Texas A&M Football will stand alone atop the SEC with the win over LSU

Picture this: Texas and Texas A&M play each other in College Station on Nov. 30, then meet three weeks later in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. If you thought George Strait sold out of the crib, imagine what the buzz would be like in Austin and College Station? Better yet, what would Metroplex fans think if this stadium actually played good football for a change?

There are few gimmes in the SEC, and the cool thing about this prime-time matchup is that the loser has nothing to lose. Talk of an expanded 12-team playoff takes some of the pressure off the teams, but it doesn’t take away the excitement of an exciting meeting between conference rivals.

“When it was a four-team playoff, you basically went into the season prepared that you were going to be eliminated from the playoff race early, and you had to move on,” A&M coach Mike Elko said. “So you never talked about it because you were so far away from being in a four-team playoff race. Now that you’re 12, you’re talking about 24, 26, 28 teams that are still viable to…the 12.”

Struggling with LSU’s explosive offense

The focus shifts to A&M’s offense: The Aggies win games, but aside from the 41-10 loss to Missouri, they have done so without playing four straight quarters. Quarterback Conner Weigman was 15 of 25 for 217 yards and a touchdown in Starkville, but also threw two interceptions and a few other throws that could have been picked.

The Longhorns have found out the hard way that it’s difficult to win when the quarterback is on the battle bus, so Weigman obviously has to try against an LSU team that had no trouble getting the ball into the end zone. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is the seventh-ranked passer in the country and while wideouts Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson complete a trio that reminds no one of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, the Tigers are good enough to score on most defenses. And let’s not forget tight end Mason Taylor, who is tied for the team lead with 36 catches.

This is where Elko and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman need to find a way to limit this offense but also make it a fourth quarter game and not put Weigman in a position to throw himself back in if the Aggies fall behind. When the Aggies win, it’s because running back Le’Veon Moss has a big game, Weigman plays turnover-free ball and the defense holds its own.

It’s a lot to digest, but it’s possible.

Elko leads a team with conviction and the stakes will always be higher.

“I told them we’re trying to speed up this process for ourselves,” he said. “We’re in a really good position and we want to take advantage of our situation.” As you can see, when it comes to advancement you often have to learn through failure. We try not to do that.”

The Aggies look like a promotion program. LSU could be the game where they put it all together.

Texas has all eyes on Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia

A trap game in Nashville?: Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and his players are saying all the right things before Saturday’s trip to Vanderbilt, because respecting an opponent means not overlooking them.

And it starts with the quarterback on the other side of the field.

SCOUTING REPORT: Texas Football vs. Vanderbilt Prediction

Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-1) is no longer a speed force in the conference with its wins over Alabama and Kentucky, and much of its success must be credited to quarterback Diego Pavia, who is one of those guys who will do whatever it takes are winning types that every coach likes to have.

WATCH: Texas football Derrick Johnson on Horns-Vandy, Quinn Ewers

The College Football Hall of Famer joins Cedric Golden on the On Second Thought podcast.

Most of us got to know Pavia on a national level when he and his backfield mate Sedrick Alexander – an LBJ legend and the leading rusher in AISD history – starred in the epic 40-35 win over Alabama that left 0-0. Breaking through the program’s 60-game deficit against top players. five teams.

Pavia leads the country’s 94th-ranked offense, but the same attack has only committed two turnovers all season. Ball security has kept the Commodores in games while ruining Texas’ chances of beating Georgia.

It will be an interesting chess game, especially if the Dores are able to keep the clock with their run-heavy ball control offense. Vanderbilt has an average time of possession of 33 minutes, which is the 11th-best time in the country and tops in the SEC, and Pavia – a graduate transfer who was the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 at New Mexico State – is the proverbial leader of the team Snake in this offense.

RELATED: What Steve Sarkisian can learn from his team’s approach against Vanderbilt

“He’s a baller,” UT safety Michael Taaffe said. “The offense runs through him, and he shows his courage and toughness on every single play, whether he’s passing the ball and then going after it and being the primary blocker, or whether he’s throwing for a touchdown or running for a touchdown.” It goes right through him.”

The Horns don’t have to look to find him. He will be the one who has the ball. The question is: what will they do when they get their hands on it?

Derrick Johnson donates to another AISD library

Another win for DJ: The young students at Zavala Elementary literally heard every word from the mouth of former Texas and NFL star Derrick Johnson, whose Defend the Dream Foundation donated a renovated wing and 1,000 new books to his library and celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Thursday.

It was the 21st donation DJ’s Discovery Den has made since he founded the nonprofit in 2012 as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson, the 2004 Lombardi and Nagurski winner, read to a dozen first- and second-graders in a morning assembly that included Principal Samantha Hill, faculty and supporters.

“It’s my passion,” Johnson said on the “On Second Thought” podcast this week. “And when you are in your passion, your goal is within reach. I’m a teacher’s kid. Being able to give something back to the children in the inner city through education is an enrichment for me.”

The United States ranks 125th in the world in literacy, which is unacceptable for a country with such vast resources.

Building a Discovery Den with furniture and new books for these underserved schools costs $60,000. Johnson and his wife Brittni are passionate about their ministry, and when it comes to community, it takes very little to make a lasting impact on the lives of young readers.

For just $25, one book is enough for an inner-city elementary school library, and that book will receive countless looks for years to come. Imagine the impact this will have on a young person who can use the power of education to overcome current circumstances.

The foundation is planning its next unveiling in the spring at Perez Elementary School, as well as a gala event to be announced later this year. To learn more about Defend the Dream, including ways to donate, visit DerrickJohnsonfoundation.org.

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