LSU football still has major transfer portal need on offensive line

LSU still has a big portal need at a major position

LSU football made some big moves in the first week of the transfer portal window, but a few needs remain. Among them is the offensive line.

With tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones declaring for the NFL draft and guards Miles Frazier and Garrett Dellinger exhausting eligibility, the Tigers are replacing four starters up front. The lone player set to return is center [autotag]DJ Chester. [/autotag]

Despite a flurry of additions, LSU has yet to move on the offensive line, making it LSU’s most urgent need.

LSU likes the talent of the young offensive linemen on the roster. Aside from the draft losses, LSU has handled retention well in the room, with zero of the Tigers’ linemen entering the portal.

We saw glimpses of redshirt freshmen [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] at guard in 2024, and the results were mixed. At tackle, LSU has freshman [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] waiting in the wings, but he played just 16 snaps in 2024.

But LSU would like to be in a place where it’s not relying on unproven underclassmen in 2025. With quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] back for a fifth year along with a budding star at running back in [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], LSU’s offense has a chance to be one of the best in the country next year if it can maintain talent on the offensive line.

Three LSU football freshmen earn SEC’s all-freshman honors

See which three Tigers were named to the SEC’s all-freshmen team in 2024

Three LSU freshmen received postseason recognition from the SEC on Thursday.

[autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag] and Aeron Burrell earned spots on the conference All-Freshman team.

Chester, a center, took over after veteran [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] moved on to the NFL. There were some growing pains, but Chester put a strong performance together in LSU’s final two games.

He helped block for Durham, who led the team in rushing yards. Burrell handled kickoff duties for the Tigers.

Durham led the Tigers’ ground attack and turned in two 100+ rushing yard performances. The freshman totaled 693 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry in his inaugural season.

Durham was also involved in the passing game, hauling in 27 catches for 257 yards and two scores.

Expect head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] to continue using the Oklahoma City, OK native as a versatile piece in the offense with Nussmeier and 2025 five-star back [autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag].

Burrel remains a stalwart on the kickoff team. The three-star placekicker is a native of Bossier City, LA, and ranked second at his position in the 2024 class. He chose his home state school over Grambling and Houston.

Burrel will have a chance to win place-kicking duties next year.

Here’s a complete look at the SEC’s All-Freshman team on offense and defense.

Offense

Position	Player	Team
QB	LaNorris Sellers	South Carolina
RB	Caden Durham	LSU
RB	Jadan Baugh*	Florida
RB	Nate Frazier*	Georgia
WR	Ryan Williams	Alabama
WR	Cam Coleman	Auburn
TE	Ethan Davis	Tennessee
OL	Bradyn Joiner	Auburn
OL	Josiah Thompson	South Carolina
OL	Bryce Lovett	Florida
OL	Malachi Wood	Kentucky
C	DJ Chester	LSU
AP	Ryan Williams	Alabama

Defense

Position	Player	Team
DL	Dylan Stewart	South Carolina
DL	Colin Simmons	Texas
DL	Jayden Jackson	Oklahoma
DL	Jordan Ross	Tennessee
LB	Jalen Smith	Tennessee
LB	Chris Cole*	Georgia
LB	Myles Graham*	Florida
LB	Demarcus Riddick*	Auburn
DB	KJ Bolden	Georgia
DB	Boo Carter	Tennessee
DB	Zabien Brown	Alabama
DB	Jay Crawford	Auburn

Nation’s top running back Harlem Berry officially signs with LSU

LSU made it official with five-star running back Harlem Berry on Wednesday

LSU officially inked one of its five-star commits during Wednesday’s National Early Signing Day.

[autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag] made his commitment official during the early signing period. The Metairie, LA native ranks as the top running back in the 2025 class and was recruited closely by associate head coach and running back coach Frank Wilson along with offensive coordinator Joe Sloan.

The Tigers beat out SEC foes Florida, Texas, and Alabama for Berry. He announced his commitment in January and has not wavered from his home state school. Head coach Brian Kelly and Sloan jumped on the opportunity to sign a top-rated recruit in their territory as they offered him in June 2023.

Berry provides an influx of talent to an LSU running back room that has struggled to maintain depth. He’ll join fellow blue-chip recruit [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], who broke out as a freshman in 2024.

Berry is one of two five-star commitments for the Tigers. [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] is the top recruit in Florida and is the top cornerback in the country, per On3 and Rivals. LSU expects to make Pickett official on Wednesday afternoon.

