AUBURN, Ala. (KBTX) – Since 1998, the last time the Texas A&M football team played for a conference title, the Aggies have been plagued by one bounce after another going the wrong way. That’s what the fan base would say. It causes symptoms of pessimism syndrome, where fans can’t believe anything good will happen.
On Saturday, the 15th-ranked Aggies lost to Auburn in a thrilling four-overtime game, handing A&M its second conference loss but ending any hopes for 2024 for the Aggie football program. Looks like there’s a new reason.
The Aggies might want to hand out $20 drinks to their favorite University of Oklahoma alumni tonight. The Sooners gave the Aggies one of the bounces they have chased for decades.
Oklahoma defeated No. 7 Alabama 24-3 on Saturday, giving Georgia one of the spots in the Southeastern Conference title game. The conference tiebreaker leaves one more spot open to the winner of next Saturday’s highly anticipated matchup between the Aggies and No. 3 Texas.
“Coach (Mike) Elko talked to us about it in the locker room right after the game, and we know we still have a job to take care of,” quarterback Marcel Reed said. “And just because we lost today, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to go back to work this week and try to get ready to win this weekend against Texas, so maybe that can propel us to a championship, and We’re going to be able to keep playing.’ Get to the playoffs and get it all done. ”
Essentially, all Saturday’s flat-field loss did was end the Aggies’ chances of qualifying for the College Football Playoff — an outcome that even before Saturday’s loss It was a probability. But there’s still a lot the Aggies need to tighten up in a week if they want to earn their first ticket to the SEC Championship.
Here’s the game overview:
Why did A&M lose? Early in the game, the Aggies’ defensive secondary struggled to contain Auburn’s deep passing plays. By the opening minutes of the second quarter, Auburn led 21-0, with freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman scoring two points and racking up more than 100 receiving yards.
“Obviously, we can’t go out there and lose 21-0,” head coach Mike Elko said after the game. “You can’t let the ball go over your head on the road and expect success. It’s very disappointing that we started the game defensively.”
The Aggies were able to fight back thanks to two receiving touchdowns by wideout Noah Thomas. A&M’s coaching staff also added the wrinkle of freshman athlete Terry Bassey running out of the backfield, resulting in a 1-yard touchdown rush out of the Wildcat formation.
“We didn’t think it was right to move him to running back, but obviously he was a kid who was very good with the ball in his hands, so we thought there would be some opportunities to move him to wide receiver. We felt like that, so we thought, ‘We tried to do that tonight and I think we were able to give him a lot more touches than we were able to do in the other games,” Elko said of Bassey.
Auburn gifted the Aggies with three drives starting on the Tiger’s side of the 50-yard line, but A&M was only able to generate three points from those possessions.
In the final two minutes of the game, Auburn drove 75 yards in 15 plays and kicked a field goal that tied the game. In the fourth overtime, needing a two-point conversion into the end zone to extend the game, the Aggies went back to Bassey for the Wildcats. The reverse to Reed turned into a pass play, but he couldn’t connect with Amari Daniels in the end zone.
Who stood out? Auburn freshman Coleman, a former contributor for A&M, was completely unstoppable in the first half. The Aggie defense slowed him down a bit in the second half, but he still managed a game-high 128 receiving yards with seven catches and two scores.
For the Aggies, Thomas had five catches and two touchdowns for 124 yards, the second 100-yard game of his career.
Reid had 66 rushing yards on 21 carries, surpassed only by Daniels’ 90 rushing yards and one touchdown. The quarterback completed 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, but threw one costly interception in the first half.
What were the key stats? Tiger’s 43 points marked the first time he scored 28 or more points against a Power 4 opponent since November 2023 against Arkansas.
What were the key plays? Auburn punter Oscar Chapman punted twice and the Aggies started the drive from the Tiger side of the 50. However, A&M failed to record any points on either break.
Also, throw in an Aggie interception by B.J. Mays that gave the offense the ball to the Auburn 15, resulting in just three points.
Does this mean moving forward? The game we’ve all been waiting for for over a decade is finally here, but everything is still at stake.
“Right now I’m focused on Texas,” Reed said after the game.
Breakdown of positions
offense
Offensive line: B+
There are no major drawbacks here other than fewer driving lanes for Daniels to attack. The pocket remained mostly clean for Reed in the passing game.
Quarterback: B+
Without Reed’s legs, the Aggie offense would have gone up the creek without a paddle several times in this game. However, he threw an interception early and removed several receivers at key moments.
Receiver: C+
Two big drops on third down could have changed the game.
Running back: C+
Daniels averaged 3.3 yards per carry. A&M will need more from him next week.
defense
Defense line: C
Auburn gained 168 yards on the ground and an uptempo run game had defenses scrambling. Auburn quarterback Peyton Thorne was nearly scoreless the entire game, save for a few blitzes by defensive backs.
Linebacker: B-
It was too easy and rushed for Auburn at times. Taurean York led the Aggies with 10 tackles, and Scooby Williams intercepted Auburn in the second half.
Secondary:D
Too many yards over the top and some bad tackles led to extra yards throughout the game.
Special teams: A-
Punter Tyler White was also great. The only real shocker was Randy Bond’s missed 54-yard field goal early in the game.
Coaching: B
The play required of the offense was solid, albeit with some new wrinkles. Penalties were kept to a minimum.
What’s next? The rivalry is reignited. A&M and Texas will play each other for the first time since 2011. The game at Kyle Field will kick off at 6:30 and will be televised on ABC. On Saturday, the Longhorns (10-1, 6-1) won 31-14 against Kentucky.
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