For Immediate Release      Sept. 13, 2019
 
Big Red Preps for Texas A&M
 
BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University (2-0) hits the road for the first time in 2019 when they travel to College Station, Texas to take on No. 16 (AP Top 25 Poll) Texas A&M. The Cardinals travel to College Station riding the wave of their best start since 1985, while the Aggies are coming off a close setback at No. 1 Clemson last week.
 
The Cardinals will be making just their second trip to College Station in program history, and their first since the 2014 season. That year, the Cardinals dropped a 73-3 decision to the Aggies but finished the year 8-4 marking the program's first winning season since its return to varsity status.
 
Big Red has won eight straight regular season games dating back to last season which saw LU close the year with six consecutive wins to advance to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the first time in program history. A&M entered the season looking to improve upon a 9-4 2018 campaign that saw them destroy North Carolina State in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl.
 
"There is no way to overstate this, we have a tremendous challenge ahead of us," said LU head coach Mike Schultz. "Texas A&M is one of the top teams in the country. They are led by one of the best coaches in the country, (Jimbo Fisher) has surrounded himself with one of the best staffs in the country and they bring in some of the nation's top players every year. We're excited about the opportunity but this is a huge challenge."
 
Despite returning a plethora of starters on the offensive side of the ball, it's the youthful LU defense that has taken center stage during the early part of the 2019 campaign. The Cardinals lead the Southland in total defense as the only league school surrendering fewer than 250 yards of total offense per game. The Cards are also second in the league surrendering just 18.0 points per game.
 
Many questions surrounded Big Red's secondary entering the year after graduating all five starters and several reserves from last season, but LU has answered those questions in the early going. LU currently leads the league surrendering 79.5 yards per game through the air.
 
The Aggies' offense is averaging nearly 500 yards per game, including 253 of that through the air, big numbers despite having played the nation's top-ranked team last week on the road. As a defense, A&M is surrendering fewer than 350 yards per game to opponents, and their first two opponents – Texas State and Clemson – have found it tough to gain any advantage on the ground. The Aggies are holding opponents to 95 rushing yards per game.
 
Saturday's matchup is key for both teams because it serves as the final tune-up before opening conference play.
 
The game is slated to kick off at 6 p.m. from Kyle Field. Fans who are unable to attend the game can catch the action live on the Cardinals' flagship station, Newstalk 560 KLVI. The game will also be televised live on ESPNU.