Stock Up, Stock Down: Tigers win their final home game of the season

Who saw their stock rise and fall in LSU’s big win over Oklahoma

Coming into tonight’s game against Oklahoma, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers were coming off of a win over Vanderbilt. On the other hand, Oklahoma was coming off of a big win at home over Alabama. The question entering the game was if Oklahoma would suffer a hangover from that win.

It appeared as though they may have still been hungover from their big win last week as LSU came out with a big 37-17 win over Boomer Sooner. On senior night, the seniors on this team decided to go out with a bang.

A few of the key players in this game were Garrett Nussmeier, Caden Durham, Chris Hilton Jr., and Whit Weeks. Those four guys were a big reason why the Tigers won.

Let’s look at the players who saw their stock rise or fall in this game.

Stock Up: Caden Durham

[autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] was the leading rusher for the Tigers tonight as he finished the game with 11 carries for 80 yards. His longest rush of the night was a 50-yard scamper.

Stock Down: Penalties

The biggest thing I want to harp on in this game is penalties. LSU had 6 penalties for 46 yards. In the first half, the Offensive Line had a holding penalty and two false start penalties.

Stock Up: Garrett Nussmeier

[autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] played well once again, although he left the game with an injury for a short period. He finished the game 22-for-31 throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns.

Stock Up: Chris Hilton Jr.

[autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] only had two receptions tonight but they were both big ones. He had two receptions for 85 yards against Oklahoma but both of his receptions went for touchdowns.

Stock Up: Whit Weeks

[autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] was phenomenal for the Tigers tonight. He finished the game with the most tackles on the team (15) with nine of those being solo tackles.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Brian Kelly on how LSU got the run game going vs. Vanderbilt

How did LSU get its run game going vs. Vanderbilt? Here’s what Brian Kelly had to say

LSU’s run game was inconsistent over the first 10 games but put up big numbers in the win over Vanderbilt.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly was asked about what went right at his Monday press conference.

“It starts with the quarterback. The ability to get us the favorable looks that give the offensive line the numbers where we could run some combination blocks, where we could get leverage, where we could get some of the things necessary to have a more consistent running game,” Kelly said.

Kelly said that single-back offenses have to correctly identify those looks and make the right calls.

He pointed to Nussmeier spinning it out to Aaron Anderson on the perimeter when the numbers in the box were unfavorable to the run.

At times this season, Kelly has said Nussmeier needed to do a better job of making the right calls. Now with more experience under his belt, Nussmeier is starting to turn a corner in that department.

The calls paid off for the offensive line. Kelly said center [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag] played his best game of the year. He praised Chester’s development, especially as it pertains to his work in the weight room.

Kelly said Chester’s strength numbers are now where they’re expected to be for his position.

LSU ran the ball 29 times for 142 yards and two scores. [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] averaged 6.4 yards per carry while [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] averaged 4.1.

Oklahoma’s front is one of the best in the SEC. We’ll get a better idea of what progress LSU has made this week, but the Vanderbilt game was a positive indicator.

4 things LSU needs to fix if it wants to be a playoff team

LSU enters the bye week on a sour note, but that gives the Tigers time to fix four key issues.

LSU is headed into the bye week on a sour note. After winning six in a row, the Tigers dropped one by a score of 38-23 at Texas A&M. LSU was in control in the first half, but a failure to put Texas A&M away allowed the Aggies to get back in it.

Once A&M was back in it, it took control. Marcel Reed and the A&M backfield ran all over LSU in the second half and the Aggies finished the game on a 31-6 run.

After the game, linebacker [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] said LSU wasn’t prepared for Reed entering the game. Texas A&M completed eight passes all night, but it didn’t matter. A&M ran it 46 times for 245 yards and five touchdowns.

On the offensive side of the ball, LSU struggled to get its own run game moving. LSU ran it 22 times for 25 yards — one of the worst rushing performances in program history.

That sits atop the list of needed fixes as LSU enters the bye week. Let’s jump right in and take a look.

LSU needs a run game

We’ve talked about it all year, but LSU needs a run game. It was an issue in the opening loss to USC, outside of a few bursts from [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] More red flags were raised when LSU failed to get a consistent push vs. FCS Nicholls.

Then true freshman [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] began to inject life into LSU’s ground game. Durham ran it 11 times for 98 yards in the win over South Carolina. A few weeks later vs. South Alabama, he toted it seven times for 128 yards. He crossed the 100 mark again at Arkansas.

But on Saturday, Durham was quiet. He caught four passes for 56 yards, but he was a nonfactor on the ground. [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] didn’t add much either, running it seven times for 23 yards.

Both Durham and Williams had a decent run on LSU’s second drive, but apart from that, LSU had nothing.

