Don’t ask Auburn or Texas A&M to describe the sweet taste of victory. Neither can remember that far back. Both teams enter Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. CT matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium on a 5-game losing streak. It has been since September that either team left the gridiron on the right side of the scoreboard.

That’s a lot of frustration. Auburn has changed coaches in the interim. The Aggies are locked into theirs.

Something’s got to give. Both teams enter the game with a 3-6 record. One will emerge from the Plains with a victory and the slimmest of hope for avoiding a losing season. For the other, the nightmare will continue: a 6th consecutive setback, a guarantee of a losing season, no bowl, last place in the SEC West.

Three keys will help decide which team stops the bleeding and which one falls hopelessly into the abyss of the SEC West.

1. Run game

Timewise, this could turn out to be one of the quicker games played this season. Expect a lot of running plays, keeping the clock moving, as both teams try to take advantage of the other’s inability to stop the run. Texas A&M has given up the most yards rushing of any team in the SEC (1,938), and it isn’t even close. Auburn is next, yielding 1,720. For what it’s worth, Texas A&M has given up the fewest passing yards of any team in the SEC, while Auburn has gained the fewest yards passing.

So with the SEC’s 2 worst teams against the run, this game could very well become a 1-on-1 battle between Texas A&M’s Devon Achane and Auburn’s Tank Bigsby. Achane is averaging 98.6 rushing yards per game (5.61 yards per carry). He needs 113 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.

Bigsby is averaging 75.1 yards per game (5.5 yards per carry), but he has help in the backfield that just might give the Tigers the slight advantage here. Quarterback Robby Ashford is also dangerous with his feet. The freshman is averaging 56 rushing yards per game.

The team that has the edge in rushing will likely come out with a victory.

2. Turnovers

If Auburn is to win this game in front of the home crowd, it must hold on to the football. The Tigers are last in the SEC in turnover margin at minus-8. They’ve coughed it up 17 times this season. Among SEC teams, only South Carolina (20) has turned it over more. The problem gets magnified by a lack of turnovers forced. The Tigers have gained just 9 turnovers on the year. Only Alabama (6) has fewer.

Texas A&M is tied for the SEC lead with 9 fumble recoveries. If the Aggies can continue that trend on Saturday, it could turn out to be a long day on the Plains for Auburn.

3. Attitude

At this point, what does either team have left to play for? The one that hasn’t already “opted out” will be the winner on Saturday.

Jimbo Fisher has gone complete rebuild this season, thrusting many of the No. 1-rated recruiting class of 2022 into the fire. So giving it 100 percent shouldn’t be as much of a problem as inexperience.

We don’t know what we’ll get from Auburn — how the team will respond to interim head coach Cadillac Williams. That’s the unknown, although the team fought last week in overcoming a 24-3 deficit to Mississippi State, tying the game at 33-33 and forcing overtime.

Based on that, the expectations would be that this team will come out ready to play. It has all year. It hasn’t resulted in many victories, but for the most part, the Tigers have made the opposition earn it.

Prediction: Auburn 24, Texas A&M 23

This game is truly a toss-up. Auburn is a 2-point favorite at home. But the home team is just 2-8 in this relatively new series that began with Texas A&M joining the SEC in 2012. Prior to that, the teams had played just twice, both times in Dallas.

However, Texas A&M hasn’t won a true road game since last October at Missouri.

Somebody has to win this game. Don’t be surprised if it takes overtime to decide it.