“It’s what they call frog hunting. I think.”
Each week, we’ll be previewing Auburn football’s upcoming opponent. This week, it’s the Texas A&M Aggies.
A&M is in their fourth year under head coach Jimbo Fisher, and they’ve had a measure of success under his regime. In the Covid-shortened season last year, Fisher had his best year at A&M, going 9-1 with a lone loss coming to Alabama. They finished ranked fourth in the country, and missed the College Football Playoff by one spot in the rankings.
This year the Aggies are down after losing much of last year’s core. The starting quarterback, Haynes King, also suffered a season ending injury, forcing backup QB Zach Calzada into action. The Aggies have a record of 6-2. Early in the season, they looked unimpressive in a close win over Colorado, then falling to Arkansas and Mississippi State in consecutive weeks. After those losses however, the team seemed to improve, with wins coming over Alabama, Missouri, and South Carolina.
Players to watch for:
Running back Isiah Spiller: Spiller is in his junior year at A&M, and has been a contributor for a long time. He’s been starting since his true freshman season, and has over 3,000 career yards. This season, through 8 games, he has 940 total yards and six touchdowns.
Safety Leon O’Neil Jr: O’Neil is a senior safety and, like Spiller, has been a regular contributor since his arrival in college station. He has played in every game for the Aggies since 2018, and has racked up 6 interceptions. He has 33 tackles this season and two picks, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
