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#PMARSHONAU: Sunday reflections from Auburn and beyond ByPhillip Marshall 16 hours ago 32 An Auburn football revival Regardless of what happens in the next two games, Cadillac Williams has revived Auburn football. He was the right man at the right time. What happened on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be remembered among the great days in Auburn football’s history. It wasn’t the outcome of the game, though Auburn’s 13-10 win over Texas A&M was so badly needed. It was the outpouring of passion, the support for an Auburn icon who was there when his school needed him most, that led the Jordan-Hare Stadium being packed to watch two teams with 3-6 records play. There didn’t seem to be a lot left of the Auburn football so many have loved for so long when Bryan Harsin was shown the door after almost two dark years. But in the course of two weeks, Williams changed that. Whitt on Cadillac, the tough guy Former Auburn assistant Joe Whitt remembers the first time Williams got his attention as a player. It was in preseason practice in 2001, when Williams was a freshman. Whitt was the linebackers coach. “We were working on one-on-one pass rush against the backs,” Whitt said. “I said ‘I am going to test this freshman.’ I put DT Thomas up there, and he whipped the snot out of DT. The next time, I put Karlos Dansby up there. Karlos got the best of him, but it took everything he had to do it. “I’m telling you, Cadillac is a tough guy. He’s a good guy, a really good guy, but he is as tough as they come.” About the coaching search I have reason to believe that Auburn is close to locking up its man. To be clear, I do not know who that man is. Could it be Lane Kiffin? Yes. Hugh Freeze? Yes. Someone we haven’t heard about? Yes. I am convinced that Auburn will have a new head coach in a matter of days after the Iron Bowl. The Cadillac connection I don’t believe it will happen. I am not even saying it should happen. But Auburn could do worse than taking the interim tag off and making Williams the permanent head coach. In these days of NIL and rampant transfers, Williams connects with players on a different level. He connects with supporters. He’s the kind of man most people would want their sons to play for. Whoever is the next coach will make a serious mistake if he does not find a prominent role on his staff for Williams. What Auburn football can be Saturday night’s atmosphere was a clear sign of what Auburn football can be. I don’t know how many places would have had a similar atmosphere in similar circumstances, but it is not many. Auburn has a large and passionate fan base. It has resources. It will soon open one of the top football complexes in the game. Auburn literally has everything it takes to succeed. It won’t happen overnight. Two years of Harsin’s laissez-faire approach to recruiting must be overcome, and that will take some time. Trust must be rebuilt. But there is no reason those things can’t happen. Georgia in full control of the SEC This season’s Georgia team has separated itself from the rest of the SEC. The Bulldogs, the defending national champions, are bound for the College Football Playoff. They still have Kentucky and Georgia Tech to play, but they will likely crush them both. LSU is good but not great and not close to being on Georgia’s level. The real question in the SEC is if Tennessee will get into the playoff with an 11-1 record and no division championship. My guess is that it will. A few observations from this season * It seems officials are calling holding more than any time I can remember. * I get so tired of games being stopped for reviews. The game would be better with an NFL-type system in which coaches have a certain number of challenges. * I don’t know what you do about it, but the inconsistency of how pass interference calls are made is a real problem. Sometimes, I think officials forget that the defensive player has as much right to the football as the receiver. A lesson for presidents and athletics directors? Will university presidents and athletics director learn a lesson from what has happened at Texas A&M? Other than 11-1 record in the COVID season of 2020, Jimbo Fisher has not been a success. This season is likely to end with a 4-8 record. And he has a buyout of $86 million. That such deals are made tells you how much money is pouring into SEC and Big Ten programs. Auburn basketball team a work in progress Is there reason for concern about the Auburn basketball team’s shooting woes. Yes. If there reason for panic? No. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is working to pull together a combination of veterans and newcomers. This team will be a work in progress for a while. The key, as always, is getting into position for the postseason. Being seeded high is nice, but it’s not necessary. Auburn was the No. 5 seed in 2019 and went to the Final Four. Some random thoughts * Not everything bad that happens is the fault of the head coach and not everything good that happens is because of the head coach. 