The Auburn Tigers faced a huge test on the road at Texas A&M on Saturday, needing a win to stay alive in the SEC West.

Also, the pressure was on coach Gus Malzahn to save his job, as a loss may have signaled a 7-5 season for the Tigers.

However, thanks to some big plays by the punt-block team, the Tigers were able to hold on for a huge win to improve to 7-2 on the season.

Meanwhile, the Aggies are left searching for answers, as coach Kevin Sumlin is now on an even hotter seat after the 42-27 loss to the Tigers.

Here are a few things I liked, and some things that need work, from both teams following Saturday’s big SEC West showdown:

What I liked:

Texas A&M’s early defense

The Aggies clearly came to play on Saturday, stifling the Auburn offense on the opening possession and swarming QB Jarrett Stidham in the pocket.

The Aggies held the Tigers to a blocked field goal and two three-and-outs in their first three possessions.

Auburn’s early defense

Likewise, the Auburn defense was ready for Saturday’s game. A 40-yard run by A&M RB Trayveon Williams on the first drive set the Aggies up for a field goal, but the next two possessions were three-and-outs.

Auburn’s defense has been one of the best in the country this year, and the Tigers showed why early in Saturday’s game.

Kerryon Johnson receiving touchdown

We’ve seen Johnson score a ton of touchdowns on the ground this year, but on Saturday, he started the Tigers’ scoring with a two-yard touchdown reception.

Johnson has been effective in the passing game this year, but seeing him find the end zone on a pass was a nice wrinkle for the Auburn offense.

Nick Starkel looking good

Starkel came in during the first half to replace true freshman QB Kellen Mond and gave the Aggies a spark offensively, connecting on a few passes with star WR Christian Kirk.

It was nice to see the redshirt freshman back in action and looking confident after breaking his ankle in the season-opener against UCLA.

Starkel finished with two touchdown passes against the Tigers, and it’ll be interesting to see who starts next week’s game against New Mexico.

Darius Slayton big-play ability

Slayton had two catches, one for a 53-yard touchdown and one for 46 yards that set the Tigers up inside the five-yard line. Johnson then scored on the next play.

Slayton doesn’t make many catches, but the catches he does make are usually huge. He’s a deep threat that Auburn likes to utilize in key situations and has filled that role nicely.

When you can have two catches for 99 yards and a touchdown, that’s a pretty solid day.

What needs work:

Jarrett Stidham’s happy feet

When Stidham gets hit in the pocket, as he did early in Saturday’s game, he starts to get uncomfortable in the pocket, looking to run when he should stay calm and find an open receiver.

Stidham has been sacked a lot this year, so he’s a little gun-shy when he faces pressure. However, he’s going to have to steady himself ahead of next weekend’s game against Georgia.

Special teams — for both teams

Punting and kicking was an adventure, to put it nicely, for both teams on Saturday, as Auburn blocked two Texas A&M punts, but had two field goal attempts blocked by the Aggies.

The Tigers also gave up a long kick return to RB Trayveon Williams late in the game, allowing the Aggies’ comeback attempt to stay alive a little longer.

Texas A&M’s secondary

Stidham showed off his cannon arm early and often on Saturday. When he had time in the pocket, he made some amazing throws down the field.

Helping matters was the fact that Texas A&M’s secondary didn’t provide much resistance, allowing 268 yards through the air and 9.9 yards per pass.