Auburn vs. Texas A&M Complete Game Preview
Auburn will head to the Lone Star State this weekend in a position that isn't quite the level of despair from its first SEC meeting with Texas A&M—but it's also nowhere near the heights the Tigers enjoyed when they faced the Aggies these last two seasons.
Gus Malzahn's Auburn (4-4, 1-4 SEC) team visits Kevin Sumlin's Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2 SEC) squad in College Station on Saturday night for a game that won't quite receive the same amount of attention it had in the preseason, when it was hyped as a top-tier matchup between the two biggest coordinator hires in the entire country.
Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is still searching for a good performance from his unit, which played well in some areas but ultimately gave up a season high in yardage during last weekend's 27-19 loss to Ole Miss at home. Malzahn needs to see improvement, too, as the offense he directs fell flat in the red zone against the Rebels.
Texas A&M, on the other hand, has improved its biggest flaw—defense—with former LSU assistant John Chavis this season. The Aggies found their offensive momentum last weekend with true freshman quarterback Kyler Murray taking over for struggling starter Kyle Allen, who torched Auburn last season in his first big start.
Before we break down the fourth SEC meeting between Auburn and Texas A&M, here is all the information you need to know:
Date: Saturday, November 7
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. local time)
Location: Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
TV: SEC Network
Line: Texas A&M -7, according to Odds Shark
Auburn Keys to Victory
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Contain A&M's attack on the edges
Texas A&M's ground game returned to form last Saturday against South Carolina, putting up a season-high 321 yards and three touchdowns on the Gamecocks. A lot of that was due to the dual-threat nature of Murray, but senior running back Tra Carson also had one of his best days with 122 rushing yards.
Auburn's rush defense has struggled with the outside run all season, and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson was able to escape containment plenty of times for big gains in the season opener. The majority of Ole Miss' big rushing plays last Saturday came on the edges too.
Murray is a dynamite player who is going to generate big plays for Texas A&M, but the Auburn defense can't afford to let him and Carson run wild. If they can slow Murray down, then the Tigers will force him to beat them through the air in just his second career start.
Force turnovers from Murray
Another advantage Murray brought to what had been a struggling Texas A&M offense was his ball security. After turning the ball over a combined seven times in back-to-back losses to Alabama and Ole Miss, the Aggies didn't give it away against South Carolina.
Auburn's defense has been statistically woeful this season, but the Tigers still find a way to turn opponents over. A pair of interceptions from turnover-prone Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly helped the Tigers stay in the game, although the defense as a whole surrendered the most yards it had all season.
Murray is just a true freshman making the second start of his career. He's an excellent player, no doubt, but he's still inexperienced—and Auburn needs to take advantage of any shakiness from the young signal-caller by forcing some takeaways Saturday.
Turn red-zone trips into touchdowns
The main story from last Saturday's game between Auburn and Ole Miss was the Tigers' massive struggles in the red zone. Malzahn's poor play-calling handicapped an already hurting offense as his team kicked three field goals on three trips inside the 20s in an eight-point loss.
South Carolina stayed in the game with Texas A&M last week in large part because it took full advantage of its scoring opportunities against John Chavis' resurgent defense. The Gamecocks scored three touchdowns on three trips inside the red zone and only lost 35-28 away from home.
With the way Auburn's defense is looking this season, a Texas A&M offense with renewed confidence could put up plenty of points this Saturday at home. The Tigers need to turn things around when they have a chance to score, or they could be looking at a big loss.
Texas A&M Keys to Victory
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Be smart with the ball
Ball security will continue to be a priority for this Texas A&M offense as Murray takes over as the No. 1 quarterback in College Station. The numbers are simple for the Aggies—their three SEC wins were turnover-free, while their two losses feature multiple giveaways.
Auburn's defense continues to give up big plays through the air, but it's also capable of generating a few of its own when opposing quarterbacks take to the skies. The Tigers have picked off six passes in their last four games, with two each in a pair of contests.
Murray threw two interceptions earlier this season in spot work against Arizona State and Alabama. The Aggies will need to see the starter version of Murray, who completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 223 yards against South Carolina last week, or else they'll give Auburn chances to steal momentum.
Improve against the run
While Chavis has improved this Texas A&M defense in a big way this season, opponents have still been able to run the ball without much problem on the Aggies. Texas A&M has allowed more than 200 rushing yards in five of its eight games this season, including its last three. South Carolina scored four times on the ground last weekend.
