Texas A&M
7-1 , 5-0
LSU
6-2 , 3-1
Team Stats
LSU 3, A&M 0
LSU - Ramos,Damian 23 yd field goal 11 plays, 87 yards, TOP 05:26
LSU 10, A&M 0
LSU - Taylor,Mason 2 yd pass from Nussmeier,Garrett (Ramos,Damian kick) 4 plays, 21 yards, TOP 01:30
LSU 10, A&M 7
A&M - Moss,Le'Veon 7 yd run (Bond,Randy kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:44
LSU 17, A&M 7
LSU - Anderson,Aaron 76 yd pass from Nussmeier,Garrett (Ramos,Damian kick) 3 plays, 90 yards, TOP 00:57
LSU 17, A&M 14
A&M - Reed,Marcel 8 yd run (Bond,Randy kick), 1 plays, 8 yards, TOP 00:07
LSU 17, A&M 21
A&M - Reed,Marcel 8 yd run (Bond,Randy kick), 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 03:53
LSU 17, A&M 28
A&M - Reed,Marcel 4 yd run (Bond,Randy kick), 5 plays, 26 yards, TOP 01:40
LSU 23, A&M 28
LSU - Nussmeier,Garrett 1 yd run (), 9 plays, 78 yards, TOP 04:05
LSU 23, A&M 35
A&M - Moss,Le'Veon 3 yd run (Bond,Randy kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:48
LSU 23, A&M 38
A&M - Bond,Randy 26 yd field goal 6 plays, 29 yards, TOP 02:47
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
No. 14 Aggies Use Strong Second Half to Down No. 8 LSU, 38-23
Oct 26, 2024 | Football
With the win, the Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) are off to their best start in SEC play in program history and have defeated two top-10 opponents at home in the same season for the first time since 1989.
After taking over under center in the second half, Reed completed both of his passes for 70 yards and rushed for 62 yards on nine carries to go along with three touchdowns. Amari Daniels led the rushing attack with a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries, while Le'Veon Moss added 83 yards on 14 rushes and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Maroon & White were led by Taurean York who logged a team-high seven tackles to go along with 1.0 tackle for loss and his first career interception. Bryce Anderson followed with six tackles, five of which were solos, and Nic Scourton added a half sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
After the Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening quarter, the Aggies answered back in the closing seconds as Moss powered it in from 7 yards out to cap off a nine play, 75-yard drive. In the second, LSU missed a pair of field goals but was able to add another touchdown to take a 17-7 lead into the break.
In the third, Mayes switched the momentum with his first interception as an Aggie to set Texas A&M up with a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line. Reed capitalized on the next play as the redshirt freshman punched it in from 8 yards out to cut the deficit to 17-14 with 8:10 remaining. Following a fumbled snap on a Tiger field goal try, Ol' Sarge's charges found the end zone again as Reed powered his way in from 8 yards out to give the Aggies their first lead of the night, 21-17, with 1:00 left in the third.
In the closing seconds of the third, Mayes logged his second interception of the night to set up another Texas A&M score. Reed once again capitalized on the LSU miscue as the signal caller took it in from 4 yards out to stretch the lead to 28-17 as 14:07 showed on the clock. The Tigers answered with a 1-yard quarterback sneak but failed to convert the two-point conversion as the Aggies led 28-23 with 9:57 left in the contest.
Texas A&M continued to punish LSU on the ground on the ensuing drive as Moss logged the fifth rushing touchdown of the night with a 3-yard run to push the advantage to 35-23 with 8:09 left to play. York put an end to the following Tiger drive with his first career interception to set up a 26-yard field goal from Randy Bond to make the final 38-23.
Postgame Notes
Team Notes
- The Maroon & White started a conference slate 5-0 for the first time since a 7-0 start in the Big 12 in 1998.
- The Aggies defeated two top-10 opponents at home for the first time since the 1989 season when they beat No. 7 LSU, 28-16, and No. 8 Houston, 17-13.
- Texas A&M registered three interceptions in a game for the second time in 2024 – the other came against Florida in Week 3. The last time A&M had multiple three-interception games was 2013 in back-to-back games against Vanderbilt (10/26) and UTEP (11/2).