32COMMENTS * Few things are sillier than saying a coach should be eliminated from consideration for a job or should be considered for a job because of the outcome of one game. * I am no offensive line expert, but it looks to me like Jeremiah Wright has a chance to be a monstrous success with an opportunity to play for a long time. * Receivers coach Ike Hilliard said on his postgame radio interview that they have to find ways to be more efficient and successful in the passing game. From the sound of it, that will be a priority this week. It’s really remarkable that Auburn has had so much success running the ball with almost no passing threat. Until next time … Comments (32) ">247Sports #PMARSHONAU: Sunday reflections from Auburn and beyond Phillip Marshall Auburn opens as single-digit favorite over Western Kentucky Nathan King

Players redirect praise to Williams after night of individual history - The Auburn Plainsman 5-6 minutes It was an emotional Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium, as Auburn scraped by Texas A&M 13-10. Emotions ran high with players flooding the student section after the final snap, and interim head coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams smiling and following right behind them. After a crushing 39-33 overtime loss to Mississippi State last week, Williams’ first win as the leader of the Tigers was celebrated like a party by his players. Williams said that team captain Derick Hall supplied his head coach with the game ball after the win, and the players piled on praise for their coach. “That (winning for Williams) means the most because we can tell just how much love he has for us and how much support he has for us, even before he was the head coach,” said defensive lineman Marcus Harris. “To get him in that position and then help him win this game, that was amazing. He really brought the energy tonight.” Energetic is one was to describe Auburn's win over the Aggies, but it might be selling it short. It was a historic night under the lights. Multiple players broke Auburn all-time records or moved up in different Auburn all-time ranking categories. Star running back Tank Bigsby’s 121 yards rushing carried him higher on Auburn’s career rushing yards list. Bigsby passed Ronnie Brown to move to No. 9 all-time in career rushing yards at Auburn. Brown played running back for the Tigers from 2000-2004 and rushed for 2,707 yards before becoming a top-five draft pick in the 2005 NFL draft. Bigsby now sits at 2,735 yards with two regular-season games remaining in his junior year. Bigsby’s fellow running back, sophomore Jarquez Hunter, also made rushing history Saturday night. Hunter’s 121 yards catapulted his career-rushing mark beyond 1,000 yards. Reigning from Mississippi, No. 27 became the 50th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, and Bigsby recognized the hard work Auburn's lethal duo has put in to elevate their game. “I mean, a lot of our work we put in the offseason to now, and it's good to be able to see it pay off,” Bigsby said. “We push each other every day and we strive for greatness, and we try to be the best to ever do it.” Williams was nearly brought to tears postgame when asked about the duo of Bigsby and Hunter. "I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to coach two guys, high character young men who this whole time has let me pour into their lives and be vulnerable, and they know that I stand on truth," Williams said. Senior team captain John Samuel Shenker set the Auburn record for most games played at Auburn — playing in his 60th game at Auburn. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Auburn Plainsman delivered to your inbox Shenker joined the program in 2017 and redshirted his freshman year. The tight end spent the next few years just rotating into the game, but in 2021 Shenker had his breakout year. The Georgia native set Auburn single-season records for tight ends in receptions (33) and yards receiving (413) in 2021. Instead of leaving the program, Shenker used his extra year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19 to return to The Plains for his sixth season in 2022 and now owns the record for most games played at Auburn — passing former Auburn EDGE rusher T.D. Moultry, who played 59 games from 2017-2021. “I want to thank these players. How awesome are they? I challenged these guys to be vulnerable, open your heart, and let us in,” Williams said. “I told them you have people who care for you, and want to see you do well. A lot of times it felt like they didn't feel that way.” Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman. Jacob Waters | Sports Reporter Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman. Twitter: @JacobWaters_ Share and discuss “Players redirect praise to Williams after night of individual history ” on social media.

Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column Jason Caldwell 5-6 minutes Important Saturday on the Plains It was pretty obvious in the days leading up to Saturday’s game against Texas A&M that it was going to be a special atmosphere in Auburn, but I don’t think anyone saw coming what we witnessed inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. It was an electric atmosphere that would rival just about any Iron Bowl, Georgia game or LSU game. The only difference was this one came to watch two 3-6 teams do battle. I had 20 or more former players come up to me Saturday night talking about the environment and what it meant to them to see the fans show up in support of Cadillac Williams and this team. If it meant that much to the former players, I can only imagine what it meant to the current players and future players in attendance. When you talk about the Auburn family, I can’t think of anything that comes closer to describing that than what I saw on Saturday. To say it was an important day for the Auburn football program just isn’t giving it enough credit in my book. There were a bunch of really good football players on campus Saturday and more were watching at home. To see that type of support for a 3-6 team had to speak loud and clear to players about what Auburn is really like, not what people say on ESPN or social media. We already know the short-term implications from what we saw on Saturday night, but the long-term impact might not be felt for years. With plenty of talented 2024 and 2025 prospects on hand, Auburn’s atmosphere might have been the trigger for future success in recruiting for the Tigers. Keeping them at home All you have to do is look around college football to see players all over the country that could have been playing for Auburn and are instead shining at other schools. It has started happening at a more alarming rate over the course of the last decade with Florida grabbing NFL guys like LaMichael Perine, Kadarious Toney, Evan McPherson and Jeremiah Moon all playing on Sundays. I think about Montgomery native and Ole Miss pass rusher Sam Williams, who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round after coming to Oxford out of junior college. Logan Stenberg was an offensive lineman, who got drafted out of Kentucky from James Clemens High in Madison, is another. Currently in the SEC you have guys like Nathaniel Watson at Mississippi State, Quinshon Judkins at Ole Miss, Kamari Lassiter at Georgia and Kris Abrams-Draine at Missouri who are all making plays for their respective teams. You’re not going to get all of them, but you can’t miss on this many guys in your own state if you’re Auburn. Knowing this state inside and out is a must for success down the road for whoever the next head coach is and his staff. Around the league The SEC Championship is now set after Georgia won at Mississippi State and LSU squeaked by Arkansas on the road. After seeing both teams in person this season, I just can’t see any way this game isn’t at least two touchdowns in favor of the Bulldogs. I do still have questions about the Georgia offense and how much they can run the ball, but I just don’t see LSU being able to line up and do much of anything against that Georgia defense. My early call is Georgia 34, LSU 14. This season has shown us once again the parity of this league. I don’t think that it’s bad football, but the bottom of the league is better and the second-tier in the league has fallen off a bit. The two continue to merge, which is all the more reason why it was time for Auburn to make a move. The Tigers were one of those teams, but have the ability to make a move back into the top group quickly. LSU just did it after finishing last season with around 40 players for a bowl game. It’s obvious that Texas A&M is the most disappointing team in all of college football, but Arkansas is right there with them. At 5-5 with games against Ole Miss and at Missouri still to come, it’s not a guarantee the Hogs will go bowling either. Kentucky is another one. The Wildcats dropped to 6-4 overall following a home loss to Vanderbilt over the weekend to snap a 26-game SEC losing streak for the Commodores. With Georgia and Louisville at home to finish the season, Kentucky could get to 7-5, but that’s a far cry from the expectations coming into the year. *** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel, opinion and scoops*** ">247Sports

Cole Cubelic shares SEC takeaways following Week 11 action Andrew Olson 5-6 minutes Cole Cubelic is back with his weekly SEC takeaways, a Sunday social media staple for fans of conference teams. The Week 11 slate offered 7 games of conference contests featuring the 14 SEC teams. The SEC Championship Game lineup was officially set on Saturday. LSU locked up the SEC West after Ole Miss was eliminated with a loss to Alabama. The Tigers defeated Arkansas 13-10 in the Battle for the Golden Boot, improving to 8-2 and 6-1 in SEC play. Later Saturday, Georgia clinched the SEC East with a 45-19 win over Mississippi State to improve to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in conference play. Cubelic covered Auburn’s 13-10 win over Texas A&M for the SEC Network. He’s now watched all 7 games and shared his takeaways for all 14 teams. Here’s what Cubelic had to say: ARKANSAS: Just not the same without KJ. Brutal vs that from also. Then plan gets shifted all around with different QBs & it’s a mess. No true balance. Needed great day by OL. Def played hard. 42 all over the place. LBs were great. Last fumble just devastating. Must know situation — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 13, 2022 FLORIDA: Looked like the old 51 on def. That group got to the ball quick! Pass rush got going. 