The Texas A&M Aggies lost to the Auburn Tigers 10-13 on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Aggies are now 3-7, and they will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2008. Now, Texas A&M will face the University of Massachusetts before playing the LSU Tigers; both games will be at Kyle Field. There’s not many positives for the Aggies, even heading into next season. Here’s a quick recap of Texas A&M’s loss to Auburn.
Offensive Woes Continue
Connor Weigman played abysmal compared to his previous performance against Ole Miss. At one point, he had 13 straight incompletions, and the struggles seemed similar to that of Haynes King and Max Johnson.
Devon Achane was out for this game due to an injury, and Texas A&M looked to Amari Daniels for help. He had 11 carries for 83 yards, but the running game appeared inefficient throughout the night.
Moose Muhammad III was out for non-injury-related reasons, which shows the amount of turmoil currently within the Aggies’ program. Jalen Preston and Devin Price stepped up in the second half, each of them ending up with 40 receiving yards.
Evan Stewart got injured near the end of the game, and Texas A&M was without some of its best players in Donovan Green, Max Wright, etc. throughout the course of the game.
Defense Good, But Not Enough
Texas A&M struggled to stop the run against Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter. They finished with nearly 250 total rushing yards, and Robby Ashford also played a key role.
The Aggies’ defense did an impeccable job against the pass, and Texas A&M forced a total of four turnovers. Honestly, the defense really kept the Aggies in this game, or this could’ve ended up as a blowout.
DJ Durkin‘s defense has been nothing short of a failure this year. In the SEC, the main emphasis on defense is to stop the run. Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, and Florida have had their way against Texas A&M on the ground. If change doesn’t happen quickly, LSU will do the same in two weeks.
Auburn’s energy in this game was unmatched, for interim head coach Carnell Williams really let the team play freely. As a result, the defense let its emotion get too high at times in the game, which led to unnecessary penalties.
Concluding Thoughts
Texas A&M has now lost six consecutive games after its loss against Auburn. This is the longest streak since 1972. Now, it wouldn’t hurt for the Aggies to try out some of the younger players and newer schemes for some promise heading into next season. Weigman is still the quarterback of the future, and he can use the next two games to develop his progression(s).
All in all, the 10-point performance by the offense recaps the gist of A&M’s struggles this season. Achane, Ainias Smith, and perhaps Muhammad will likely leave the team, so Jimbo Fisher will need to find talent in the transfer portal and pick new staff; especially in regard to playcalling.
Most Aggies fans probably wonder what there is to look forward to for the rest of this season. Two wins at home would be a good sign, but consistent performance is key to building off of something in the offseason. First, let’s focus on a win against the University of Massachusetts next Saturday.