- The Aggies owned a 242-24 advantage in rushing yards, including 144-0 in the second half. This was the fifth time this season A&M has held its opponent to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground.
- Texas A&M has now recorded a rushing touchdown in seven of its eight games this season, scoring multiple times on the ground in four outings.
- Texas A&M was 6-of-6 on red zone trips, with touchdowns on the first five visits and a field goal late to ice the game.
- The Maroon & White topped the Tigers in Kyle Field for the fourth consecutive time, matching their longest home win string in the series.
- The Aggies overcame a double-digit deficit against a top-10 foe for the first time since trailing 14-0 against No. 10 Arkansas on Sept. 24, 2022, and pulling out a 23-21 win. They outscored the Tigers 31-6 in the second half.
- Attendance for the LSU game was 108,852, marking the third-highest attendance all-time at Kyle Field.
Individual Notes
- Junior RB Le'Veon Moss made it three straight games with multiple rushing scores with a 7-yard run in the first quarter and a 3-yard plunge in the fourth quarter. It marked his fourth game of the season with multiple rushing touchdowns, and he became the first Aggie to rush for 10 TDs in a season since Trayveon Williams in 2018.
- In addition to 83 yards on 14 rushes, Moss amassed a career-high 42 receiving yards on three catches.
- Junior RB Amari Daniels rushed for a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries for a 7.6 average.
- Freshman QB Marcel Reed rushed for multiple touchdowns for the first time in his career and became the first Aggie QB to score three-or-more touchdowns in a game since Trevor Knight did so against Tennessee in 2016.
- Reed ended the game going 2-for-2 through the air for 70 yards and rushing nine times for 62 yards after entering the game at the 8:17 mark of the third quarter.
- Senior DB BJ Mayes intercepted two passes in the third quarter, marking the first time an Aggie has had multiple picks in a game since Leon O'Neal had a pair against Kent State to open the 2021 season.
- Sophomore LB Taurean York sealed the game with his first career interception with 6:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. He had a game-high seven tackles, including five solo takedowns and 1.0 TFL.
- Junior DL Nic Scourton has registered at least 1.0 tackle for loss in seven of A&M's eight games this season.
- Sophomore DL Rylan Kennedy recorded his first career solo sack late in the fourth quarter.
- Freshman P Tyler White boomed three punts 50-plus yards down field, landing four of his five punts inside the 20.
- Graduate K Randy Bond became the 10th Aggie to connect on 100 extra points, hitting 5-of-5 in the game to improve to 103-of-103 for his career.
Postgame: Mike Elko
COACH ELKO: Yeah, I just want to start this way. Thank you to the 12th Man. Thank you for turning Kyle Field into what that group brought, that was just unbelievable. And so thank you to everybody who came out tonight. Thank you for staying behind us. I stood up here after the Notre Dame game and said we're going to get into these environments and we're going to find ways to win and we did it tonight.
Hats off to our guys. I thought we battled through, you know, some ups and downs in that game. I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage. I thought that was critical.
You outrush a team 242-24 in an SEC football game and you guys can go back to when we started in this league and what it looked like when we used to play those guys. That's a strong statement of where our physicality has gotten to.
And then you make them one-dimensional. I thought we were able to really turn the heat up on [Garrett] Nussmeier. Obviously, he's a talented quarterback. They've got a talented group of wide receivers. They got yards. But the pressure and the having to throw all the time, I think, leads to the turnovers. And then you win the turnover battle in the second half 3-0. Some of those lead directly to touchdowns, and those things are critical.
And then, obviously, unbelievable credit to Marcel Reed, you know, to be ready to go tonight. We just felt like things weren't moving the way we wanted to. It certainly wasn't Conner's [Weigman] fault. There weren't a lot of open windows. We couldn't get the passing game unglued at all. We couldn't call it right. I couldn't get them to run it right. We couldn't get open. It was just a litany of problems. Conner didn't throw it well at times. It was a litany of issues. And we just felt like we needed a spark, and we pulled the trigger and went with Marcel. And what a spark he gave us.
