Texas A&M Football: Who Is the Aggies' X-Factor vs. Auburn?

The Texas A&M football team will take on the Auburn Tigers Saturday in Auburn, Alabama. The Texas A&M player who could have the largest impact on the outcome of the game is freshman receiver Speedy Noil.

The Aggies' true freshman receiver has quickly become the team's biggest threat on the offensive side of the football. The 6'0", 193-pound athlete has developed into a game-breaking threat on offense and special teams. 

The Texas A&M football team is 6-3 on the season with a 2-3 record in the SEC. The Aggies have struggled mightily on offense during a recent four-game stretch that has seen them held scoreless in eight of their 12 quarters of play. 

The one constant during that stretch has been the strong play of Noil at receiver and in the return game. The Aggies offense is struggling to find an identity right now, but one player they can count on every week is Noil. 

Freshman of Influence

Noil has progressed during his freshman season into being the most effective receiver on the Aggies  roster. During the previous four games, Noil has led the team with 23 receptions for 256 yards and three touchdowns. 

While many of the Texas A&M players appear to be going through the motions, Noil is stepping up his game. When true freshman quarterback Kyle Allen was forced into the starting lineup against Louisiana-Monroe, Noil led the team with five receptions for 69 yards including an incredible 39-yard touchdown grab. 

The Aggies spent much of the Louisiana-Monroe game in the pistol formation on offense. They only put two wide receivers out wide in their base formation. That formation makes it much easier for the secondary to defend the pass.

Noil was able to have some success against the Warhawks even with that handicap. An argument can be made that Noil is the Aggies' best receiver nine games into his career.

The Return Game

Noil has quietly put together an outstanding season on special teams. He currently ranks No. 7 in the nation in punt returns, averaging 15.9 yards per return. Noil's 39-yard return down to the 12-yard line set up the Aggies' second touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe.

He has not returned a punt for a touchdown yet but does have a 67-yard return on the season. Through nine games, he has returned 11 punts for 175 yards. He also leads the team in total yardage on kick returns with 349 yards on 16 returns.

The freshman receiver will need to have a big game against Auburn in the return game. The Aggies offense is struggling to get first downs. It picked up just two first downs in the second half against Louisiana-Monroe.

In order to score against Auburn, the Texas A&M offense is going to need short fields against the Tigers defense. It will need Noil to have some nice returns in order to create those short fields.

The Aggies will start Allen on the road at Auburn. Noil will need to give the Aggies positive field position to keep the pressure off of Allen. 

It will take a monumental team performance for the Aggies to get a win on the Plains. Noil could be the catalyst for the team finding a way to pick up a crucial victory on the road.