Behind a career-best 215 yards from running back Devon Achane and a fumble return for a touchdown from senior safety Demani Richardson, the Aggies stomped No. 5 LSU 38-23 Saturday night. The win salvaged some positive feelings for the 2022 season for A&M and destroyed any hope LSU had for making the College Football Playoff.

"Our kids just relaxed and played and they grew up. They matured," coach Jimbo Fisher said when asked how his struggling 4-7 team, beset by injuries, was able to hammer their SEC West nemesis.

The maturity showed quickly, as an offense that had struggled all season took the ball 90 yards in 15 plays on their first possession of the game. Achane, who had missed the last two games with a foot injury, had 54 of those yards on 9 carries. The junior standout capped off the drive with a 10-yard scoring run to put the Aggies up 7-0 with 4:54 to go in the first quarter.

LSU responded with a grinding drive of their own, going 75 yards in 12 plays to tie the game on a 3-yard run by running back John Emery.

Instead of folding, the Aggies got the ball back and went 59 yards in 12 plays to set up a 25-yard field goal by Randy Bond. LSU would get a short field goal of their own to tie the game at 10 with 5:38 to go in the first half.

After a solid return by freshman Le'Veon Moss set the Aggies up on their own 35 to start their next drive, Achane exploded off right tackle for 29 yards to move the Aggies back into LSU territory. After an incompletion and a loss of 2, freshman quarterback Conner Weigman (12-18, 155 yards, 2 TD; 21 yards rushing) took off and got the needed 12 yards to keep the drive alive.

After a 13-yard completion to freshman wideout Evan Stewart and a 17-yard run by Achane, the Aggies looked like they were on the verge of stalling inside the LSU 10 after two short runs. But Weigman, with two blitzers bearing down on him, lofted up a pass to tight end Donovan Green, who was wide open in the end zone. The Aggies had the lead back and would go into halftime with that 17-10 advantage.

But, as second halves have so many times this season, this one started off badly for the Aggies. A&M went 3 and out after receiving the second half kick, and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels (21-35, 189 yards passing; 84 yards rushing) moved the Tigers back down the field -- largely with his scrambling ability -- to set up a 19-yard scoring run by Emery.

After another 3 and out, it seemed like disaster was waiting to strike for the Aggies. Then Edgerrin Cooper stepped.

The junior linebacker, tasked with spying Daniels, caught him in the LSU backfield and spun him to the turf at the Tigers' 27. But the ball came loose in the process, and Richardson, with a full head of steam, picked it up and sprinted to the end zone to put A&M back on top.

"I was with the tight end. He looked around, and I looked around with him. And I seen (Cooper) tackle (Daniels) and I seen the ball on the ground. When the ball is on the ground and somebody's ahead, I got to go score," Richardson said. "So that's what I did."

LSU mounted another drive, but it sputtered out around midfield. With Achane on the sidelines for a rest, sophomore Amari Daniels took over, picking up a quick 39 yards on just 4 carries. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Weigman lofted a pass to Moose Muhammad, who was bracketed by two LSU defenders, in the end zone. With his right arm being pulled down by defensive back Sage Ryan, Muhammad snagged the ball with his left and came to an almost immediate stop, avoiding both defensive backs and sending Kyle Field into a frenzy.

"If you all would see Moose at practice, like, he's always making onehanded catches. So it wasn't like a surprise, but it's something I knew he could do because he's always doing it," Achane said.

Muhammad and Achane took care of A&M's next drive as well, with the wideout making a spectacular 39-yard grab to keep the next drive alive before Achane took the ball in from 10 yards out for his second score of the night.

That made the score 38-17 in favor of A&M, and all that was left was for the Aggies to do what several players had publicly said their objective was: to "p**s in their Corn Flakes". The Aggies did it in a physical style, racking up 274 yards on the ground and holding onto the ball for more than 31 minutes -- a lifetime compared to most games this year.

"It shows that this team doesn't give up," Richardson said of the win. "Like I said, many people, like fans, everyone thought we were done just because we lost a couple games. But it just shows that this team has fight."