So, proud of these guys, proud of where we are. And obviously, you know, this sets up another big one next week. And so we've got to get them back, we've got to get them rested, we've got to get them recovered, and we've got to get them ready to go, because we're going to have one big stage again next weekend. And so another big opportunity.
So from there, I'll open it up to questions.
Q. Mike, can you give some insight as to, number one, when you started considering going to Marcel [Reed]? And then I was going to ask, what was the message to the team at halftime after you all kind of struggled in that first half?
COACH ELKO: Yeah, I mean, we came in at halftime and they were doing a really good job of mixing up coverage. It was causing us a lot of issues in terms of getting our route combinations right. We were having a hard time. There wasn't a lot of people open. Went through the whole passing game in the first half, and there just weren't a lot of open windows to throw the ball.
Obviously, Conner [Weigman] had a couple misses for sure. I'm not taking that away from it, but it certainly wasn't all on Conner.
And so then, you come in at halftime and start trying to figure out what do we got to do. And we start the second half, and it doesn't look like it's going in a better direction.
At that point, we just really made a decision that we needed to run the ball. We needed Marcel's legs. We needed to be able to get multidimensional in the run game. And that was really the gist of it.
It wasn't necessarily Marcel throwing it over Conner. We just felt like the style of offense that Marcel brings was going to give us a spark, and that's what we did.
Q. BJ Mayes is such a neat story, the way he stuck with it. And as he said, got a chance to play in the SEC. Can you speak to him sticking it out and taking advantage of his opportunities?
COACH ELKO: Yeah, and there's just so many stories like that. And from where we were when I got here and the whole rhetoric around this program was NIL and mercenaries and selfishness and all of those things, to see where we are now. The BJ Mayes story and having to switch positions and learning a new position. And here you are in the biggest game of the year, and he gets two incredible picks in the second half that lead us to victory, right? And you don't see those things.
And so that's a credit to those kids in the locker room. It's a credit to their character. It's a credit to who they are and especially to BJ. I mean, what an unbelievable story for him to go out there and do what he did tonight.
Q. I know you guys have much bigger goals, but what does it mean to you to be the only team that hasn't been defeated in SEC play?
COACH ELKO: That we got a big game next week. Honestly, that's what it means. I told the guys that in the locker room. The price of success and the price of winning games like this is you now have a target on your back.
And so, certainly, we're going to walk into an extremely hostile environment. It's going to be the toughest environment this team has ever played in. You know, if you go back over the last two years and this year, this stage for us, with where we are, they're certainly going to be flying around, and they're going to be ready.
And so what 5-0 means is we're going to have a heck of a time trying to get to 6-0.
Q. When you made the quarterback change, what did you tell Conner [Weigman] and just how did he take that?
COACH ELKO: Yeah, he took it great. I just told him, it's not you, this is not you. This is not on you. I'm going to tell everybody, it's not on you. We let him down. We all did. But we needed a spark, and then we were just at a point where we had to try something different. And we felt like if nothing else, Marcel's [Reed] athleticism would give us a different variable that they probably hadn't spent a ton of time preparing for. And so that's what we did, and it worked for us.
Q. Seemed like you guys had a really hard time tackling on defense in the first half. Just what was the difference in the second half, especially just in coverage with the three interceptions?
COACH ELKO: Yeah, I think honestly, we got too loose in the first half. I think that's a really talented group; and if you give them space, they're going to make you miss. And I just thought we got really loose in coverage.
We had the big bust on the long touchdown, and those things are just killers. We just talked at halftime about settling down and playing our game. We didn't play our game at all in the first half, and we felt like we took their best shot and we were still in it. And so at that point, it was just about, like, regrouping, settling down, playing the way we were capable of.
And still, the second half, I mean, ten penalties is going to kill us. Like, there's still so many things we've got to fix and so many areas we can get better at.
Q. Mike, I know after the last game, you talked about kind of enjoying the moment a little bit in the moment. And in the first year, is it still surreal when you kind of accomplish the next step and the next step?
