By Brant Daughtry
Yin and Yang
Auburn and Texas A&M have faced 20 times, with Auburn behind in the series with eight wins and 12 losses. Since A&M joined the SEC in 2012, the teams have split the series with five wins apiece.
A&M started this year off one of the strongest off-seasons in college football history. They signed the number 1 recruiting class in the country, and by several measurements, the best class ever. Head coach Jimbo Fisher went on the war path, calling out Nick Saban and others as clowns and narcissists. The Aggies were #6 in the initial rankings, and considered by many to be a candidate for the college football playoff.
Then the Aggies lost a buy-game to Appalachian State. They won two more games, and then dropped every game they have played since. Somewhere along the way, the wheels fell off in College Station, and now you’ve got two teams coming in with 5-game losing streaks, both needing to win out to even make a bowl game.
Their defense hasn’t been terrible, giving up under 24 points a game. They have some trouble stopping the run though, something Ole Miss took advantage of to the tune of almost 500 yards on the ground. Over this 5-game skid, A&M is giving up an average of 246 rush yards a game. That includes a loss to air-raid-running Mississippi State by the way. In terms of national ranking, they’re behind Auburn, who has famously struggled against the run this season.
Most of their problems though, can be attributed to a stagnant offense. A revolving door at quarterback and some issues with play calling (hello Jimbo) have led to a team that puts up under 23 points a game. The first QB up was Haynes King, the starter for A&M last year who was injured before Zach Calzada took over. King threw six interceptions to his seven touchdowns, and just over 200 yards a game, so he was benched in favor of former LSU QB Max Johnson. Like his tenure in Baton Rouge, Johnson was serviceable at best, and was injured at some point. Insert the man who will start against Auburn, Connor Weigman.
Weigman is a very talented freshman, a member of that “best class ever” I mentioned earlier. According to some services, the number 1 quarterback in that class. The fact is, we haven’t seen a lot from Weigman. His first start came against South Carolina, and not much was asked of him. He went 8-of-15 for 90 yards. His next start though, came against Ole Miss, and the kid put on a show. He was the focus of A&M’s offense, going 28-of-44 for 338 yards and four touchdowns. A&M lost the game, but Weigman showed what he was capable of. He missed the next game against Florida, but is apparently healthy enough to be named the starter in this game.
Players to Watch For:
Running back Devon Achane, #6- Throughout the struggles the Aggies have had on offense this year, Achane has been the one constant producer. The junior tailback already has over 1,000 yards of total offense this year, and should get several touches against an Auburn defense that has struggled against the run this year.
Linebacker Chris Russell Jr, #24- When looking at pure numbers, not a lot sticks out on A&M’s defense. They’re young, inexperienced, and at times undisciplined. However, one of the elders on this defense is senior Chris Russell Jr. He was a special teams guy in his first two years, cracked the rotation last year, and is making the most of his chances now as a senior starter. He leads A&M in tackles, and has 2.5 sacks as well, just one behind the team leader.
As I write this, it’s about 2:30 pm on Tuesday. A few hours ago, Auburn football announced a sellout. Isn’t that something? A 3-6 Auburn team, on a 5-game losing streak no less, is hosting a team with an identical record, and the game is sold out. There’s just something special about Auburn isn’t there? Cadillac Williams was my first ever favorite athlete, and now I’m watching him walk the sidelines as Auburn’s head coach, even if that’s in an interim capacity. Auburn and A&M are two sides of the same coin right now. The loser of this game loses bowl eligibility. The winner most likely won’t make it anyway. But Auburn people couldn’t be more excited. The atmosphere on Saturday is going to rival Iron Bowls. A 3-6 Auburn team is going to have one of the best environments in all of college football on Saturday. There’s something very, very special about this place.
