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Texas A&M (6-3, 2-3) broke it’s three-game losing streak last weekend against Louisiana-Monroe, but make no mistake: the Aggies are still slumping. This week, they travel to face the Auburn Tigers (7-1, 4-1), currently No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Here’s a look at some of the interesting numbers behind the matchup.
THE GOOD
- 13. Texas A&M, despite it’s major struggles in recent weeks, is still a capable passing offense. They might have a chance to get back on track against Auburn, which ranks No. 13 in the SEC in pass defense. The Tigers give up 254.4 yards per game through the air and an even 7 yards per attempt.
- 2. One of the biggest issues for the Aggies during their slump has been protecting the quarterback, be it Kenny Hill or current starter Kyle Allen. They get a bit of a reprieve against Auburn, as the Tigers average just 2 sacks per game. They do hurry opposing quarterbacks 6.6 times per game, so that sub-par pass rush might be able to get home against the Aggies’ reshuffled line that will be without tackle Germain Ifedi.
- 4. As ugly as the last two games have been, the Aggies have at least been disciplined. Texas A&M has committed just four penalties in its last two games, for a total of only 32 yards. If A&M is going to pull an upset on the Plains, or at least come close, refraining from giving away yards is a step in the right direction.
THE BAD
- 5.9. Texas A&M’s defense has been hemorrhaging yards for the last two years, and the rush defense is 12th in the SEC in yards per game and 11th in yards per carry allowed. On Saturday, they face an Auburn offense that averages 5.9 yards per carry, which jumps to 6.4 yards per carry at home.
- 75. Over Auburn’s last two games, quarterback Nick Marhsall is completing 75 percent of his passes. As if that kind of precision isn’t difficult enough to trouble Texas A&M’s defense, he’s run for 5 TD in that span as well. The Aggies won’t be able to sell out to stop either aspect of Marshall’s game.
- 5. Auburn took off after a mid-season loss to LSU last year, and they swept through the month of November. Including their win over Ole Miss last weekend, the Tigers have now won five straight November contests. Gus Malzahn’s teams have shown a knack for hitting their stride as the season wears on, and that appears to be the case again this season.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
