No. 25 LSU and No. 22 Texas A&M look to improve bowl status

Posted November 23, 2016 6:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 25 LSU (6-4, 4-3 SEC) at No. 22 Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3), Thursday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Line: LSU by 6 ˆ½.

Series record: LSU leads 30-21-3.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Both LSU and Texas A&M look to cap the regular-season on a good note in the only college game on Thanksgiving night after both teams dealt with inconsistencies and disappointments this season. With eight wins, a victory by A&M could push the Aggies into a prestigious New Year's day bowl.

KEY MATCHUP

LSU RB Leonard Fournette vs. Texas A&M's run defense. This could be the last regular season college game for Fournette, who will likely declare for the draft and is considered day to day with an injured ankle. Fournette has 843 yards rushing, putting him within reach of his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season. The Aggies rank 75th in the nation by allowing 179.7 yards rushing a game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LSU: RB Derrius Guice. He has had a breakout season with Fournette struggling with his injury for a big chunk of the season. Guice leads the team with a career-high 964 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns.

TEXAS A&M: DE Myles Garrett. The defensive end, who was slowed by an ankle injury for most of the season, is finally healthy and had a career-high 4 1/2 sacks last week. That game gave him 8 ˆ½ sacks this season, which leaves him 1 ˆ½ shy of becoming the first player in SEC history to reach double-digit sacks in his first three seasons.

FACTS & FIGURES

LSU is the only FBS team to limit its opponents to 21 points or less in each game this season. ... Texas A&M RB Trayveon Williams needs 44 yards rushing to become the first true freshman in school history to rush for 1,000 yards. ... The Tigers lead the nation by allowing just 11 touchdowns. ... Texas A&M WR Josh Reynolds has a TD reception in a school-record six straight games. ... Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin is one win away from reaching 80 victories as a head coach. ... The Tigers, who lost to Florida last week, have lost consecutive games just six times since 2000. ... The Aggies rank second in the nation with 98 tackles for losses.

___

AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.