GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The No. 8 LSU Tigers (6-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) will try to win consecutive road games in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 2019 on Saturday when they play at No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0 SEC). The prime time kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. on ABC for the last remaining undefeated SEC teams.
And with a win, the Tigers will be on pace with that ’19 outfit, which is the last LSU team to reach the College Football Playoff and won the national championship.
“Going back on the road for a second consecutive week is never easy,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said Wednesday on the SEC teleconference. “But they knew this going in. And the mindset was we were going to be, you know, road warriors and buckle down and be ready for this stretch in our schedule.”
LSU, which won going away last week at Arkansas, 34-10, split back-to-back road games last year – losing at No. 20 Ole Miss, 55-49, and winning, 49-39, at No. 21 Missouri in a 10-3 season (6-2, SEC).
The previous consecutive weekend excursions went like this:
2021 – Lost at No. 12 Ole Miss, 31-17. Lost at No. 2 Alabama, 20-14. Finished 6-7 (3-5, SEC).
2020 – Won at Vanderbilt, 41-7. Lost at Missouri, 45-41.
2020 – Won at Arkansas, 27-24. Lost at No. 5 Texas A&M, 20-7. Finished 5-5 (5-5, SEC) in COVID season.
2019 – Won at No. 3 Alabama, 46-41. Won at Ole Miss, 58-37. Finished 15-0 (8-0 SEC) for national title.
“We’ll have to play our very best,” Kelly said.
After A&M, LSU will finish the regular season with three of four games at home, and it will likely be favored in each one, should the Tigers get by the 2.5-point favored Aggies.
After the trip to College Station, LSU will be open, then host No. 15 Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC) on Nov. 9 before a trip to Florida (4-3, 2-2 SEC) on Nov. 16, then No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-1 SEC) on Nov. 23 and Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3 SEC) on Nov. 30.
LSU has not won at A&M since 2016, 54-39. The Tigers fell in 2018 (74-72 in 7 overtimes), ’20 (20-7) and ’22 (38-23). LSU leads the series, 32-23-3.
“Our team is certainly aware of where they are and what’s in front of them,” Kelly said. “And that is a very difficult road trip. They have worked hard to get themselves in this position. There is a lot of work ahead of them.”
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