COACH ELKO: No. Honestly, no. My mind transitioned right to South Carolina when the game ended and all of the things that we've got to fix if we want to take this thing where we want to go. I think we have an amazing opportunity right now that we really want to take advantage of. And to do that, we've still got a lot of work to do.
Q. You look back to your time at Duke, you guys were able to get that thing going. And tonight it went so quick. What do you think it is about what you guys do that's able to lead to such effective results immediately?
COACH ELKO: I think it's the way we talk to young people. I think the things we talk about, the messaging, how we bring really good people into the building. We talk about doing things together, we talk about culture, and everyone talks about it, but then we go out and we live it every day.
And I think we back up our actions. We're very honest. We're very open. And this is a real program. It's not fake. It's not a politician running this program, talking fast and BSing everybody. This is a real program.
And for all the recruits out there, this is a real place. And if you want to be really good at football, this is a really good place to be.
Q. Mike, you guys really started to get a lot of pressure there in the third quarter. Did you guys talk about anything up front that you might want to do different at halftime, or was it just that was you guys finally breaking their offensive line down?
COACH ELKO: Yeah, I think it was probably more -- like, we went in at halftime and we felt like if we could get the game back on level terms, they would be one-dimensional. We felt like they were wanting to give up on the run but the score kind of dictated that they stayed with it a little bit.
And I think as the second half wore on and the game got level, then us taking the lead, like, it became one-dimensional. And I think when it becomes one-dimensional, that's the benefit of stopping the run like that. Even though they get the 400 yards, you know, he's got to stand back there and deal with those kids teeing off. And it just speeds his clock up all night, and it results in three turnovers. And I think that's really the story of the game in a lot of ways.
Q. Mike, when you guys were down double digits, this thing could have gotten out of hand. How much does it mean to you in building this program that you guys were able to kind of face this and overcome it and play the way you guys did? What does it mean for the big picture in your mind?
COACH ELKO: Yeah, I never really felt like it was headed that way, honestly. Obviously, the score wasn't where we wanted it to be, but there was no panic on our sideline.
I thought we had a great demeanor about ourselves all day. We weren't bouncing around. We weren't hooting and hollering. We were focused, and we were focused on -- and that was what we wanted to be. That's what we talked about.
And even as the thing wasn't going the way we wanted to and they're hitting big plays, and we're not exactly doing the things that we would like to do, the composure was still there. And the talk at halftime from the kids was really good. And that's when I kind of knew we would at least go out and battle. And then we were able to make some plays and really get the momentum swung in our favor.
Q. Mike, I know you gave Marcel [Reed] a shout-out after the Missouri game. And I'm just wondering how he maybe handled the last few weeks being the backup again and how that may have prepared him for a moment like this.
COACH ELKO: Yeah, I think you see -- I don't mean this the wrong way, Carter, but you see when he goes in how he's handled the last couple weeks. You know what I mean? He's out there, he's operating. He's very comfortable. He knows the game plan. He's running the offense the way we want him to run the offense. He still made a couple things that we've got to clean up, like always.
But I just -- if he's not doing the things he needs to do to be successful, it doesn't look like that. He goes out there, and it probably looks worse than it started, and that thing gets away from us, and this is a whole different story.
And so I think when he goes out there and performs the way he does, that's a testimony to his character. Obviously, his talent, but a testimony to his character and how he handles this two weeks since Missouri and how he keeps working and preparing to put himself in position to play.
We've talked about this. We get two quarterbacks ready, like always. And so you always need two quarterbacks. You know, you're always one play away from needing your other guy. And so we certainly never pulled back on what we were doing with him either to make sure that he stayed prepared.
Q. Mike, this team seems to play really hard for you. They seem resilient. Why do you think your message has resonated and got through so well with this group so quickly?
COACH ELKO: I think it's just the genuine honesty that they appreciate. I think we've been very up front with them. I'm a guy who leads from the front line. I'm around him all the time. And I'm not one of those guys who's a hugger and pat them on the back; but I'm with them all the time, and I think they appreciate that. I think they appreciate the messaging and how real and consistent it is, and that's how I think we got to where we are.