Auburn's offense has been hard to read this season due to the changing personnel at several key positions, but the Tigers are primarily a run-first team at heart. Although there have been several nagging injuries to the unit, Auburn is deep at the position with four different players receiving a fair share of carries this season.
Tigers quarterback Sean White battled through a knee injury to start last weekend. He continued to make big plays through the pain, but his injury status could mean more ground-and-pound from the Tigers on Saturday. The Aggies need to tighten up on the ground and force a less-than-100-percent White to beat them.
Keep the pedal on the metal
Texas A&M wasn't able to pull away from South Carolina on Saturday, and the Gamecocks had several chances to tie things up in what would be a scoreless fourth quarter.
This Saturday, the Aggies will face another team that has struggled in 2015 and is looking for a big road win that will help turn around a disappointing season. Auburn has shown flashes of good play on both sides of the ball this season, but it hasn't been able to put it all together in a complete performance.
If the Aggies jump out to an early lead at home, they should look to keep a frustrated Auburn team down by piling on the pressure. Auburn is determined to snap its SEC West losing streak, and Texas A&M can't let a team like that hang around.
Auburn Players to Watch
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The running backs
Jovon Robinson's return to Auburn hasn't gone as planned this season, with the JUCO star starting the season low on the depth chart and later battling an apparent ankle injury. But with Peyton Barber and Roc Thomas less than 100 percent against Ole Miss, Robinson broke out with 91 yards on 18 carries last Saturday.
Robinson showcased the power and speed that made him such a highly valued recruit both out of high school and Georgia Military College, although Malzahn didn't give him or any of the other running backs many opportunities near the red zone. How he follows up his first big game of the season will be crucial to Auburn's offensive success against Texas A&M.
According to James Crepea of AL.com, Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said Barber's injury wouldn't have any "long-term effects." With White fighting through a knee issue, Auburn could use big games from its deep backfield of Robinson, Barber, Thomas and true freshman Kerryon Johnson.
DE Carl Lawson
"The Carl Lawson Effect" may not have been apparent in the final yardage count for Ole Miss, but the star defensive end had an impact on the Auburn defense in his return from a hip injury.
Auburn had double-digit quarterback hurries for the first time since the season opener against Louisville, which was the last game for Lawson prior to Saturday. Now Lawson will look to finish off some of the chances he missed against Ole Miss and start racking up sacks for the Tigers.
Lawson's pursuit ability will be key against a speedy quarterback like Murray, and the energy boost he provided to the rest of the unit against Ole Miss needs to return in College Station. He'll be determined to have a big day in his first true road start of 2015.
LB Kris Frost
Senior linebacker Kris Frost has been an enigma for this Auburn defense in 2015. He hasn't impressed in run support this season, but he has a knack for coming up with a couple of big plays each game.
Frost had picked off a pass in back-to-back games, and he recorded some important open-field tackles against Ole Miss last weekend. Consistency is the main issue for him and the rest of the linebackers, which should have been one of the strengths of the team, considering how much experience it returned from last year's roster.
Once again, a dynamic spread offense with plenty of threats means Frost will have a busy day this weekend. He'll be asked to do a little bit of everything at the linebacker position, especially with what Murray can do on the ground and through the air. Can he put together a complete performance this time?
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Texas A&M Players to Watch
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QB Kyler Murray
The true freshman quarterback who had an unbelievable high school career in Texas now looks to be the man in College Station. Last weekend, he became first SEC quarterback to run and pass for at least 100 yards each in his first start since Auburn legend Cam Newton did it in 2010, per ESPN:
""Texas A&M freshman QB Kyler Murray accomplished something only Cam Newton did in recent history. pic.twitter.com/TACORMdUDV"
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Murray showed off a skill set comparable to Texas A&M Heisman winner Johnny Manziel against South Carolina, and now he has another favorable matchup against a struggling defense this weekend. With the first-start jitters out of his way, this could be a huge game for the freshman.
WR Christian Kirk
While Murray was the true freshman star of Texas A&M's offense last Saturday, the team's breakout youngster from earlier in the season was held to just 37 yards by South Carolina.
Christian Kirk was simply on fire to start the year for Texas A&M, recording 442 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his first four games. In special teams, he ran a punt back for a touchdown in the season-opening win against Arizona State and did it again in a loss to Alabama.
