The Aggies still have a lot to learn under first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher. Learning to win remains on that list. The Aggies had Auburn on the ropes, and they let them off to come back and claim victory on Saturday.

There were certainly positives in the game. Unfortunately, none of them occurred in the final five minutes. That’s when several negatives were revealed.

Here are five things that I liked about Saturday’s game, and three things that need improvement.

Things I like

1.Trayveon Williams: The talented and versatile running back displayed his talents, both running and catching the ball out of the backfield. Having gone over 100 yards by the end of the third quarter, Williams finished with 107 and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries. He also caught a team-high 5 passes for 75 yards and another score.

2. Game plan: Taking pressure off quarterback Kellen Mond was critical in this game, and Fisher and his staff were able to do just that with screens and short, quick passes that opened up the running game as well as the passing game. It kept Auburn’s aggressive pressure defense off balance and allowed the Aggies to move the ball up and down the field, controlling the momentum for the most part.

3. Run defense: The Aggies completely shut down Auburn’s run game, holding the hosts to just 19 yards. The Tigers hadn’t put together too much of a running game coming in, ranking 11th in the SEC, and they could get nothing going against an Aggies defense that forced Auburn to become one-dimensional and put the game in the hands of quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who was also unable to do much of anything until the final two drives of the game.

4. Tackles for loss: The Texas A&M defense was practically impenetrable for 55 minutes. The Aggies totaled 7 tackles for loss — by seven different players — and 3 sacks. It wasn’t just one or two players stepping up on the defensive front, which for all but five minutes of the game kept Auburn bottled up.

5. TOP/third-down defense: The Aggies lead the SEC in both time of possession and opposing third-down conversions and padded both stats. The Aggies offense had just one three-and-out for the game and had six drives of six or more plays. Texas A&M held the ball for more than 38 minutes, well more than its average of 36:11. In addition, the Aggies defense recorded six three-and-outs and limited the Tigers to 3-of-11 on third-down conversions.

Things to improve

1.Putting away the opponent: The Aggies should never have been put in a position of losing Saturday’s game. They failed to put three points on the scoreboard late when Seth Smalls missed a 36-yard field goal attempt. Then, with the Aggies seemingly ready to put the game out of reach with one final touchdown, Mond threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted, giving Auburn new life.

2. Not taking care of the ball late: Not taking care of the ball is what sunk the Aggies in a loss to Mississippi State. It played a significant roll in Saturday’s loss as well. With a 10-point lead late in the game, Mond threw an interception that should have never left his arm. Later, with Auburn making its comeback, Mond fumbled on a pass attempt, though luckily offensive lineman Keaton Sutherland recovered it.

3. Late-game collapse on defense: The Aggies defense was controlling the game throughout. But it broke down on Auburn’s final two possessions, both touchdowns. All but one play was a pass, and the Aggies had no answer. The Tigers moved 71 yards on eight plays and the won the game with a 58-yard, two-play drive.