33 & 9 were nice there. Weak side of defense much improved. 2 is so smooth. Presentation of QB runs much better. Opens it all up. Right side of OL strong! Efficient through the air. — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 13, 2022 KENTUCKY: Did not block 2nd level well. Looked a tad predictable on off. Not enough protection for QB. Didn’t break many tackles. Red zone a killer. QB runs got them. Have to be gap sound up front on def. Contain an issue. Late flags just can’t happen. 32 played hard on def. — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI STATE: Too much pressure on QB, off platform too often. Needed to win vs 4 rushers. 7 solid. 82 played well. Looked like run might help early then vanished. 14 all over on def. Big game for 3. Super aggressive plan made things happen but also left space open at times. — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 13, 2022 OLE MISS: Loved the plan on off. Had eye violations all over. 2 was great on def. The penetrators on stunts did a fantastic job. Saw fatigue up front late. RBs grab hard, couldn’t hit the HRs. OL wasn’t bad. 1 does so much for that off. Needed to hit a few more shot plays — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 13, 2022 TENNESSEE: Somewhat of a slow start then hammered down. QB in rhythm. QB runs hurt def some. Got run game & tempo going as game went along. Did not stop throwing haymakers. Managed a tough/physical DL. 11 ridiculous. Loved the continued creativity on offense to get matchups. — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 13, 2022 VANDERBILT: MONSTER WIN! Streaks ended! Fight hasn’t slowed. The defense routinely beat the UK off to their landmarks. LBs great over the top. 19 great early. Def attacked upfield. Flew to FB. Won up front w/o extra numbers. Made UK waste blocks. 24 got going late. Got pressure! — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 13, 2022 We’ll see what Cubelic has to say next Sunday after the Week 12 games!

Colby Wooden called his shot on decisive strip-sack against Texas A&M Updated: Nov. 13, 2022, 3:37 a.m.|Published: Nov. 13, 2022, 12:18 a.m. 5-6 minutes Colby Wooden called his shot. Before the versatile defensive lineman delivered one of the signature moments of Auburn’s 13-10 win against Texas A&M on Saturday night — a strip-sack of Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman late in the fourth quarter of a one-possession game — Wooden paraded around the Tigers’ sideline and told anyone who would listen exactly what was about to unfold during a stoppage in play moments earlier. Read more Auburn football: Instant analysis: Auburn beats Texas A&M, delivers Cadillac Williams his first win Cadillac Williams gets emotional after first Auburn win: Auburn “ain’t dead” What Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M players said after losing to Auburn “Watch this,” Wooden told teammates and coaches, including Derick Hall and Cam Riley, in the defensive huddle. “I’m gonna go stab-club, and I’m gonna go get it.” According to Riley, no one in the huddle was really listening to Wooden’s premonition. Hall dismissed Wooden’s braggadocio as well. That didn’t stop the 6-foot-5, 284-pounder from following through on his confident prediction. On the next snap, a second-and-10 from Texas A&M’s 42-yard line, Wooden came barreling off the edge of the line and blindsided Weigman. Just as he said he would, Wooden reached his right arm around the Aggies’ quarterback and clubbed the ball loose for a strip-sack that was recovered by teammate Morris Joseph Jr. at the 32-yard line with 5:34 to play and Auburn clinging to a 10-3 lead. “I was shook about it,” Riley said. “I’m still shook right now that he actually did that.” Wooden’s strip-sack was arguably the defensive play of the game on a night that Auburn turned in a vintage performance on that side of the ball. After the unit took a noticeable step back this season, it stepped up in a major way Saturday night to help Auburn snap its five-game losing streak and deliver interim coach Cadillac Williams his first win. “Big-time play by Colby,” Williams said. “I mean, wow. Tempers were flaring, you know, guys, you could tell, guys started barking at the offense. Them defensive guys, they’ve always been that way. They’re always barking at the offense. We kind of stalled there in the third quarter, but to have that young man make that play, in my four years being here with him and seeing him grow as a young man to what he has done (and) the leader that he is, I’m so happy for him. “So happy that he got the opportunity to make that play and give us life and kind of put a stamp on it there, because they had some momentum there, and to get that strip fumble was big time.” The Tigers’ defense held the Aggies to just 215 total yards of offense and 3.6 yards per play — the unit’s best performance against an SEC