Q. Mike, second straight home game. I guess they put it on JumboTron what the quarterback said about the 12th Man. The team stepped up but so did the 12th Man. I guess to that challenge, like they needed more fuel. How do you think they stepped up in the adversity?
COACH ELKO: I would hope that that comment didn't have anything to do with it. The 12th Man -- and I've said this since I got here. There's a lot of things that we've got to elevate in this program. Our home atmosphere is not one of them. Our home atmosphere is absolutely elite.
When you play a Saturday night in Kyle [Field], it's electric. When you play a Saturday night in Kyle and it means what tonight meant, that was really special. And I think that was probably the first time in the SEC that we played a game this late in the season that was really important to us, too.
We've played some big games against some big teams, but that one was as important to us as it was to them, and that's a whole different level. And I think you just saw the 12th Man respond to that.
I appreciate them coming out in black tonight and supporting the team. I appreciate the way the environment felt start to finish. It just was, it was an absolute special environment tonight.
Q. Mike, you've said before how you've been proud of your teams in the past of playing until the end, playing through the fourth quarter and everything. What does it say about your team the way they elevated? And I know a lot of it was the circumstance with Marcel [Reed]. But just how this team played to the end of the game and elevated as the game went on.
COACH ELKO: Yeah, I think they're learning what it means to be a winner and how you go from being a talented football player to a winner. And I think that's the messaging, and I think that's what they're learning how to do. They're doing the things that winners do, right? They're playing extremely hard. They're straining. They're playing together. They're finishing.
Now, winners don't commit ten penalties, and winners don't do some of the -- they don't have second and goal on the 1 and wind up on the 11. So there's still a lot of things that we've got to work on. But they're learning how to do the things that are important in the game of football to be successful.
Postgame: Marcel Reed
Q. Marcel, can you just kind of tell us what Coach [Mike] Elko said to you when he knew you were going in? And immediately right off the bat, you score a touchdown. So how long did it take you to get comfortable, just a couple of seconds?
MARCEL REED: Yeah, you could say that. It took me a couple of seconds. All he told me was "get ready." And then when the drive happened, Coach [Josh] Buford said to me, "It's you, let's go." I said, "All right, let's go." Ran the play, got in the end zone, started a spark.
Q. So they didn't talk to you about going in until you went in? Or had they talked about at halftime, hey, be prepared, or anything like that?
MARCEL REED: They didn't say anything at halftime. They say every game be prepared. You know, it takes all of us. And that's what our coaches preach all the time, it takes all of us. So anybody in that QB room is going to be prepared when their name is called. So my name was called today. I was prepared and went in and executed.
Q. Marcel, how disappointed were you before the Missouri game when they said we're going to go with Conner [Weigman] and how did you stay focused where you could come in and rescue the offense the way you did tonight?
MARCEL REED: I really wasn't disappointed. Team's got a lot of faith in Conner. I have got a lot of faith in Conner, and so do the coaches. It was his job before it was mine, and you can't take a job away from injury. I mean, I gave the team an opportunity to stay in this race going 3-0. But Conner is still a great quarterback, and he's done everything he can for this team, and he got us some wins, too.
So, you know, credit him. I'm not disappointed at all, and like I said, we're both ready when our names are called. It takes all of us, once again. So whoever is in the game, we're going to execute.
Q. Marcel, when you got in the game, it was clear y'all were dedicated to running. What were you guys seeing that you guys were able to be so effective with what you were doing?
MARCEL REED: Yeah, they were just crashing. Crashing at our running backs. They put me in, gave a spark with my legs a little bit. If they crashed, I pulled the ball and run. You know, you see they did it a lot, and I got a lot of opportunities to get some space and run. And they didn't really make any adjustments, so that's all it was.
Q. And you've talked about your relationship with Conner [Weigman] over the last few weeks. Have you gotten to talk with him? What did he say to you? What did you say to him?
MARCEL REED: He came up to me said, Let's go, you got it. I told him, I got you. You know, we're brothers. We're teammates. I mean, I have his back, he has mine. So, you know, he was just as excited as I would be for him if he was in the game.
