The LSU Tigers first SEC loss of the season came in disappointing fashion against Ole Miss, but they won’t have much time to dwell on it.
Texas A&M comes to Tiger Stadium this weekend, giving LSU an immediate opportunity to respond after falling 32-24 in Oxford. The Aggies will also enter the matchup looking to bounce back after suffering a 31-21 home loss to Kentucky.
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That makes this game particularly important for both teams.
A victory would allow LSU to put the Ole Miss loss behind it and avoid an early two-game SEC losing streak.
More importantly, beating Texas A&M would give the Tigers another ranked SEC victory and provide some much-needed momentum heading into the rest of conference play.
LSU showed against Ole Miss that it can overcome adversity. After trailing 24-7 at halftime, the Tigers scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game before ultimately falling late.
If LSU can carry that second-half performance into Saturday night and finish the job this time, it would provide a strong response to the loss.
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A second consecutive SEC loss would change the conversation around LSU considerably.
The Tigers would fall to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play, putting significantly more pressure on the remainder of their SEC schedule.
LSU still has plenty of opportunities ahead, including games against Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Auburn, but another loss would make the margin for error much smaller.
It would also raise questions about whether the Ole Miss game was simply a missed opportunity or the beginning of a larger problem against top SEC competition.
That’s what makes Saturday’s contest so important.
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LSU needs to show that the loss was a setback rather than the start of a trend.
With Texas A&M also coming off an SEC loss, both teams have something to prove.
For LSU, this is an opportunity to show how they respond when adversity arrives.
And after what happened in Oxford, that response could tell us a lot about where this season is headed.
