Game To Watch: #5 Texas A&M at Auburn: December 5, 2020

Texas A&M will visit Auburn this Saturday at 3:30. The Aggies are 6 – 1 having won five straight since their lone loss to Alabama. Auburn is 5 – 3 after a loss against that same Alabama team last week. Texas A&M needs to win out to have a chance to make the college football playoff, while Auburn is trying to finish the season strong and play spoiler.

Recent History

Auburn has won three in a row against Texas A&M, the most recent a 28 – 20 win in College Station last year. Texas A&M’s last win against Auburn came at Auburn in 2016 when the Aggies beat the Tigers 29 – 16. The two teams have played each other relatively close recently with four of the last seven games being decided by one score and none of the last seven by more than 16 points.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Will Kellen Mond bounce back after a tough outing?

Texas A&M won against LSU but it was the defense that carried the team to a 20 – 7 win. Aggies’ quarterback Kellen Mond played his worst game of the season, completing just 11 of 34 passes for 105 yards and no touchdowns. Inconsistency has been the pattern throughout Mond’s career with the Aggies, he is brilliant at times but has struggled to put together a string of strong performances. Last season, Mond’s worst performance of the season also came against LSU in the regular season finale. This year he has to quickly bounce back and face a good Auburn defense that ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring defense. Smoke Monday and company will certainly be looking to redeem themselves after a blowout loss to Alabama. Auburn’s defense will attempt to make Mond uncomfortable and force him into mistakes. If Mond does not play better this weekend, it will be a tough day for the Aggies.

Which team will establish their running game?

Both teams have talented running backs that have been able to set the tone on offense. Isaiah Spiller leads the way for the Aggies and is a powerful runner with good speed and burst at 6’1″ 225 lbs. He has been a handful for opponents running for 777 yards and 6 touchdowns on 131 carries, while adding 104 receiving yards on 8 catches. Spiller has been a workhorse when he needs to but has made his share of big plays for Texas A&M this year. For Auburn, true freshman Tank Bigsby leads the way with 566 yards and 5 touchdowns on 103 carries, with 84 receiving yards on 11 catches. Bigsby is a talented runner who is just scratching the surface of his potential, he has good athleticism and runs with attitude. Auburn uses the quarterback as a runner as well and counts on Bo Nix to make good reads and pull the ball and run when the opportunity presents itself. Neither offense has a big time passing game and will need the running attack to lead the way.

Can Auburn hit big plays against the Aggies defense?

Auburn may not have a prolific passing game, but they do have receivers that are capable of making big plays in the passing game. Seth Williams is a rangy and athletic receiver who is excellent in jump ball situations. Anthony Schwartz has big time speed and can breakaway at any time. Gus Malzahn’s scheme is designed to put the defense in conflict and create space for his playmakers to operate. If Bigsby, Williams and Schwartz can make big plays in those situations, Auburn’s offense will succeed, if they fail to win those one on one matchups it will be tough sledding for the Tigers. Texas A&M’s defense is one of the best in the SEC, ranking third in the conference with 22.4 points per game allowed. They allow less than 100 rushing yards per game and have limited opponents to 7.2 yards per pass attempt. The Aggies have held four of their seven opponents under 15 points this season and will make it difficult for Auburn to get their offense going. Auburn’s offense will have to hit chunk plays to score enough to beat the Aggies.

Prediction

Auburn has had Texas A&M’s number recently and should play tough after a blowout loss against Alabama last weekend. Texas A&M’s defense is playing well of late and should keep Auburn’s offense in check. Both teams will play well defensively giving each team a chance to win the game. Texas A&M makes fewer mistakes and pulls out a tough win on the road. Texas A&M 24 Auburn 21.

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Kellen Mond image taken by Gamecock Central is licensed under CC BY 2.0.