Q. Marcel, obviously, coming in and being able to score three unanswered touchdowns and just being inserted into that in a cold -- you know, you're coming in from -- you're not playing to jumping right in there. Can you just talk about the preparation that you do throughout the week, obviously starting three games, and then in this situation, how do you get yourself ready for that?
MARCEL REED: Yeah, I mean, our coaches do a great job of having a great practice plan and then putting us through a lot of situations to where we have to prepare for them. And I'm always n the room with Coach [Collin] Klein. Me and Conner [Weigman] together, we're all in the room together going over a little bit of extra and the things we need to focus on ourselves as quarterbacks and how to manage the game, how to manage the offense, and just play with some space and tempo.
You know, what was the other part of the question? I forgot. Sorry about that. That was it? All right.
Q. Marcel, what does it mean for you to have come in and did your part to help this team to such a huge win?
MARCEL REED: It means a lot. Like you said, it's a huge win. It was LSU. You know, we all had a chip on our shoulder. We didn't really think they respected us coming into Kyle Field. So I mean, getting that spark in the second half and getting the team going, I mean, there was no going back from that at all. The team did a great job of answering. You know, defense did a really good job of just putting the offense in great field position. He said three unanswered scores. It was really the defense that put us in that place to get in the end zone.
Q. Marcel, how much does coming back from where you guys were, you know, down ten, and pulling off one like this, how much does that do for this team moving forward in your opinion?
MARCEL REED: It really doesn't do much. We won this game, but it's on to the next. We're not worried about this. We're going to come here tomorrow, on Sunday, and start preparing for South Carolina, because that's the next game ahead. And we've still got a long journey on this season trying to get to where we want to go.
Q. And offensively, when you run the ball, whether it's read-option or whatever the design runs that Coach [Collin] Klein calls, what is it that makes those calls?
MARCEL REED: Trying to get to where we want to go.
Q. And offensively, when you run the ball, whether it's read option or whatever the design runs that Coach Klein calls, what is it that makes those calls so effective in your opinion?
MARCEL REED: It's really just a two-way go. The blocking scheme tells us there's one guy off the edge. He has to make his decision, and that helps me make my decision. It's really something that simple.
And there's a lot of space. We've got great blockers on the outside perimeter with our receivers. And we also have great blocking on the O-line.
Q. Marcel, just given -- Coach (Mike Elko) has talked about this throughout the year. Given you and Conner's [Weigman] different athletic profiles, it seems like he likes to be able to go to you as an option when their pass rush is really strong and mobility is a good factor. I guess how do you prepare knowing that you're kind of going into games with, like, hey, their pass rush is on fire right now, good luck? How do you kind of get through that?
MARCEL REED: I like when people rush. I mean, you think about it, playing backyard football, you got one Mississippi, two Mississippi, and then they rush, that means you can run. So when they rush, if someone's not open, I'm gone.
Q. Marcel, how do your kind of reaction and emotion, feelings, compare after this game to that first win at Florida?
MARCEL REED: Really no different. Same preparation, same me, same plan. I'm just going out there and playing football. I mean, it's the game I played since I was a kid. I'm just having fun out there, playing pitch and catch. These are my legs if I need to.
Q. Your feeling after the game?
MARCEL REED: After?
Q. Yeah, just after the win and after tonight.
MARCEL REED: I mean, it feels good to get a win, obviously. Still, again, no different. I mean, we want another SEC game. Like I said, we're on to the next with South Carolina.
Q. Marcel, how much do you feel like the culture that Coach [Mike] Elko is building here has helped not just maybe the quarterback room, but across the board, having y'all play as more of a team than a group of individuals?
MARCEL REED: I mean, it's changed a lot. We have a lot of people that came in on the portal on the defensive side who didn't know what their chances were going to be, because we've got a lot of talented players who can be on the field. So, you know, they don't know if they're going to play.
But like I said, whoever is called, they're going to be ready to go. You see BJ Mayes, he came in and did a great job today. It could have been Jayden Hill. Shoot, it could have been Scooby Williams like last week. You know, we got all these weapons to use.
