The Aggies looked poised and confident as they traveled to Jordan-Hare Stadium to open SEC play with Auburn. They came away with a huge road victory and remained unbeaten for the season at 3-0.

Here’s an analysis of Texas A&M’s 29-16 victory.

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • The Aggies have a passing game: QB Trevor Knight displayed an ability to move the pocket and make plays. He completed passes short and long. And although the stats didn’t indicate a particularly efficient evening (20-for-40), Knight rolled up 247 yards passing and one touchdown. In addition, Knight did not throw an interception, which was critical in winning the battle of field position.
  • Aggies’ defense was tough when it needed to be: Although the Aggies lost the battle of time of possession — Auburn held the ball for two minutes and change more — the defense came up big when it counted. They held Auburn to 6-for-17 on third-down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth down.
  • Pressure defense: The Aggies pressured Auburn QB Sean White all night long. Myles Garrett added two more sacks to his career totals. He led the Aggies in that department. They totaled four sacks on the night with Richard Moore and Claude George also recording one sack apiece.
  • Linebackers putting up numbers: Considered the weak link on defense entering the season, Aggies linebackers made their presence felt. Shaan Washington recorded 9 tackles while Claude George and Otaro Alaka combined for another 11 stops.
  • Third down problems: The Aggies left points on the table because they were unable to convert on third down. Just 2-of-15 on third-down opportunities, the Aggies were fortunate to come away with a victory, piling up the yardage (478 total yards) on earlier downs.

REPORT CARD

Offense: A- – Outside of an inability to convert on third down, the Aggies’ offense was very balanced and effective. The Aggies gained 247 yards through the air and another 231 on the ground.

Defense: A- – The Aggies gave up too many yards between the 20s. That’s because Auburn’s potent run game did some damage, piling up 236 rushing yards. But the good news is that not as many were gained through the air. Auburn managed just 163 yards through the air.

Special teams: A – Kicker Daniel LaCamera was perfect for the night, connecting on all five field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards. He also made good on both extra-point tries. In addition, punter Shane Tripucka averaged 42 yards on seven punts.

Coaching: A – The coaching staff didn’t shy away from any opportunities and remained aggressive.

Overall: A- – The team and the coaching staff came out confident and prepared, and it showed on the scoreboard.

GAME PLAN

Moving Knight around, allowing him to use his feet as a weapon as well as his arm, proved effective. Defensively, the bend-but-don’t-break approach worked well as Auburn proved to struggle putting together lengthy drives.

GAME BALLS

  • QB Trevor Knight: His confidence and leadership is beginning to really shine through. He threw for 247 yards and ran for another 42 on 12 carries.
  • RB Trayveon Williams: Leading all rushers with 127 yards on 8 carries, Williams broke the game open with an electrifying 89-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.
  • K Daniel LaCamera: A perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts (46, 35, 31, 25, 26), LaCamera also converted both PATs to account for 17 points in the game.