LSU is a team with two first-round picks at tackle and two veterans at guard. The Tigers have a deep tight end room and a group of talented running backs. With Nussmeier’s arm, defenses can’t load the box either. All of that should lead to LSU being able to run the football, but for whatever reason, LSU can’t find any consistency.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said LSU has spent a lot of time on the run game. Earlier in the year, right tackle [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag] joked [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] wasn’t leaving his office. LSU is aware of the problem and knows it needs to be fixed. We’ll see if the bye week comes with any new ideas before LSU faces a strong Alabama front.

Allow Garrett Nussmeier to settle in

When [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] is on, he’s among the best quarterbacks in the country. But when he’s off, he’s a turnover waiting to happen. In each of LSU’s last two games, we’ve seen two drastic sides of Nussmeier.

Nussmeier struggled to settle in vs. Ole Miss, throwing picks and missing throws deep. He eventually figured it out and led LSU to victory, but it was a rocky road to get there.

On Saturday, we saw the good version of Nussmeier early. He played one of the best halves of his career in the first two quarters, but what came next was a complete unraveling.

LSU OC Joe Sloan has to keep Nussmeier comfortable throughout the game. Part of it could have to do with LSU’s inability to run the ball. Nussmeier feels like he has to do it all himself and puts the ball in dangerous spots.

But LSU needs to get ahead of the problem. When it starts to look shaky, find some quick throws to get the QB in rhythm. Nussmeier now leads the SEC with nine picks on the year — that’s not a sustainable way for this team win football games.

Become more athletic at defensive tackle

It might be unfair to expect LSU to fix this midseason, but the Tigers have some of the necessary tools.

LSU’s defensive tackle group is well coached and overperforming expectations, especially with the loss of Jacobian Guillory. Gio Paez and Paris Shand get the bulk of the work and play sound football, but LSU misses quick twitch athleticism up the middle.

There are guys on the roster that have it, such as Jay’Viar Suggs. We’ve seen Suggs playing time increase in recent weeks. He got 21 snaps in the loss to A&M, totaling three pressures and a sack. Suggs has 10 pressures and seven stops on just 108 snaps this year. That’s the playmaking ability LSU needs at that spot.

There were times when LSU defensive tackles were in the right spot but just didn’t make a play.

Suggs, along with true freshman Dominick McKinley, could help solve that issue.

Be more explosive on offense

LSU’s explosive passing rate is fine. The Tigers rank top 25 nationally in 15-yard passing rate and top 50 in 20-yard passing rate. But if LSU is going to struggle to run the ball, LSU needs to be elite at finding chunk yardage plays.

LSU doesn’t have the ability to march down the field getting five or six yards at a time right now. The only way LSU can score consistently is Nussmeier finding receivers down the field.

When A&M took the explosive passing element away, LSU had nothing.

LSU must figure out how to maintain the big plays throughout the game.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

5 stats that defined LSU’s loss at Texas A&M in Week 9

These five stats defined LSU’s loss at Texas A&M.

LSU’s second half did not go to plan in College Station on Saturday night. Texas A&M turned to dual-threat QB Marcel Reed and the LSU defense had no response.

On the other side of the ball, LSU’s failure to run the ball put too much on the passing game and QB [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] made a series of mistakes that let the game get away from LSU.

LSU was a slight underdog and playing on the road in the SEC is never easy, but A&M flat-out beat LSU in the second half. ESPN play-by-play man Chris Fowler called it a Texas A&M avalanche. It’s hard to find a better way to describe it.

Texas A&M looked like a playoff team over the final two quarters while LSU looked like a team unprepared for the moment. Mistakes in all phases of the game cost LSU on Saturday night. Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

Here are five stats that defined LSU’s loss.

LSU’s 1.9 yards per carry

At first, that reads like a typo. LSU averaged 1.9 yards per carry — not what’s expected from an SEC team with future NFL linemen and blue-chip running backs.

[autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] ran it 11 times for 15 yards while Josh Williams got seven carries for 23 yards. Together, they combined for a -8.33 EPA on the ground.

LSU’s offensive line couldn’t get any push or create space. Durham and Williams were constantly met by Texas A&M defenders at the line of scrimmage.

Just 19% of LSU’s runs went for 4+ yards. A&M’s mark was at 60%.

“We spent a lot of time on our run game. We should be better there,” [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said.

Garrett Nussmeier: Three interceptions

After Week 9, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] leads the SEC with nine picks on the year. We knew Nussmeier was a “gunslinger” who would put the ball in jeopardy at times, but three picks on Saturday allowed the game to unravel for LSU.

Throwing three picks in a half isn’t a recipe for success. The turnovers came on LSU’s end of the field and set A&M up for a touchdown drive of eight yards and 26 yards. The third pick led to a field goal. Combined, A&M scored 17 points off the Nussmeier turnovers.