opponent in 11 years. Auburn’s defense was particularly dominant in the second half, when it came out of the locker room and forced five consecutive three-and-outs by Texas A&M. The Aggies had just 5 yards of total offense in the second half until their final drive of the game, when they put together an 80-yard scoring drive to cut the final deficit to three points. That touchdown was essentially meaningless, thanks in large part to Wooden’s strip-sack, which allowed Auburn to tack on a chip-shot field goal from Alex McPherson for a two-score advantage with 3:02 remaining. “Bro, like, that’s crazy,” Hall said of the play. “Colby is an amazing player. He’s very versatile. He can line up inside, line up outside, and just being able to have a counterpart across from me to fill in that gap when ‘Ku went down, it’s amazing. The dude can play all over the field.” Wooden, who has stepped up to provide depth off the edge since Eku Leota sustained a pectoral injury earlier in the season, knew he had an advantage against Texas A&M left tackle Trey Zuhn III but couldn’t quite seem to break through. Texas A&M was light-setting him, and the Aggies tried to send a guard to help chip-block and push him to the outside. Eventually, Wooden decided he needed to beat Zuhn to the point; he attempted two-hand strikes, but those weren’t working. So, when there was a stoppage in play, Wooden went to the sideline and thought through it. Then he called his shot. He jumped the snap—and thought at first he was going to be called offside—and beat Zuhn off the edge, delivering the decisive defensive blow in the process. “It was electric,” Wooden said. “Like, I don’t have the words to describe it. But when you get there and you know you’ve got it, it’s like a breath of relief. Then, on top of that, you’ve got the crowd — it’s just crazy. It’s really crazy.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

247sports.com #PMARSHONAU: Joy at Jordan-Hare as Auburn, Cadillac take down Texas A&M Phillip Marshall 4 minutes It was truly unlike anything I have seen in more than half a century of covering college football. As a game between two teams that came in with five-game losing streaks ended, the sellout crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium erupted with pure joy. Auburn players jumped and hugged each other. Interim head coach Cadillac Williams, soaked by the ice water bath he’d just received, fought back tears. When Williams ran to the student section, waving a towel, the noise was what you would expect if a championship had just been won. It was a remarkable scene. It was like no one wanted to leave. The atmosphere was really like an Iron Bowl or a game with championship implications. The Tigers had virtually no passing game in the whipping wind. They turned the ball over three times. They stalled in the red zone a couple of times. Quarterback Robby Ashford overthrew running back Jarquez Hunter on a wheel route that would have been a certain touchdown. Those things didn’t matter. Not on this night. Auburn beat Texas A&M 13-10 and gave Williams his first victory as interim head coach. That was all that mattered. Williams said it wasn’t about him, but really it was. Williams’ energy, love, compassion and passion for all things Auburn have quickly won over so many. He was the reason Auburn fans packed Jordan-Hare Stadium, why it was the biggest Tiger Walk of the season, why the noise started early and did not go away. Twelve days ago, Auburn fired former head coach Bryan Harsin. Williams was caught by surprise when he was named interim head coach. Today, if you took a vote of Auburn fans, there would probably be overwhelming sentiment to make him the permanent head coach. When it was over and the game had been won Williams talked about “pouring into these players,” making them understand it was OK if they made a mistake. That is a significant change from the previous head coach. He talked emotionally about their effort and the effort of the coaching staff. Williams injected energy back into a program that had little of it in Harsin’s unfortunate tenure. Dozens of Williams’ former teammates returned to support him in his first game on the field where he was an All-American and became an Auburn icon. “I will be forever grateful for this moment,” Williams said. Auburn’s defense was dominant. Texas A&M had negative yardage in the second half before an 80-yard drive on its final possession that really meant nothing. Auburn easily could have won by a bigger score. Quarterback Robby Ashford overthrew running back Jarquez Hunter, was all alone for what would have been a touchdown. Thee turnovers were costly. What Auburn’s offense did was run the heck of the ball, going for 270 yards. Hunter ran 13 times for 121 yards. Tank Bigsby had 23 carries, also for 121 yards True freshman A&M quarterback Connor Weigman, like many freshman quarterbacks before him, struggled in the roar of the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd, In one stretch, he threw 11 consecutive incompletions. He finished 14-of-36 for 121 yards. Yes, the Tigers are 4-6. Yes, it would take something close to a miracle to get to a bowl game. But Saturday night was one to celebrate. 6COMMENTS Linebacker Cam Riley might have put it best. “We are,” he said, “back to being Auburn.”

