The Auburn Tigers picked up their fourth win of the season with a 48-14 defeat of the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks on Saturday. With a 4-6 record, the Tigers now have an opportunity to play spoiler to two College Football Playoff contenders. First up will be the home finale at Jordan-Hare Stadium when the Texas A&M Aggies come to the plains. The Aggies are currently 8-2 and have a potentially playoff-deciding game against Texas in the final week. They cannot overlook the Tigers though, despite head coach Mike Elko’s slipup this week. Texas A&M leads the all-time series against Auburn with an 8-6 record. However, the series has been tied at 6-6 since the Aggies became SEC members in 2012. Can the Auburn Tigers play spoiler?
Can the Auburn Tigers Play Spoiler?
Auburn Passing Against the Warhawks
The Tigers had a big offensive performance against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. As a unit, they totaled 507 yards and picked up 304 through the air. Quarterback Payton Thorne went 22 of 32 for 286 yards and five touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns went to freshman Cam Coleman who had his best performance of the season. Coleman hauled in eight catches for 100 yards and had an amazing one-handed touchdown. KeAndre Lambert-Smith had another solid performance, catching six passes for 104 yards and one touchdown. It was a big day for running back Jarquez Hunter as well. For the first time in his career at Auburn, he crossed the 1,000-yard mark for a season. On the day he rushed for 102 yards and has 1,015 yards on the season.
A Conservative Auburn offense?
The Aggies’ defense has talent but has not always lived up to their ability. The unit ranks 11th in the SEC giving up 344.8 yards per game. The rush defense ranks tenth giving up 124.4 yards per game. The Auburn Tigers’ strength is their running game which ranks 7th in the conference at 172 yards per game. Leaning on Hunter to jump-start the offense could open downfield plays for Coleman and Lambert-Smith.
The Aggies are led by linebacker Taurean York with 55 tackles on the season and one interception. Defensive back Marcus Ratcliffe has three interceptions on the season, and Thorne will need to stay away from turnovers in the game. The Tigers should look to play ball control and use field position to be successful. A conservative approach will be a winning approach. The good news for Auburn is Texas A&M is not a great pass-rushing team. The only true pass-rushing threat for the Aggies is Nic Scourton. He leads the team with five sacks on the season.
A Dynamic Aggies Offense
Texas A&M ranks second in the SEC on the ground with 212.5 yards per game. For most of the season, leading rusher Le’Veon Moss was a catalyst for the ground game. Moss was injured early against South Carolina on November 2nd after just two carries. After that loss, he was ruled out for the rest of the season. Amari Daniels has taken over as the lead back and on the season has rushed for 550 yards and seven touchdowns. Last week in a 38-3 win over New Mexico State, Daniels had 84 yards on just five carries and one touchdown.
Quarterback Marcel Reed is what makes the Aggies’ offense dynamic. Reed and Connor Weigman have both received starts this season, but Reed has been the guy since the second half against LSU. He is third on the team in rushing for 375 yards and six touchdowns. He is also very capable as a passer. Reed has thrown for 1,129 yards and nine touchdowns. He takes care of the ball with just two interceptions. The two main targets are Noah Thomas and Jabre Barber. The two have combined for 53 catches and 671 yards.
Auburn Defense is Solid
The unit does not get mentioned among the top defenses in the SEC, but the group coached by D.J. Durkin has been solid this season. When the offense has struggled this season, it has been the defense keeping the Tigers in games. Auburn ranks third overall, giving up just 304.8 yards per game. The run defense has been the strength ranking third, but the pass defense has been steady giving up just 200.3 yards per game. Keeping Reed in the pocket will be key, and the edge rushers must not over-pursue. Auburn has 23 total sacks this season, and they are led by Keldric Faulk with seven. The Tigers have not forced many turnovers this season with just eight. The defense will need to force mistakes to give their offense a short field on Saturday night if the Auburn Tigers are to play spoiler.