You could feel the momentum swing after the first interception. That’s where the game was lost for LSU. The Tigers weren’t able to settle down after that and the floodgates opened.

LSU special teams: -5.02 EPA

LSU’s field goal unit struggled on Saturday. A poor hold led to [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] missing a field goal late in the first quarter. In the second, LSU missed another one.

Long snapper [autotag]Slade Roy[/autotag] and holder [autotag]Peyton Todd[/autotag] weren’t on the same page and it led to a bungled snap in the third quarter. That’s nine points left on the board.

With the way A&M controlled the game in the second half, it’s hard to say the nine points were the difference, but the second half looks different if LSU is playing with a bigger lead.

When you send the field goal unit out there three times, you don’t want to come away empty on all three attempts.

LSU’s EPA without explosive plays: -36.29

LSU’s offense had a few explosive plays on Saturday night, including a 76-yard catch and run from [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and some third-down conversions to [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag].

Outside of that, LSU struggled to get anything going on offense. Without the explosive plays, LSU’s EPA was -36.29. LSU’s worst mark of the year.

With the run game not providing anything, it was hard to establish down-to-down consistency. That allowed A&M to tee up blitzes on Nussmeier and showcase some disguised coverages.

Nussmeier was feeling the pressure and knew the only way LSU could score was a big play through the air. Kelly said LSU is putting too much on its quarterback and that was evident on Saturday.

Mason Taylor and Kyren Lacy: 8 catches on 16 targets

This stat may feel a little nitpicky, but LSU only completed half of its targets to its most reliable receivers.

LSU turns to Taylor and Lacy when it needs a conversion — they’re Nussmeier’s go-to guys.

This is related to LSU’s lack of down-to-down efficiency. Part of LSU becoming a better situational football team means consistently completing passes to the dependable pass catchers.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

5 takeaways from LSU football’s loss at Texas A&M

Here are five takeaways from LSU’s loss in College Station on Thursday night.

Sometimes things fall apart.

That’s what happened to LSU in College Station on Saturday night. Mistakes haunted LSU as the Tigers watched the game unravel in the third quarter. Texas A&M seized the momentum and won 38-23.

Sole possession of first place in the SEC was on the line. A&M now sits atop the conference while LSU falls to 3-1 in conference play and 6-2 on the year. The loss halted a six-game win streak for LSU and put the Tigers’ playoff hopes on life support.

The night was full of frustrations for LSU. The Tigers moved the ball, but too many drives stalled out on A&M’s side of the field. LSU had to settle for field goal attempts, but the night was marred by special teams mistakes.

Every component of the field goal unit struggled. Ramos missed kicks, the holds were bad, and LSU long snapper Slade Roy fired one off too early.

LSU left something on the table. There’s no other way to put it. Here are five takeaways from the loss.

Nussmeier leads the unraveling with three picks

The first half was some of Garrett Nussmeier’s best football. The second half was the polar opposite.

Nussmeier’s accuracy began to falter and the situation was made worse by poor decisions with the football.

LSU went three and out on its opening drive of the second half. On the second drive, Nussmeier was trying to make a play and threw the ball up. It was picked off in LSU territory and A&M cut into the lead shortly after.

Later, another Nussmeier pick set A&M up to take the lead. Then in the fourth, an Aggie interception all but sealed it.

Nussmeier has nine picks on the year now. That puts his average at one per game. LSU will struggle to win games if it’s putting the ball in jeopardy like this.

LSU failed to put Aggies away when it had the chance

Things were looking bright in the first half. A long catch and run from Aaron Anderson put LSU up 17-7.

LSU was moving the ball and the LSU defense wasn’t giving up much. The Tigers looked like the better team — like a team taking yet another step forward after last week’s 34-10 win. But that wasn’t the case.

The stalled drives and missed field goals in the first half kept A&M in the game and allowed the Aggies to find life in the second half.

It was pointed out on the broadcast, but it was reminiscent of LSU’s week one loss. LSU was in a position to take a kill shot but missed.

LSU couldn’t run the ball

After a few weeks of progress, LSU couldn’t run the ball on Saturday night. [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] both got chances, but neither could gain steam.

A&M’s front presented a challenge to LSU. The Aggies have several future pros on the defensive line and LSU couldn’t get any push. Senior guard [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag] exiting the game with an injury didn’t help.

We can debate whether the blame lies with coaching, personnel or execution. The fact of the matter is we’re eight games into the season and LSU can’t run the ball.

It’s hard to go on the road and win in the SEC if you can’t run it. LSU doesn’t need the same production it got last year, but it needs more than it’s getting now.