Carnell Williams gets emotional after first win: Auburn ‘ain’t dead. We comin’ Updated: Nov. 12, 2022, 11:10 p.m.| Published: Nov. 12, 2022, 10:33 p.m. GO CRAZY CADILLAC! Carnell Williams celebrates 1st win as Auburn interim head coach NEW! 3,552 shares By Mark Heim | mheim@al.com Carnell Williams didn’t let the magnitude of the moment pass him by. Auburn’s 13-10 win over Texas A&M snapped the Tigers’ five-game losing stream and gave Cadillac his first win as the Auburn interim coach. The emotion of the moment - and the win - was not lost on the former Auburn running back. “My former teammates, my family, these players,” Williams said in the post-game interview on the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium with former Auburn teammates Jason Campbell and Marcus McNeil looking on. “Look at this. Who don’t’ want to come to Auburn. Auburn football going to be OK. It ain’t dead. It ain’t dead. We comin’.” How did he do it? How did he create a level of excitement around a program which just improved to 4-6? He used words like serve, discipline, belief. He pointed to the players and staff as well as the people around the building. “The Auburn family,” he called it. “These kids just need a little love,” Williams said. “They need to be loved on with the discipline. They need to know that it’s OK to make mistakes. The going to fall, but coaches will be there to pick them back up. Regardless, we got their back. They have to open their heart, and that’s what they did, to be honest with you.” Williams made it a point to deflect the credit for the win. I’m so appreciative of this Auburn family,” he said. “These fans showed up and showed out. The energy. The atmosphere here. I’m just appreciative for this institution. I’m forever indebted to it. I love serving these young men. This coaching staff is bigger than me. It’s just not my show. We are together. We family. So, I’m excited.” Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby each rushed for 121 yards and Auburn held on for the win. Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

Notes & Quotes: A&M's Fisher says Auburn won the battles up front ByGuy Rhodes 7 hours ago 2 AUBURN, Alabama–Texas A&M’s head football coach, Jimbo Fisher, said Auburn’s strong play on the defensive front was the key factor in his team’s 13-10 loss to the Tigers on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. “It was a very physical football game,” Fisher said. “We knew both lines of scrimmages would be tested. They (Auburn) did a good job, defensive line wise. We couldn’t get in a rhythm on offense. We had some plays where we had a couple of penalties. Had some self-inflicted wounds. “We couldn’t get things going, but we knew it would be a low-scoring game,”?Fisher said. “In the run gam, we couldn’t get it going,” Fisher added. “We had a couple late. They ran the football and had a lot of yards, but we still did a great job of getting stops at critical times and creating turnovers. They made a couple of more plays than we did. We have to do a better job the next game.” Fisher said the big guys up front were the key to victory for the Tigers. “It was really big. The line of scrimmage–they did a really good job. It doesn’t matter what you got, it’s hard when you don’t win the line of scrimmage. We couldn’t establish run protection. We tried to find a way to chip. We gapped protected. We slid protected. We man protected. We chipped out and did different things. As a coach, you have to keep searching for ways to help them.” Carnell Williams (left) is congratulated after the game by Coach Jimbo Fisher. (Photo: Greg McWilliams, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports) In other news and notes: * The 215 yards in total offense by Texas A&M was the lowest allowed by the Tigers this season. The previous low was 270 yards against LSU. The Tigers had allowed more than 500 yards in three of the previous four games. The 14 first downs for A&M were also a season low for the Auburn defense. *At one point Texas A&M’s quarterback Connor Weigman missed on 15 straight passes. He finished with 14 completions in 36 attempts for 121 yards. * This was the first time Auburn held the opponent scoreless in the first half since the 2021 Alabama game. * John Samuel Shenker has set an Auburn record for most career games