And this culture has been a huge change. Credit Coach Elko, the coaches, and then Coach [Tommy] Moffitt as well. He's done a great job with us in the weight room, just pushing us to be the best we can be. He tells us to be a pro all the time, act like it, train like it. So, yeah.
Q. And how much do you feel like -- how much were you impressed by the 12th Man tonight?
MARCEL REED: Shoot, I mean, that was awesome. When they started playing Mo Bamba again, I love when they play Mo Bamba. That things gets me going on the sideline. I wish I was on the field playing defense.
Q. With the second touchdown, you ran the read option. Did you think you had any more time to hold it? It seemed that Amari [Daniels] was almost two yards down before you pulled that one. What was your vision on that one?
MARCEL REED: I really wasn't supposed to do that, but I don't know if you saw the dude jumped on Amari's back as soon as I pulled it. So that was really kind of my logic there. I just saw him kind of castrated Amari. I was like, take it. There was nobody else there to get me.
Q. I know on the broadcast, Kirk Herbstreit said he's known you for a while. What's that relationship like? And was it special to get to do that with him in the building?
MARCEL REED: Yeah, it's awesome. Kirk Herbstreit, I went to school with his sons at Oak Hill in Nashville, Tennessee, and Montgomery Bell Academy. Zak Herbstreit, now at Ohio State, he was my tight end, my sophomore -- my freshman and sophomore year. I have a great relationship with them. I have a good memory. I went over to his house, and Zak buzzed my hair off. That was a little tradition for the first year on varsity.
So, yeah, Zak buzzed my hair off at the Herbstreits' house. I don't know if it's still there.
Q. So the Herbstreit question was my question. So I'll just ask you. You know that Mo Bamba played at Texas, right?
MARCEL REED: I don't care about that (laughter). He played basketball, not football.
Q. Hey, I'm curious, you know, going from last year to this year, I mean, Coach [Mike] Elko is somebody who has obviously had success so quick as a head coach. What do you think it is about him as a coach that allows you guys to get up to speed so quickly?
MARCEL REED: I think you heard BJ [Mayes] say it at the end of his interview, it's just his intelligence. The guy knows the game like the back of his hand. I feel like the call sheet that our OC has -- not Coach [Collin] Klein, Coach Elko knows it, memorized. He didn't have to have the book in front of him.
So, he knows the game, and he comes in here and changes the culture. Like her question to me, he changed the culture a lot. We saw what he did at Duke. He came in here and brought a great coaching staff. Trooper Taylor, Coach [Adam] Cushing, they're big parts in how the culture has changed here. Everybody bought in from day one.
Postgame: BJ Mayes
Q. BJ, usually we ask, walk us through the interception, but I think this time we'll make it plural. Can you walk us through both interceptions?
BJ MAYES: All right. First interception, I seen the scrimmager, so I knew scrimmager pass it to your man. I ran and I see the quarterback. He looked at us. And he cocked down -- I didn't know where he's fixing to throw this. Did you see me right here? Ain't no way he fixing to throw that.
But ----, he threw it and the rest is history.
The second one, I seen [Kyren] Lacy in the slot. We was in the coverage. I wanted to bang him. Make sure I got a real bang on him, because I know he had a slight fade. So I didn't want to let him get into his route too much. Bang him. Ran into the flat. Another thing, looking like, ain't no way he fixing to throw this ball. He threw it. The rest is history. That's what it was, straight up.
Q. How much of a turning point do you feel like the first interception in particular was for you guys?
BJ MAYES: It was a major turning point. We came out at halftime, we needed a big-time stop. Feel me? Turn the momentum around, changed the momentum of the game. So I feel like the first pick really did that.
Q. LSU was having their way pretty easily through the first half in the passing game. What was the difference in you guys being able to adjust and kind of start to lock them down there in those last two quarters?
BJ MAYES: We ain't really feel it. We felt like first half, they came with all they had. Like, they came out with everything they had. And we did it. We made a lot of mistakes in the first half, you feel me? So we realized they just came with everything, and we making mistakes. We turned this around, play our ball, our brand of football that we been working for for 11 months, they can't mess with us.