But in the last two games, Kirk has recorded just eight catches for 53 yards and lost yardage on his only punt return. He'll look to get back on track this Saturday against an Auburn secondary that is starting a fellow true freshman at cornerback in Carlton Davis.
DB Donovan Wilson
Defensive ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall are the biggest names on Chavis' defense this season, but don't forget about ball-hawking safety Donovan Wilson.
Wilson recorded his fourth and fifth interceptions of the season and his first pick-six against South Carolina last Saturday. He's also forced three fumbles in 2015, putting the sophomore defensive back just behind the menacing Garrett in that category for the Aggies.
The safety is a momentum changer for Texas A&M, and he'll look to pounce on any mistakes made by an out-of-rhythm Auburn offense. Wilson is the type of player who can turn the opposition's scoring opportunities into takeaways and points of his own.
What They're Saying
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Auburn
Head coach Gus Malzahn on Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray, per Wesley Sinor of AL.com:
"He's a jitterbug. He can really run, he's got great balance and he throws it pretty adequately too, so that's going to be a challenge. He's a true dual-threat guy ... This guy's extremely quick and he's strong. He's not a big guy, but he's kind of a quick strong. Just did a great job in high school, I don't think he ever lost a game in one of the bigger high schools in the state of Texas. He's a dynamic player, especially on the ground.
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Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee on facing Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis, per Ryan Black of Auburn Undercover:
"You know what you're going to get with him. They can rush the passer. They probably have the best pass-rusher in our league, maybe two of the best, one on each side, so that's always a factor. They play a lot of man coverage, but they have some good zone coverage concepts as well. Good pressure packages.
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Defensive end Carl Lawson on his return from injury, per Matthew Stevens of the Montgomery Advertiser:
"I'm very sorry for not being able to go out with them, and just the Auburn family in general, just not being able to come out and contribute with my team. God gave me the opportunity to come back and play with my teammates and it's such a blessing. My first start in Jordan-Hare was very special to me.
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Texas A&M
Head coach Kevin Sumlin on moving forward from the South Carolina win, per Brandon Wheeland of the Dallas Morning News:
"We've got some things to clean up no doubt but the message is the same as a week ago. You win and lose as a team. We made enough plays offensively to get that done today. The focus this week is on 1-0. We will hit the reset button and not worry about what happens after next week or what happened in the past. That's what this team responds to.
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Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital on Texas A&M's offensive success against South Carolina, per the program's website:
"With Kyler's dynamic ability to run, that's going to open up a lot of opportunities for running backs. We knew the running game was going to be important to establish, and we knew it was going to be pretty successful based off having two dynamic guys back there.
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Defensive tackle Julien Obioha on Texas A&M's defensive struggles against South Carolina, per Aubrey Bloom of AggieSports.com:
"It’s just one guy missing a tackle, or one guy not fitting it right. They have good ball players too. If you don’t fit it right then their ball player is going to get open or he’s going to run for a lot of yards.
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Prediction
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While Auburn is trying to figure out if it can turn the corner and start winning more of these close games, Texas A&M rediscovered its offensive edge last Saturday against South Carolina.
The switch to Murray from Kyle Allen wasn't a cure-all for this Texas A&M offense, but it made things a lot better for Sumlin and Spavital. After putting up impressive yardage against one of the SEC's worst defenses, Murray has the ideal matchup for a repeat performance this Saturday. His deep corps of receivers should be able to hit the Auburn secondary for big plays if he can accurately get the ball to them.
One advantage for Auburn in this game is on the ground. With Robinson and Johnson set to receive more carries next to the hard-running Barber, the Tigers should be able to move the ball against a Texas A&M defense that is consistently allowing more than five yards per carry this season. A banged-up White will have to step up at times—and Malzahn will have to call better plays in scoring situations—but the chances will be there on the ground.
Despite the big-name offseason hires at defensive coordinator, this matchup looks like it could be another high-scoring affair between two offensive-minded head coaches and their teams. Can Auburn's defense make enough stops to allow its offense to maintain Texas A&M's pace?
Murray's skill set against a struggling Auburn D and a star-studded Texas A&M pass rush against a less-mobile White will be the differences in this one. Texas A&M pulls away with big plays in the fourth quarter as Auburn continues to search for that all-important fifth win.
Prediction: Texas A&M 42, Auburn 31
All statistics courtesy of CFBStats unless otherwise noted.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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