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Taking a position-by-position look at Auburn at No. 25 Texas A&M, here’s what to watch for in Saturday’s showdown between the Tigers and the Aggies:
QUARTERBACK — Texas A&M: The good news for Auburn QB Sean White is that he finally threw his first career touchdown pass in last week’s 27-19 loss at Ole Miss. The bad news for the Tigers in that game is that White completed only 12 of 28 passes for 258 yards and an interception outside of that TD. A redshirt freshman, White is still finding his way, and playing at Kyle Field this week won’t be easy. Meanwhile, the Aggies have to be thrilled with Kyler Murray’s performance in last week’s 35-28 home win over South Carolina. The true freshman racked up 223 passing yards, 156 rushing yards and accounted for 2 touchdowns in his first career start. Texas A&M clearly has the edge here at the starting spot, and if Murray happens to get hurt or is benched for performance-based reasons, the Aggies even have the edge in the backup department with Kyle Allen over Jeremy Johnson.
RUNNING BACKS — Auburn: Peyton Barber continues to have a solid sophomore season for the Tigers. The 5-foot-11, 225-pounder from Alpharetta, Ga., is in the top 5 in the SEC in the following rushing categories: yards (787), attempts (180) and touchdowns (12). Fellow sophomore Roc Thomas has chipped in with 154 yards on 34 carries and freshman Kerryon Johnson has rushed 37 times for 145 yards and a score. Thomas has also added 11 catches for 200 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, Tra Carson has been A&M’s workhorse back, leading the Aggies in rushing yards (646), attempts (143) and TDs on the ground (5). However, Texas A&M has hardly any depth at this spot after Carson. The Tigers clearly have strength in numbers here.
WIDE RECEIVERS, TIGHT END — Texas A&M: No SEC wideout has been better than Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell this season, but Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk has been pretty darn close. The Aggies freshman is 2nd only to Treadwell in catches (47) and yards per game (82.8) while playing one fewer game. Josh Reynolds is tied with Kirk for the team lead in TD receptions (4) and has added 532 yards on 29 grabs. Ricky Seals-Jones (30, 398, 2 TDs) has also had a solid season as A&M’s No. 3 receiver. Meanwhile, if only Auburn could get more than one Ricardo Louis in its receiving corps. The senior from Miami leads the Tigers in catches (36) and yards (563) and is tied with Melvin Ray for the team lead with just 2 TD receptions. Neither teams’ tight ends have been much of a factor this season, but the Aggies’ wideouts have the decisive edge here.
OFFENSIVE LINE — Even: The Tigers’ and Aggies’ rushing stats are nearly identical: Auburn has rushed 354 times for 1,389 yards and 18 touchdowns, which is tied for 3rd in the SEC, while Texas A&M has 1,351 yards and 11 TDs on 305 attempts. The Tigers are 7th in the conference in rushing yards per game (173.6) while the Aggies are 9th (168.9). Auburn is 7th in the SEC in sacks allowed per game (1.75) while Texas A&M (2.75) is tied for last in the league with Florida and Kentucky. The fact that A&M’s ball-carriers are only averaging a half-yard more per attempt (4.4 to 3.9) makes this category a wash. A&M has the better run blockers, but Auburn has protected its QBs better.
DEFENSIVE LINE — Texas A&M: Both teams’ rushing defenses have been terrible. Texas A&M is next-to-last in the SEC, allowing 206.8 yards a game. Meanwhile, Auburn is 12th, allowing 194.4 yards per contest, and the Tigers have yielded a conference-worst 19 rushing touchdowns. But in terms of rushing the passer, it’s no contest. A&M is 2nd in the league with 26 sacks while Auburn has just 12 sacks. The only team with fewer is Arkansas, which has just 7. Myles Garrett (44 total tackles, SEC-leading 15.5 tackles for loss) has a conference-best 10.5 sacks, while teammate Daeshon Hall (9 tackles for loss) is tied for 4th with 6. Junior Montravius Adams (33 total tackles, 4 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles) has anchored Auburn’s D-line, while Dontavius Russell (31 total tackles, 6 QB hurries, 1.5 sacks) has had an outstanding freshman season. Plus Carl Lawson is finally back from his hip injury that forced him to miss six straight games, but Texas A&M’s clear edge in pass rushing gives it the edge at this spot.
LINEBACKERS — Auburn: No linebacker on either team has more than Kris Frost’s 65 total tackles. The senior has added 2 QB hurries, 2 pass breakups, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble. Senior teammate Cassanova McKinzy has been very productive as well with 53 total tackles — including 8 for loss — 4 sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a whopping 12 QB hurries, including 5 last week against Ole Miss. Shaan Washington (3 pass breakups, 2 QB hurries) leads A&M’s linebackers with 47 total tackles, and fellow junior A.J. Hilliard (39 total tackles) has added 2 sacks and 2 QB hurries. The more experienced Auburn group gets the nod.
SECONDARY — Texas A&M: Auburn is 13th in the SEC in pass defense, allowing 252.1 yards a game. Meanwhile, the Aggies are 3rd, surrendering just 191.5 yards. Free safety Armani Watts leads the Aggies with 75 total tackles, while strong safety Justin Evans has added 55. Donovan Wilson has made 45 total tackles — including 6 for loss — from the nickelback spot. Senior De’Vante Harris has a pick-six for the Aggies this season to go along with 20 total tackles and 6 pass breakups, and Brandon Williams has added 25 total tackles and 6 pass breakups. On the other side, Johnathan Ford (2 forced fumbles, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup) has 1 of the Tigers’ 8 INTs to go along with a team-leading 86 total tackles, which is 2nd only to Missouri LB Kentrell Brothers’ 103 in the SEC. Jonathan Jones (49 total tackles, 1 forced fumble) leads Auburn with 8 pass breakups. This was a tough call, both secondaries have terrific tacklers, but the Aggies have proven all season to be better against the pass.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
