you’ll be in for a long game if you do this.

Defensive Halftime Adjustments Feel Important Again

That was the case at Mississippi State last week. The team will give up big passing plays in the first half and turn into an absolute shutdown defense in the second half. Tonight was another prime example of that. Garrett Nussmeier finished the game with 405 passing yards and scored two passing touchdowns in the first half.

Then the second half came and the roles changed.

Nussmeier threw a trio of picks in the second half, two to BJ Mayes and one to Taurean York late in the fourth quarter, that sealed the deal for the Aggie victory.

Of course, Mike Elko and Jay Bateman will be looking for these guys to put together two solid defensive halves going forward, but given the defense’s performance in the second half alone, perhaps they can let the first half slide a bit.

Chairman of the SEC Desk

The Aggies are now the only team in the SEC to remain undefeated in conference play. This is great news right now, but now the Claret-Whites have a big target behind them. A target that South Carolina, Auburn and Texas will surely shoot for.

If the Aggies stick to their guns and do what they do on both sides of the ball, they should have no problem winning, even against the Longhorns, and even locking themselves into the SEC Championship game once the smoke clears.

But unfortunately, this is the SEC and that is much easier said than done.

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