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No. 8 LSU visits No. 14 Texas A&M in a matchup of the last two undefeated teams in SEC play.

By CHRISTY RICKEN AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — LSU coach Brian Kelly needed no reminding of how tough it is to play at Kyle Field as his eighth-ranked Tigers team prepared for Saturday’s visit to No. 14 Texas A&M in a matchup The last undefeated teams in the Southeastern Conference play.

It took him just two years ago to remember his first season with the Tigers, when they were ranked sixth before the unranked Aggies crushed them 38-23 in College Station, ending their College Football Playoff hopes. football.

“Yeah, we learned a lot about the different stadiums in this league,” Kelly said. “I think when you come to A&M, it’s a lot like going to Tiger Stadium: They’re kind of separated from each other, and you have to prepare for that environment and block out those distractions, because if you don’t , they will affect the outcome of certain events. games.”

Both teams have won six straight games after losing their openers and became the only undefeated teams in the SEC after Georgia’s win at Texas last Saturday. LSU is 3-0 in SEC play, while Texas A&M is 4-0.

The Aggies, in their first season under coach Mike Elko after Jimbo Fisher was fired, are looking for a big win as they seek their first SEC Championship Game appearance.

“This will be an opportunity for us to come out and show that we belong in this scene and take this program to where we all thought we wanted to go,” Elko said. “They’re a great team. We are a talented team. It will be a lot of fun.”

The Aggies expect a crowd of more than 100,000 as they look for their second straight home win over a top-10 team after a 41-10 rout of then-No. 9 Missouri, October 5.

This will be LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s second trip to Kyle Field after visiting it as a backup in that 2022 game. He’s trying to focus on his team and how the Tigers can improve this week.

“Obviously we understand that it will be a tough environment – ​​a tough place to play,” he said. “It will be loud. It will be fun…it’s very easy to get caught up in extracurricular activities about what this game means and all that goes into it. We can think about it all week and then lose a football game and it won’t matter.”

No cupcakes

Kelly cautions against judging Nussmeier on his completion rate of about 55% (69 of 125) during the Tigers’ three SEC games.

Kelly said LSU’s passing scheme this season tends to favor progressive reads down the field, which could make it difficult for the Tigers’ defense, even if some of those throws are harder to complete than shorter screen passes or checkdowns.

“You don’t get those cupcake throws that make the chains move in some other offenses,” Kelly said. “So because of that, the percentages tend to go down a little bit. But we think it suits Garrett better in terms of what he does. And it worked very well for our offense.”

Indeed, Nussmeyer’s 317.4 passing yards per game rank seventh nationally, and he leads the SEC with 18 touchdown passes.

Running Aggie

The Aggies, led by Le’Veon Moss, rank 13th in the country with a 218.6 rushing yards average. LSU’s defense ranks 33rd, allowing just 114.9 yards per game.

The Tigers gave up just 38 yards in a win over Arkansas last week and held UCLA to a season low of 14 on Sept. 21. Moss ranks second in the SEC, averaging 96.3 yards per game and rushing eight rushing touchdowns.

Procedural fines

Knowing that LSU would be playing in one of the toughest stadiums in college football, the offense studied the many penalties that occurred at Arkansas last week.

“I don’t know if we should be worried about this and act like this is some new thing that’s going to kill us,” Nussmeier said. “At the same time, it was unacceptable. So we have to fix this.”

Hard running

Freshman Kayden Durham, LSU’s leading rusher, isn’t completely healthy. He leads the Tigers with 382 yards rushing and eight total touchdowns in six games since not getting a carry in an early-season loss to Southern California.

Kelly said Durham is “playing at about 80 to 85 percent” due to a foot injury during the Sept. 28 win over South Alabama.

“Injuries are difficult to deal with at any position,” Kelly continued. “When you’re a running back and you have an injury and you’re still fighting through it, I think that says a lot about the young man and I’m really proud of him.”

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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.