Aggies aim for first home win in SEC series with the Tigers
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M has beaten Auburn in Dallas twice. The Aggies have defeated the Tigers in Auburn three times.
The teams have played in three different cities spanning more than a century, and A&M holds a 5-4 series advantage against a historically more successful program. There’s only one place the Aggies have never defeated the Tigers: College Station.
No. 17 A&M hosts No. 8 Auburn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the programs’ SEC opener, one of five A&M contests this season against teams currently in the Associated Press top 10.
“It’s gonna be a physical, knock ’em, rock ’em, sock ’em game,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge for our defense.”
Fisher is in his second season with the Aggies, and this is his first shot at Auburn in College Station. A year ago the Aggies led the Tigers by 10 in the fourth quarter at Auburn, before blowing the lead and losing 28-24.
“That was the whole team’s fault,” A&M offensive lineman Carson Green said. “We’re not going to let people come back like that (anymore).”
In perhaps the Aggies’ quirkiest stat since joining the SEC in 2012, they’ve lost all three games at Kyle
Field against the Tigers, and had won their first three games at Auburn prior to last year’s fourth quarter crumble.
A&M is a slight favorite over Auburn on Saturday.
Tigers defensive tackle Derrick Brown, a potential first-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft, played in part of last week’s Kent State game because of injury, but should be ready against the Aggies. Green is happy to hear his counterpart is healthy enough to play.
“We want to beat them at their best,” Green said. “We want everybody’s best shot. We don’t want any reason for them to say, ‘This is why (the Aggies) won.’”
A&M’s 63-21 trouncing of Auburn in 2012 helped lead to thenTigers coach Gene Chizik’s dismissal, only two years after he led Auburn to a national title, and helped pave the way for the arrival of Gus Malzahn from Arkansas State.
In his first year at Auburn in 2013, Malzahn guided the Tigers to the national title game, where they lost to Florida State — coached by Fisher. Malzahn and Fisher are 1-1 against each other, following the Tigers’ comeback last season.
“You can tell there’s a different excitement (this week) — not only
No. 8 Auburn at No. 17 Texas A&M When/where: TV/Radio: Records: A&M update:
2:30 p.m., Kyle Field, College Station CBS/97.5 FM
A&M (2-1), Auburn (3-0)
The Aggies are down to three scholarship running backs after fourth-stringer Deneric Prince has exited the program and put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. True freshman running back Isaiah Spiller is expected to earn his first start in the SEC opener. … In addition, coach Jimbo Fisher said this week running back Vernon Jackson likely will not play football again after suffering a neck injury in the spring. … Receiver Quartney Davis, cornerback Elijah Blades and defensive linemen Jayden Peevy and Max Wright are expected back in action after missing the Lamar game with various minor injuries.
True freshman quarterback Bo Nix, son of former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, will play in his first true road game, although he led the Tiger to a comeback victory against Oregon in AT&T Stadium in Arlington in the teams’ opener. … The Tigers had three players with 100-plus rushing yards last week in a 55-16 win over Kent State: JaTarvious Whitlow (135), Joey Gatewood (102) and Shaun Shivers (102). That’s the first time that’s happened since 1983, with a trio that included Bo Jackson. …
Auburn update:
from our players but our coaches,” Malzahn said of his team’s preparation. “The conference season is here, and that’s what we’ve been gearing up for these first three games.”
Fisher and his players heard plenty in the offseason about the difficulty of their schedule — in facing No. 1 (Clemson, a 24-10 loss on Sept. 7), No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU.
No team since 1975 has faced the AP preseason top three programs in the same year.
“Auburn is top 10 and very deserving,” he said. “Offensively, Gus does a tremendous job, and always does. Shifts, motions, eye violations … He’ll do some play action and a trick play, and (suddenly) there’s a guy going down the sideline or a guy on the post.
“Defensively, they’re as good a front as there is in college football. If you have goals and aspirations for where you want to go, you have to (win) a game like this. This is going to be one heck of a test for us.”