Pregame festivities at Kyle Field included a lot more than eating a few slices of turkey on Thanksgiving night.
On the Texas A&M sideline, the biggest news the Aggies have received in weeks was the fact that quarterback Trevor Knight warmed up and started against LSU on Thursday for the first time since injuring his shoulder against Mississippi State.
Despite the return of the signal-caller, the home team’s offense could not keep pace with LSU, which led the game itself 20-7 going into halftime. Knight finished the first two quarters with just 56 yards through the air on six-of-16 passing, but could manage just a single scoring drive when he found Christian Kirk on a wheel route to the end zone.
While Tigers fans were no doubt excited at tailback Derrius Guice’s rushing (116 yards, one touchdown) and the play of their defense, the entire state of Louisiana (and Texas) were no doubt trying to digest reports that surfaced just prior to kickoff that the school was close to hiring Houston head coach Tom Herman.
It should make for an interesting backdrop to the second half with both teams aiming to keep their slim hopes for a Sugar Bowl bid alive and a lot of fans wondering what’s next for each program.