Texas A&M vs. Auburn: Score and Twitter Reaction

Texas A&M shocked the college football world by defeating Auburn 41-38, handing the Tigers their first home loss since 2012 and possibly knocking them out of the national title picture.

Auburn erased an 18-point halftime deficit to cut the lead to just three in the final minutes, but a pair of late fumbles ruined any chance to escape with a win.

Freshman quarterback Kyle Allen led the way for the Aggies with 277 passing yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half. Malcome Kennedy was A&M's leading receiver with 118 yards and a score on four catches.

Cameron Artis-Payne had one of the best games of his career with 221 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Auburn. Nick Marshall also added three total touchdowns, but the two dynamic players were responsible for three fumbles in the loss.

ESPN's Skip Bayless summed up the game and the impact afterward:

The game started just about as well as Texas A&M could have possibly hoped. It needed only four plays to go 75 yards for the first touchdown, which was followed by Artis-Payne's fumble on Auburn's first play from scrimmage.

Three plays later, the Aggies scored again to take a 14-0 lead in just over two minutes of game time.

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports explained how shocking of a start this was:

"

Texas A&M was outgained at home by UL-Monroe last week and it’s now up 14-0 on Auburn because everyone in the SEC is the best.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) November 8, 2014"

Of course, the Tigers answered over the next few possessions. They scored twice in the first quarter to even things up at 14.

Many must have figured Auburn would keep this up and blow away its opponent. However, Texas A&M had other ideas, as Allen continued to make great plays. The road team scored two more quick touchdowns thanks to an incredible start by the quarterback, as described by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee explained that the Tigers' defense had a lot to do with their struggles:

Things just got worse when Auburn attempted a field goal at the end of the first half. The kick was blocked and returned for a score with no time remaining. Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated had this observation at the time:

Meanwhile, Gil Brandt of NFL.com noted the impact an Auburn loss would have:

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin explained his thought process going into halftime with a 35-17 lead, via Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle:

His team did not seem to listen, as Auburn clawed its way back into contention as the second half wore on.

The scoring pace slowed down right after halftime, as Marshall's one-yard run represented the only touchdown of the third quarter. Sports Illustrated set the scene at the moment:

After holding the Aggies to a field goal, Marshall went right back to work and threw a 31-yard touchdown to Quan Bray. Matt Brown of Sports on Earth was impressed by the pass, which cut the lead to 38-31:

The same formula was repeated, as Texas A&M could only manage a field goal before Auburn answered with a touchdown. This time it was set up by a 52-yard pass to Sammie Coates, which led to a six-yard run into the end zone for Marshall and just a three-point deficit for Auburn.

It seemed like the Tigers were set to take the lead with about three minutes remaining, but a fumble at the 2-yard line gave the ball back to the Aggies. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports discussed the drama:

Auburn got the ball back after a three-and-out with 88 seconds left, but a fumbled snap was recovered by the defense to effectively end the game with a 41-38 win for Texas A&M.

While this loss does not officially eliminate Auburn from the College Football Playoff, it will be very difficult to remain in the hunt with two defeats.  

Things only get tougher for the Tigers over the next few weeks, with road games against Georgia and Alabama still looming on the schedule. This team has no margin for error and will have to perform a lot better in the coming games if it wants to avoid any more losses.

Texas A&M will not be playing for a conference title this year, but it can end the year strong with home games against Missouri and LSU. Whether Allen remains at quarterback or Kenny Hill regains his starting job remains to be seen, but the future looks bright for this program regardless.

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