Auburn’s SEC West aspirations are all but over at the expense of Texas A&M as Bryan Harsin’s team fell 20-3 to the Aggies at Kyle Field. The Tigers have failed to score an offensive touchdown in their last 6 quarters.
The Tigers’ path to the SEC Championship was straightforward: run the table, including beating Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 27. But they can still burst the Tide’s division championship hopes and end their archrival’s quest for a bid in the College Football Playoff: if Auburn, A&M, and Bama all win their remaining conference games, a Tigers win in the Iron Bowl means the Aggies head to Atlanta.
As for Saturday’s game, the Tigers totaled just 226 yards of total offense while yielding 217 yards on the ground. The big blow came early in the 4th quarter as a sack of Bo Nix and a fumble recovery by the Aggies’ defense, coupled with a successful 2-point try, saw A&M open up a 17-3 advantage. Auburn punted, turned the ball over on downs, and saw Nix throw an interception on its final 3 possessions.
Here was what Harsin said following the loss that saw the Tigers fall to 6-3:
Bryan Harsin: "Disappointed in the result of the game, obviously. Texas A&M is a good team, and they showed it. Their defense played well…The score being three points for however long it was, it was just a matter of time before someone was going to put some points on the board"
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) November 6, 2021
Auburn HC Bryan Harsin on the offensive struggles: "I just don't think we found that play, the momentum (shift), that spark — particularly on the offensive side — to get us going… And we had our opportunities."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2021
Auburn HC Bryan Harsin lamenting execution in this game: "It's the same thing we talk about every single week. It doesn't change… Plenty of opportunities for us to learn from this and be a better football team, but it's obviously disappointing. The guys are hurt."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2021
Bryan Harsin: "The defense, I thought, played well."
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) November 6, 2021
Bryan Harsin on the offensive line moving guys around all game: "We've done that a little bit throughout the season already, so that's part of the formula."
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) November 6, 2021
"Plenty of opportunities for us to learn from this and be a better football team." – Bryan Harsin
— Caleb Jones (@CalebJ_Rivals) November 6, 2021
Auburn's Bryan Harsin on Saturday's loss: "A&M is good. I just don't think we found that play, that momentum, that spark" on offense to get the Tigers going. "There were plenty of things we could control we didn't help ourselves with."
— Auburn Gold Mine (@AUGoldMine) November 6, 2021
Harsin on Texas A&M's running back duo: "That's part of their formula … They were able to hit some inside runs. I don't know the whole reason why they were able to do that. Their o-line's probably doing a good job. I know we misfit a couple plays"
— Jordan D. Hill (@JordanDavisHill) November 6, 2021
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
