COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — LSU coach Les Miles is already giving Alabama something to think about, two weeks away from
their showdown in Death Valley.
The Tigers (7-1, 3-1 Southeastern
Conference) head into the month of November with one loss or fewer for
the sixth time in
eight years following Saturday's 24-19 win over Texas A&M. LSU
has an open date before hosting top-ranked Alabama on Nov.
3,
The Crimson Tide wasn't on Miles' mind moments after LSU rallied to beat the Aggies at Kyle Field.
"We're going to get on the plane," Miles
said. "We're going to head home. We're going to find us a big
flat-screen TV somewhere.
Eat heavily, watch the games, and probably tomorrow sometime we'll
likely meet with the team and describe the game and kind
of fix it, talk about the things we did good and the things we
didn't."
Long passes were one of the things LSU didn't do well against Texas A&M.
Zach Mettenberger completed only 11 of 29
passes for 97 yards. He did throw a 29-yard TD pass to Kadron Boone that
put LSU
ahead for good just before halftime. Otherwise, he completed no
pass longer than 17 yards and overthrew some open receivers
down the field.
The Tigers have two weeks to fix that — and maybe work on some deep throws to try against the Tide.
"We're going to hit some of those deep shots eventually," Miles said.
Mettenberger said the Aggies stacked the
line of scrimmage to stop LSU's running attack, something he hadn't seen
other opponents
try yet this season. That created opportunities for long passes,
but Mettenberger said the swirling wind at Kyle Field affected
his touch.
"It was really tough to throw those deep balls accurately today," he said. "Before this game, we really hadn't taken many
shots downfield. Next time, we have to capitalize on the deep balls."
The Tigers weren't biting on questions about the Tide after Saturday's hard-fought win.
LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in overtime in
Tuscaloosa last Nov. 5. The Crimson Tide then dominated the Tigers 21-0
in the BCS championship
game.
"We can't look into that right now," running back Michael Ford said. "We have to go and make corrections from this game."
And there will be plenty of those, particularly from the first quarter and a half. The Aggies (5-2, 2-2) and their no-huddle
offense kept the Tigers off balance early and dropped LSU into a 12-0 deficit, its biggest since last year's championship
game.
As the first half wore on, LSU's defense
started to figure out A&M and quarterback Johnny Manziel, who came
into the game
leading the SEC in total offense. Freshman Jalen Collins got the
Tigers going when he intercepted Manziel's pass near midfield.
Collins was making his first.
Ford finished the resulting drive with a 20-yard touchdown run, the 13th of his career.
Texas A&M's Ben Malena then fumbled at the Aggies' 42, and Boone made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone with
11 seconds left before the break. LSU also converted another Manziel interception into a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"We've been in situations like that before," defensive end Sam Montgomery said about trailing early. "We know how to fight
our way out of those situations. The game is not over until the fourth quarter."
LSU's offense would like to help the defense a bit more. The Tigers failed to score a touchdown in the first quarter for the
third straight game, and they're averaging only 16 points in their four SEC games.
"Our job as an offensive group is we have to start clicking more, start scoring points earlier," Boone said.
A&M outgained LSU 410-316, and the Tigers went a paltry 2-for-16 on third down. As long as the Tigers keep winning, though,
the defense doesn't mind carrying the load.
"They had more yards than us," junior defensive end Barkevious Mingo said of the Aggies. "They passed for more and ran for
more. But our offense did what they needed to."
LSU plays its next three games at home before wrapping up the regular season at Arkansas. The Tigers have won 22 straight
games in Death Valley, the nation's longest current streak and the longest in school history.