Kickoff: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: LSU -3.5, Total: 50.5

Two struggling SEC teams desperate for a win will collide on Thanksgiving night when LSU visits Texas A&M.

The Tigers are certainly talented, as they have victories this season against both Wisconsin and Ole Miss, but have also lost SU and ATS to Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas. Overall they are 7-4 ATS while covering in each one of their victories and are coming off a bad loss to the Razorbacks by a score of 17-0 as 2-point underdogs on the road on Nov. 15. It was Arkansas’ first win against the Tigers in 18 tries as LSU managed a putrid 123 yards of offense and 2.3 yards per play. The Aggies have had a similar season with huge wins over South Carolina and Auburn, but ran into a juggernaut in the middle part of their schedule as they were defeated by Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama by a combined 91 points over three consecutive games. They most recently absorbed a loss to Missouri on Nov. 15 by a score of 34-27 as 3.5-point favorites at home, bringing their ATS record this season to just 4-7, while they have covered only once in their past seven attempts. The Aggies defense just could not hold the Tigers offense in check as they totaled 587 yards, which included 335 yards on the ground (6.8 YPC). LSU has won this matchup (SU and ATS) in each of the past three seasons while having an average margin of victory of 15.3 PPG. Last year the Tigers dominated in a 34-10 game as 3-point favorites at home behind 517 yards of offense and two forced turnovers. Bettors should also know that LSU is an impressive 17-4 ATS (81%) in road games after gaining 100 or less rushing yards in its previous contest since 1992 while Texas A&M is 33-18 ATS (65%) in home games after a game where it forced one or fewer turnovers over the same timeframe. On the injury front, HB Kenny Hilliard (undisclosed) is out for the remainder of the season for LSU, while the Aggies come into this one without any significant omissions from their lineup.

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The Tigers have had a solid year rushing the ball (204.5 YPG) as they rank 35th in the nation while gaining a meager 169.1 YPG through the air (112th in FBS) and just 28.0 PPG of offense (74th in nation). QB Anthony Jennings (1,353 pass yards, 9 TD, 6 INT) has really struggled in the past two games, combining to go 20-for-48 (42%) for 163 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He is not leaned on much for this team as he has eclipsed 200 passing yards just once on the year. HB Leonard Fournette (745 rush yards, 7 TD) has been a bright spot for this team as a freshman, as he has hit triple digits in rushing yards three times this season. HB Terrance Magee (471 rush yards, 3 TD) has also done well while averaging 5.4 YPC and is now the primary backup with Hilliard out for the year. WR Travis Dural (747 rec yards, 7 TD) has posted an excellent 21.3 yards per catch, but does not get the volume as he has caught a mere 14 balls over the past six games combined. Meanwhile, WR Malachi Dupre (277 rec yards, 5 TD) has also been a big red-zone threat while getting tons of yards per catch (21.3 avg). The defense is what keeps this team winning, as it has allowed 16.4 PPG (5th in FBS) this year behind the strong play of LB Kwon Alexander (72 tackles, 7 TFL) and DL Danielle Hunter (63 tackles, 12 TFL).

Texas A&M has focused on the passing game and excelled with 321.2 YPG through the air (10th in nation) while adding 148.2 rushing YPG (88th in FBS), all resulting in them scoring the 23rd-most points in FBS (36.0 PPG). The downfall of QB Kenny Hill (2,649 pass yards, 23 TD, 8 INT) has given way to freshman QB Kyle Allen (884 pass yards, 11 TD, 5 INT) who has thrown seven touchdowns and two interceptions over the past two games while hitting on better than 65% of his passes each time. He has seen his attempts increase in each of the past three contests, and was rated the No. 1 pocket passer among college QB prospects coming into the year. HBs Tra Carson (431 rush yards, 5 TD) and Trey Williams (412 rush yards, 5 TD) have combined to average 5.4 YPC while neither player has really had a breakout performance this season. WRs Josh Reynolds (746 rec yards, 12 TD), Malcome Kennedy (526 rec yards, 4 TD), Speedy Noil (513 rec yards, 4 TD) and Ricky Seals-Jones (443 rec yards, 4 TD) all have 40+ receptions on the year while Reynolds is coming off his best game of the season in which he caught five passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. The Aggies have not done well on the defensive side of things while giving up 27.7 PPG on the year (75th in nation) and have surrendered an average of 36.0 PPG and 584.5 total YPG over their past two contests. DL Myles Garrett (11 sacks, 46 tackles) and DB Deshazor Everett (65 tackles, 1 INT) will need to perform at their highest levels to have a chance come Thursday.