Three observations about LSU football's Week 9 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies

In a split story Saturday night in College Station, No. 8 LSU lost a Week 9 SEC showdown to Texas A&M 38-23 in the battle for the top of the Southeastern Conference.

Missed opportunities on offense and special teams, as well as the switch to dual-threat quarterback Marcel Reed, made the difference in No. 14 Texas A&M handing No. 8 LSU its second loss of the season, 38-23, on Saturday night in College Station.

Redshirt sophomore receiver Aaron Anderson led the team with 126 yards and a touchdown on three catches. Junior receiver Kyren Lacy had an impressive performance with 106 yards on five catches.

LSU will have a bye week next Saturday before returning to Tiger Stadium to host No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 9. Kickoff, which has not yet been announced by the league office, is expected to take place between 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. CT.

A look at three observations from Saturday evening in College Station.

A Tale of Two Halves: Turnovers Tumble the Tigers

LSU entered the Week 9 showdown out of a cannon after playing complementary football at Kyle Field under the leadership of signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier.

The redshirt-junior quarterback led the Aggies' defense through the first two quarters, rushing for over 250 yards and two touchdowns, giving LSU a 17-7 halftime lead, but things took a turn in the third quarter.

Texas A&M made the necessary halftime adjustments to contain Nussmeier and Co. on Saturday night, with the signal-caller throwing two interceptions in the third quarter.

The implosion began after the first pitch and LSU couldn't stop the bleeding from there in College Station.

Nussmeier then threw a second interception in the third frame before throwing his third interception in the final quarter of the game.

Three turnovers eventually led to 17 points for the Aggies, and Nussmeier took the blame for the interceptions, but an inability to adjust defensively plagued LSU late.

Mike Elko's decisive call: insert QB Marcel Reed

Texas A&M signal-caller Conner Weigman earned the starting nod Saturday night in College Station as the youngster struggled out of the gate against LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker's unit.

After a miserable first half in which Weigman went 6 of 18 through the air for just 64 yards, Texas A&M's head coach turned to true freshman quarterback Marcel Reed to turn things around.

The decision paid off for Elko and Co. as Reed changed the game for the Aggies in an instant.

LSU's defense simply had no answer for the dual-threat quarterback. Reed fired up the Tigers with his legs in the third quarter, and just when LSU thought they had him figured out, he threw a 54-yard pass to Noah Thomas in the fourth quarter to change the trajectory.

Reed's ability to tuck the ball and run the zone kept the Bayou Bengals struggling in the final 30 minutes of Saturday night's Week 9 contest.

After Weigman had been planning the game all week, the immediate move to bring Reed into the game was the decision that ultimately put the Aggies over the top.

Reed finished the day with 70 passing yards on just two attempts while rushing for 62 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Garrett Nussmeier's game to forget

In a game where all eyes were on LSU signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier, who would further boost his 2025 NFL Draft stock and catapult the Tigers to the No. 1 pick in the SEC, it quickly became a night to forget.

After a first half in which Nussmeier completed 14 of his 26 pass attempts for 259 yards and two touchdowns, it was a tale of two halves.

The final 30 minutes were miserable for the redshirt junior quarterback after he threw two interceptions in the third quarter that the Aggies quickly turned into two touchdowns.

LSU entered halftime with a “comfortable” lead of 17-7 and all the momentum was going their way, but as the turnovers started piling up, Texas A&M took advantage and ran.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter and Nussmeier threw his third interception of the game to put the nail in the coffin. The implosion began with an interception in the third quarter and ended with another in the fourth.

Saturday night quickly became a put-in-the-rearview-mirror-forget night for LSU's QB1 after three picks sealed the deal in College Station.

Nussmeier finished the day 25-for-50 with 405 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

The one-two of Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson quickly proved to be a difference maker for this offense, as Lacy caught five balls for 106 yards. Anderson caught three balls for 126 yards and a score.

Immediate takeaways: No. 8 LSU falls to No. 14 Texas A&M in College Station

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers on SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.