Buzz Williams hopes Texas A&M loss vs. LSU is ‘cleansing’

Texas A&M started 0-1 in conference play on Saturday with their 15-point loss at home to LSU. Even so, Buzz Williams believes that it might end up being something that the Aggies needed as they move forward.

Williams discussed the impact of the 68-53 defeat that his team suffered to the Tigers inside Reed Arena this weekend. In his opinion, he thinks it could be a reset for the Aggies after both teams saw respective streaks snapped in the game.

“Yeah, I think, in some ways? I think, I hope that it’s cleansing for us,” said Williams in his postgame press conference. “We hadn’t lost a conference game here in a long time. And they hadn’t won a conference game on the road in a long time.”

After a competitive first half, LSU stifled the Aggies over the final 20 minutes of the game. A&M made just seven shots in the half as they shot 21.9% from the field. That dropped their percentage for the game down to 25.4%, including a 5-28 (17.9%) finish from three, while also missing eight free throws.

They also lost the rebounding battle, had nine less assists, and were outscored in the paint, with second chances, off the bench, and on the fast break.

All that added up to a half that the Tigers won by 17 after being down two at the half.

This loss was the first home defeat for Texas A&M since LSU came in and won by eight in College Station on February 8th, 2022. It was also the Tigers first road win in the league since that very same date almost two years ago.

Now, even with this opening loss in the Southeastern Conference, Texas A&M has no time to waste. Williams knows they have a lot to learn and fix from their first outcome in the conference before they go on the road to play one of the league’s best in Auburn on Tuesday.

“Maybe, sort of, we should have won. Or maybe people thought we were going to win. Now, you can argue, we may be playing the best team in the league in 48 hours,” Williams said. “So all that’s over now. So, now, how can we process all of this information and be even better, with me being at the front of the bus on how to be more prepared, to play to our recipe on Tuesday?

RB EJ Smith, son of Emmitt Smith, commits to Texas A&M

EJ Smith, the former Stanford running back, has committed to Texas A&M.

That’s per an announcement from a post on his Instagram account.

The son of Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith is taking his talents back to the Lone Star State after spending the first four years of his college career at Stanford.

Smith appeared in 24 games during his four seasons with the Cardinal. He rushed for 557 yards and five touchdowns on just 109 touches, boasting an impressive 5.1 yards per carry in his career. He also got it done in the passing game by catching 59 passes for 386 receiving yards and a touchdown

Smith played high school football at Dallas (TX) Jesuit, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 130 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.