Aggies hope for win on home turf
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M’s quirkiest statistic since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012 comes courtesy of its next opponent: The visitors have won eight of the nine meetings between A&M and Auburn with both in the SEC West.
The lone home victory occurred three years ago, when the Tigers defeated the Aggies 28-24 in Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. That also was Jimbo Fisher’s first game against Auburn as A&M coach, and he’s 1-2 against the Tigers during his Aggies tenure.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH The Streak
1 A&M (6-2, 3-2 SEC) is a slight favorite to snap Auburn’s four-game win streak at Kyle Field, primarily based on the Aggies’ edge on the defensive line. The Tigers (6-2, 3-1) are better than most anyone anticipated under first-year coach Bryan Harsin, late of Boise State, and Auburn and A&M present their opponents with similar challenges: solid run games coupled with sturdy defenses.
The Tigers aren’t bad on the defensive line by any means, but the Aggies are a bit better, hence A&M is favored by about four points entering Saturday’s top 15 showdown.
Rested and (should be) ready
2 The Aggies are coming off their lone idle weekend of the fall, and Fisher has said a few days away from football were good for the entire program. A&M is 1-2 following open weeks under Fisher, who’s not known to go easy on his players in the few days of practice leading to a Saturday off. If anything, the drills’ intensity increases in that time, as if the Aggies are back in August camp for a time.
A&M needed the break in a big way, however, after playing eight consecutive weeks to start the season. Running back Isaiah Spiller said it was refreshing to return home to Spring for a weekend and spend time with family.
Quarterback progress
3 Sophomore quarterback Zach Calzada might have benefited most from no Saturday action as he continues clutching the reins of Fisher’s complex offense.
Haynes King won the starting job in August, but was hurt in Week 2 against Colorado in Denver. He’s not expected back this season. Calzada, for the most part, has looked every bit the firstyear starter, save for a notable exception: He excelled in the Aggies’ 41-38 toppling of thentop-ranked Alabama.
Since then Calzada has been simply serviceable in the Aggies’ double-digit victories over Missouri and South Carolina, completing 51 percent of his passes (25-of-49 for 335 yards) in those two games. By comparison Calzada threw for 285 yards alone in the upset of Alabama.
Fisher has emphasized Calzada’s touch on swing passes and screens and taking a little gas off his exceptional fastball on the shorter throws in the time off.
Containing Bo Nix
4 Bo knows winning at Kyle Field — the Tigers’ entertaining quarterback did as much two years ago as a freshman. The Tigers prevailed 28-20 and led 21-3 in the second half before the Aggies scored a couple of fourth quarter touchdowns.
Nix excels at scrambling when needed, and A&M defenders are wary of getting up field too fast and then having the elusive Nix squeeze right past them. Nix has engineered victories at Arkansas and at home against then-No. 10 Mississippi in the Tigers’ last two games, but the Razorbacks and Rebels don’t own the kind of defensive front four the Aggies feature, led by DeMarvin Leal and Tyree Johnson.
What does it all mean?
5 Based on Auburn’s preseason prognostications under a new coach and the Aggies starting conference play 0-2, this has shaped up as a much bigger game than anyone anticipated a month ago. The Tigers, with a lone loss in conference play to likely SEC East champ and top-ranked Georgia, still control their fortunes in the SEC West. If they run the table, including beating No. 2 Alabama in the Iron Bowl on on Nov. 27 in Auburn, they’ll win the division and play for the SEC title game in Atlanta.
The Aggies also have an outside shot at winning the division, despite their poor start to conference play. They also need to run the table, starting with beating Auburn on Saturday, and then hope Auburn beats Alabama in the regular season finale.
Considering Auburn “only” needs to win out and A&M still needs help, the percentages favor the Tigers winning the division over the Aggies. Of course, the overwhelming favorite still is Alabama, despite losing at A&M on Oct. 9.