played with 60, breaking the previous Auburn record set by T.D. Moultry (59 games from 2017-21). * Ja’Varrius Johnson’s 16-yard touchdown catch from Robby Ashford was Johnson’s second score of the season and third of his career. *Ashford has thrown six touchdown passes this season, tied for 4th with Jeff Klein (1999) and Jeremy Johnson (2013) for most touchdown passes thrown by an Auburn freshman. *Ashford ranks third among all-time Auburn freshman passers with 1,429 passing yards. Second is Stan White (2,242 in 1990). Ashford is third in freshman pass attempts (208), passing Gabe Gross (197 in 1998). Next is Stan White (338 in 1990). Ashford is 3rd in pass completions (104). Next is Stan White (180 in 1990). *Ashford ranks 10th among Auburn freshman rushers with 552 yards, passing Onterio McCalebb (547 in 2009), Next is Jarquez Hunter (593 in 2021). * Hunter had his third career 100-yard rushing game (121 yards). Hunter is the 50th Auburn player to pass the 1,000-yard career rushing mark. He now has 1,026 career rushing yards. * Tank Bigsby now has 2,735 career rushing yards, to rank ninth all-time at Auburn, passing Ronnie Brown (2,707 from 2000-04), Next is Brent Fullwood (2,789 from 1983-86). Bigsby’s 121 rushing yards were the 12th 100-yard rushing game of his career. *It was Auburn’s first game with two 100-yard rushers since Hunter and Bigsby versus Alabama State in 2021. * Owen Pappoe recorded his second sack of the season and the eighth of his career. * Colby Wooden now has six sacks and 11 tackles for lost yardage this season and 15 sacks and 29.5 TFL in his career. He forced his third fumble of the season and his career. * Morris Joseph recovered his first fumble at Auburn. Nehemiah Pritchett had his first career forced fumble. * Texas A&M leads the series with Auburn 7-6. *Approximately 30 former teammates of interim head coach Carnell Williams were in the dressing room for pre-game talk to the players and joined them when they took the field. Williams starred on Auburn’s undefeated 2004 team. * Auburn celebrated Military Appreciation Day Saturday. In addition, the 2022 Auburn gymnastics team that made the Final Four for the first time in school history and orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, winner of the Jack Meagher Award, were recognized. 2COMMENTS * Former U.S. Marine and walk-on junior linebacker, 28-year-old Johnathan LeGrand, served as a team captain along with permanent captains Owen Pappoe, John Shenker and Derick Hall. *** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel, opinion and scoops***

Statistics, scoring plays, notes, quotes and links from Auburn's win over Texas A&M Phillip Marshall 5-6 minutes Statistics, scoring plays, notes, quotes and links from Auburn’s 13-10 victory over Texas A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. KEY STATISTICS First downs: Auburn 18, Texas A&M 12 Rushing yards: Auburn 55-270, Texas A&M 24-94 Passing yards: Auburn 60, Texas A&M 121 Passes: Auburn 6-13-2, Texas A&M 14-36-0 Total offense: Auburn 68-330, Texas A&M 60-215 CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE STATISTICS HOW THEY SCORED FIRST QUARTER 1:33: Johnson 16-yard pass from Ashford (McPherson kick), 4 plays, 62 yards, 2:03. Auburn 7, Texas A&M 0. THIRD QUARTER 0:39: McPherson 34-yard field goal, 4 plays, 9 yards, 2:01. Auburn 10, Texas A&M 0. FOURTH QUARTER 10:48: Bond 48-yard field goal, 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:52. Auburn 10, Texas A&M 3, 3:02: McPherson 26-yard field goal, 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:32. Auburn 13, Texas A&M 3. 1:33: Preston 17-yard pass from Weigman (Bond kick), 7 plays, 80 yards, 1:24. Auburn 13, Texas A&M 10. NOTEWORTHY Auburn breaks trend against Aggies In 11 meetings since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, Auburn is 6-5 against the Aggies. The Tigers broke a trend by winning at home. They are 2-4 against the Aggies at home and 4-1 in College Station. Auburn’s losing streak is over Auburn ended its five-game losing streak with Saturday’s victory. The Tigers moved into sixth place in the SEC West standings, dropping Texas A&M into seventh place. The Aggies have lost six straight, a skid likely to end next Saturday against UMass. McPherson’s successful debut With Anders Carlson out with a