Q. And this was your first start, right?
BJ MAYES: Yeah, first start.
Q. What did that mean to you? You've been on a journey this whole season. Just what did that mean to you and getting that opportunity?
BJ MAYES: It was great, but at the same time, it's football, you feel me? It was great, though. Not to get me wrong. I definitely wanted to start -- coming here, I wanted to start, being the starting corner.
Actually, you know, it was beautiful. Because my journey, I never played nickel before. This was my first time playing nickel in my life. So to come in as fast as I did, pick the game up, and then start for a big-time game, LSU, that was amazing.
Q. BJ, look, I know you're on defense, but what kind of reaction do you think carried over -- did it carry over to the defense, just the reaction to Marcel [Reed] coming in?
BJ MAYES: You know, we love Marcel, and we love [Conner] Weigman. We was really locked in on our keys and what we had to do and clean up on defense. So, I'm not really sure if anybody really just made a -- noticed that it was a QB change, the way we was locked in on what we had to do with our job.
Q. Last week, we talked to Scooby [Williams] about how he kind of envisioned getting that first interception here, and it meant a lot to him. What did it mean to you to be able to pull that down, as that's a big key stat for your position group?
BJ MAYES: It was great. I feel I left money on the floor in the Missouri game when I jumped that route. Should have had that pick. Left money on the floor at Mississippi State game to end the game. I got a PBU, but I really could have picked that. So, two missed opportunities of picks, and I got them back tonight. That was beautiful. It felt great.
Q. What does it mean to you that your team is now the only team that's undefeated in SEC play?
BJ MAYES: We him. We them. That's how I feel. They didn't think we was going to win today. Ain't nobody say we was going to win, but we knew. We just showed the world we them. [Mike] Elko era, this really what's going on, for real.
Q. BJ, Coach [Mike] Elko was in here saying when you guys were down by ten, that there was no panic on this team. Why do you think that is?
BJ MAYES: We believe in each other. Like, you know, it's early in the game, we got a lot of bottle play, and we got ballplayers. Somebody going to pop and make a play. So we down by ten, that ain't nothing. We can come back from that.
Q. BJ, you talked about switching the momentum. Obviously, easier said than done. It seemed like your interception was what blew the lid off. How do you kind of, in that moment, when things are kind of going their way, at least in the first half, stay ready to be able to capitalize on a moment to where you can change the game like that? How do you talk about being able to do that?
BJ MAYES: Me, personally, I take pride in when our back is against the wall, they feel like they got the momentum, I take pride in taking that away and going to make that big-time play, and getting that stop and taking any momentum they feel like they had, they feel like yeah, we rolling the back. No, sir, that's gone. I like taking that away.
Q. What kind of momentum do you think Taurean's [York] interception had building off of your two late in that game?
BJ MAYES: It was kind of like -- he kind of ended the game with that pick. And, you know, that's a little -- that's a time where they can get them -- get some momentum at the end of the game and end the game with the momentum and the dub. But he took that away from them. It was like, nah, we still here, ain't nobody let up, we still here, we still fighting.
Q. Great job tonight. What would you say the atmosphere was like in the locker room at halftime? And what do you think really made the switch flip in the second half?
BJ MAYES: The atmosphere with y'all boys locked in. Y'all know it's not us. We not playing our football game. We having too many busts. We not playing our game. Y'all boys lock in. Let's play ball how we know how to play ball.
Q. I'm curious, you've been around so many different types of programs in your life. What makes Mike Elko such a successful coach? And why do you think you've been able to have success this quickly?
BJ MAYES: He's a no-tolerance type of coach, you feel me? Like, when he walk in the room, everybody sit up and lock in on Elko. Like, you feel me? Listen to him, you feel me? He gonna lead us the way. And he has a lot of knowledge for the game. I been at a lot of different programs, and I haven't played with a head coach who knows as much ball as him. For him to regurgitate that ball, that knowledge to us, we're blessed for that. So we lock in and listen to what he has to say.