A&M turns to Reed in the second half

LSU pressured Connor Weigman throughout the first half. A&M was getting some yards in the run game, but the passing attack was a nonfactor.

A&M’s answer: QB Marcel Reed.

Aggies’ OC Colin Klein went all in on the option attack and Reed’s rushing ability. Holes started to open up and A&M did what it wanted on the ground.

[autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] and the LSU defense had nothing. Even if there was an answer, LSU was failing to execute. The Tigers were missing tackles and getting driven off the ball.

LSU wasn’t prepared for Texas A&M’s physicality in the second half.

Where does LSU go from here?

At 6-2, LSU is still in the playoff race, even if help is needed. A 10-2 SEC team has a chance to find its way in but the margin for error is nonexistent.

LSU will have to win out. That includes beating Alabama, going on the road to Florida, and potentially tricky games with Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

As far as the SEC race goes, going through all the potential tiebreak solutions is pointless at the moment. That’ll sort itself out in the coming weeks.

This loss is a disappointment, especially with the optimism surrounding LSU in recent weeks. LSU isn’t a title contender right now.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU-Texas A&M Thursday Injury Report: Brian Kelly updates status on pair of LSU receivers

The Tigers are dealing with a few injuries heading into Saturday’s high-stakes matchup against Texas A&M.

LSU updated its injury report on Thursday heading into a critical Week 9 showdown against Texas A&M, and the Tigers continue to deal with some questions at the receiver position.

Once again, [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] has been listed as questionable as he’s yet to make his season debut after suffering a bone bruise in fall camp. Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] did provide some reason for optimism on Thursday, however, telling the media that he was a full participant in practice.

The question with Hilton is now a matter of conditioning, Kelly said.

“I think we’re probably going to list him questionable,” Kelly said. “But he’s made progress. This has been a slow process for us and him. I think more than anything else, you don’t bring a wide receiver back after this long out unless he’s properly conditioned because then you go pull a hamstring, right?

“It’s not the leg anymore, and we’re not concerned, and he’s not concerned about the leg. This is much more about a conditioning element relative to soft tissue more than anything else. So, we’re in a pretty good position here now. This is just getting him game-ready.”

His return would be welcome, especially considering questions about the health of fellow wideout [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], who was downgraded to questionable on Thursday. Daniels missed the win over Ole Miss but returned against Arkansas last week, catching seven passes for 86 yards.

In addition to potentially both starting receivers, LSU will be without a couple of impactful players. Safety [autotag]Jordan Allen[/autotag] is set to miss another week as he battles turf toe, Kelly confirmed Thursday.

“We’re talking about something that just is time, especially at the safety position, the inability to play at the level he needs to play at,” Kelly said.

Further, backup offensive lineman [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag], who is capable of playing all over the line, will be out. Kelly said [autotag]Bo Bordelon[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag] are players who could potentially step up to fill a gap if needed.

“Bo Bordelon would be the next guy depending on if it’s a tackle or guard. If it’s a guard, Paul Mubenga would come in,” Kelly said.

The Tigers are clearly not at 100%, but there’s some optimism it could be at full strength in the passing game for the first time this season as the run game is finally starting to emerge with running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] listed as probable coming into this game.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Is a healthy Caden Durham the key for LSU’s offense vs. Texas A&M?

Is LSU RB Caden Durham the key to success for LSU’s offense on Saturday night?

True freshman [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] took the LSU backfield by storm early in the year. With LSU’s run game struggling, Durham’s workload increased and LSU found an element of explosiveness on the ground.

Last week, in LSU’s win over Arkansas, Durham notched 21 carries — a career-high that indicates Durham ascending to LSU’s feature back.

Durham was the No. 5 running back in the class of 2024. His talent was no secret, but we didn’t know how early he’d arrive. Durham has 62 carries for 382 yards on the year. That average of 6.2 yards per carry is one of the best marks in the SEC.

LSU is set for a primetime showdown with No. 14 Texas A&M this week. Against a strong Aggie defense, another big game from Durham could be the key.

A&M’s defense ranks in the top 25 in EPA/rush allowed, but there’s room to break some big plays. The Aggies rank 65th nationally in 10+ yard rushing rate allowed. That’s not an area where LSU excels, but Durham has the elusive ability to create something.

Nine of Durham’s 62 attempts have gone for 10 yards or more. With 3.23 yards after contact on average, Durham can find space even when the A&M defense creates penetration.

This game features two defenses playing at a high level. If it becomes a low scoring affair, game control will be critical. LSU won’t be able to do that with a stale rushing attack — making Durham a key to success for LSU’s offense.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.