Can Johnny Football and the Aggies out-defense the Tigers in College Station? John Harris knows.

At the outset of the season, it wasn't incredibly difficult to imagine Texas A&M with four wins going into this matchup with LSU in College Station.  But, take away a scoreless second half to the #2 ranked Florida Gators and the Aggies could have been 6-0.

Regardless, the Aggies have more than proven that they belong in the SEC, but they've taken a bunch of pop quizzes for the most part this season.  Saturday's matchup is a full-on mid-term against, perhaps, the most physical team the Aggies have faced all year long.

LSU's win over South Carolina may have returned the Tigers' swagger just a bit, which it desperately needed after getting manhandled in Gainesville the week prior.  I can't tell you how great it'll be to see this rivalry renewed early on Saturday morning.

Keys to an LSU win

1. Rush Johnny Football intelligently - keep lane integrity, don't speed upfield and run past him.
2. Hammer Manziel every time he carries the football - don't be dirty but push the boundaries and make him pay.
3. Get off the field on 3rd down to keep A&M from going into its hurry up offense after a made first down
4. Go deep on play action early to catch the A&M safeties off guard and keep them honest the rest of the game
5. Quick snap A&M's front if the Aggies are stemming and moving late into the cadence.

LSU Players to Watch

1. #99 DE Sam Montgomery - Turned up the heat on USC QB Connor Shaw last week and has bigger test against Luke Joeckel/Jake Matthews, containing Manziel.
2. The Offensive Line - A&M's front seven is highly underrated, but this group ram-rodded a stellar USC bunch last week.
3. #1 S Eric Reid - Playmaker in the secondary and tackling in space is a must against Manziel and the Aggies' RB corps.

Keys to a Texas A&M win

1. Stay hot and stay fast - Don't back off on the up tempo offense and force fatigue on the Tigers defense as it did to Florida in the first half earlier in the season.
2. Misdirection and play action - LSU DC John Chavis will get more and more aggressive when A&M has success, so using counters, boots and play action could open things downfield.
3. More of the M&M boys - Ben Malena and Christine Michael running the football right at the LSU defense, challenge that front seven.
4. Unleash Damontre Moore on 2nd/3rd medium/long situations from a number of different spots - Keep him mobile against the LSU offensive front.
5. Attack CB Jalen Mills with WR Mike Evans (if fully healthy), given his size - When LSU goes man, attempt to get Evans isolated on deep fades or slants to catch and run on smaller, less experienced cornerback.

Texas A&M Players to Watch

1. #13 WR Mike Evans - banged up a bit against La. Tech, but he may need to pick up more slack if Ryan Swope is out.
2. #21 S Steven Everett - secondary needs to tackle much better than last week out in space, which puts Everett and company on the spot.
3. T Jake Matthews/Luke Joeckel - arguably, SEC's best tackle duo has massive test against Montgomery and company.

Conclusion

A name that I haven't mention to this point is that of LSU RB Jeremy Hill who burst on the scene last week against South Carolina.  He ran for 124 yards on 17 carries against one of the nation's best defenses, including a powerful 50 yard run that essentially sealed the win.  At 6'1" and 235 lb., Hill is a hammer, but he's one of four different RB LSU can throw at Texas A&M.

That'll be the final key for LSU - if it can keep the offense on the field, it'll eventually wear down A&M, as Florida did to A&M in the second half of that matchup earlier this year.  Run the ball straight at the Aggies, in so doing it'll keep "Johnny Football" on the sideline, anxious and nervous to carry the A&M offense when he does get the ball back.

These defenses won't make it pretty and there will be some sore dudes on Sunday.  The Tigers won't feel a thing though when they leave College Station with a hard-earned W.

LSU - 21 vs. Texas A&M - 15