KEYS TO THE GAME: Texas A&M v. Auburn

Texas A&M’s SEC opener is a big one with Auburn coming to Kyle. This is a critical game for the Aggies in many aspects, but mostly because of the caliber of opponent and where it is on the schedule. While Auburn is a solid team and not quite a great team, they likely represent the biggest obstacle between A&M being 7-0 when they head to Baton Rouge. It’s also the first tough game AFTER a big win, a spot where A&M has not always fared well (hello, South Carolina 2024).

However, things are different this year and Saturday’s game against Auburn sets up MUCH better for A&M than their road trip to Columbia, SC last year. This year, they were able to rest during a bye week and the coaches had more time to game plan against Auburn. Meanwhile, Auburn played a tough Oklahoma team on the road that extracted a physical and emotional toll. Plus, A&M has their best advantage for this game: playing in front of the 12th man.

If Texas A&M is truly ready to take the next step as a program, this is the kind of game you have to win. Here’s how they can do it.

Don’t let Jackson Arnold run wild

Auburn’s offense is not the most efficient that A&M will face. Their receivers draw the headlines due to their talent and they are indeed talented. However, Auburn ranks 95th in passing efficiency. Their offensive success is propped up by scrambles and designed runs by QB Jackson Arnold. Oklahoma forced Arnold to go through his reads. When his first option wasn’t available he tended to hold the ball and would either get sacked or run for a short gain, as OU had a defender assigned to him at all times.

Contain Cam Coleman

“You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.” The age-old saying is appropriate for Auburn WR Cam Coleman. Listed at 6’3 (he has to be taller than that), Coleman is blessed with rare athleticism and a catch radius that allows him to win contested catches even when he is blanketed. However, through four games he only has 13 catches for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns.

I don’t want to oversimplify things here, but as long as he doesn’t produce the above stats in Saturday’s game alone, A&M should win this game. He is very likely to make a big catch here and there, but you can’t let him take over the game. You also can’t allow the rest of the Auburn offense to feed off his success. Those explosive plays must be limited and the Aggie defense needs to do everything it can to keep Arnold from getting into a rhythm.

A&M corners Dezz Ricks and Will Lee III both match up well with bigger receivers like Coleman, but he is the rarest of rare. It will be interesting to see the defensive game plan that Elko and company go with on Saturday.

Keep hitting explosive passing plays

A&M’s passing game versus Auburn’s pass defense is the single biggest mismatch in this game. A&M is among the best teams in the country at hitting big plays through the air, Auburn is among the worst at defending them. The Tigers rank 114th in pass efficiency on defense. Marcel Reed, Mario Craver, and KC Concepcion should have a field day against the Auburn secondary and perhaps this is the game where someone like Terry Bussey or Ashton Bethel-Roman have a true breakout game.

I don’t want to down play Auburn here. They are one of the best teams in the country against the run, they have two pretty good pass rushers in Keldric Faulk and Keyron Crawford, and they do a good job of getting a free rusher on blitzes. Still, A&M’s offensive line is one of the best there is in pass protection and I expect Collin Klein to trust his QB to come out of the gate hot through the air and take advantage of Auburn’s biggest weakness.