shoulder injury, heralded freshman Alex McPherson handled Auburn’s kicking duties. After his first field goal try from 54 yards. He made kicks of 34 and 26 yards and kicked an extra point. Two 100-yard rushers For the first time since last seasons game against Alabama State, Auburn had two 100-yard rusher. Tank Bigsby carried 23 times for 121 yards. Jarquez Hunter carried 13 times, also for 121 yards. Auburn finished with 270 yards rushing. Jackson saves turnover With Auburn leading 10-3 early in the fourth quarter, running back Jarquez Hunter fumbled at the Texas A&M 44. It seemed A&M had recovered, but before the recover, Auburn receiver Shedrick Jackson, with one hand on the ball reached out to touch his hand down out of bounds. Once the ball is touched by an offensive player when the players is out of bounds, it is dead. Auburn retained possession. Wooden call his strip sack With Texas A&M facing second-and-10 at its own 42 in the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Colby Wooden told his teammates in the defensive huddle he was going to sack quarterback Conor Weigman, and it was probably going to be a strip sack. Sure enough, Wooden hit Weigman hard, knocking the ball loose. Auburn’s Morris Joseph recovered, setting up a 26-yard field goal that gave Auburn a 13-3 lead with 3:02 left in the game. QUOTES OF NOTE “I want to thank these players. How awesome are they? I challenged these guys to be vulnerable, open your heart, and let us in. I told them you have people who care for you, and want to see you do well. A lot of times it felt like they didn't always feel that way. I told my staff when I took this job that we have failed these kids, and I'm part of it. It's our job to elevate them, to inspire them, to empower them, and to get them going. We hadn’t done a good enough job.” —HC Cadillac Williams “This place is special. To see the support from the fans, they put a battery in my back. They energized me.” –HC Cadillac Williams “That means the most because we can tell just how much love he has for us and how much support he has for us, even before he was the head coach. To get him in that position and then help him win this game, that was amazing. He really brought the energy tonight.” –DT Marcus Harris on winning for William “I told a couple of people ‘Watch this I am going to go get it.’ Then I just went and got it.” –DL Colby Wooden on his strip sack “When you play in conditions like that, it is hard to throw the ball. I had a ball that just slipped out and got caught in the wind. When you got wind blowing like that, it's kind of difficult to throw because sometimes you have to put more on it just to try and get it to a shorter path. Just simple things. But for me, I just tried to do whatever I could to help the team win.” –QB Robby Ashford on 25-mph wind gusts LINKS

'These people love Coach Lac, and Coach Lac loves Auburn:' A surreal night for Williams Nathan King 5-6 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — The players knew when the buses turned the corner. An uninformed passerby on the Plains on Saturday — someone who knew nothing of Auburn’s season, or Texas A&M’s for that matter, to this point in the season — would have assumed the football game in Jordan-Hare Stadium had massive implications. In reality, of course, it was a matchup of two 3-6 teams — one of which fired its head coach last week. And still, the town was flooded. Tailgating was on par, if not better than the Penn State game in Week 3. The buzz was that of an Iron Bowl. Something was different — new, excited, hopeful. And the players felt it when they saw the fans lined on Donahue Drive. “When we got off the bus, man, we saw that Tiger Walk, man — we instantly said, when we got in the locker room, 'Bro, it's back,’” running back Tank Bigsby said postgame. “This is the feeling we’ve been looking for.” And with interim coach Cadillac Williams leading the charge — quite literally, when, like his Auburn teams in the mid-2000s did, came out of the tunnel locked arm-in-arm — the Tigers got a cathartic win Saturday night in one of their best atmospheres of the best several seasons. A deafening crowd backdropped a dominating defensive performance, as Auburn held Texas A&M to just 85 yards in the second half en route to a 13-10 win — which kept Auburn from its first six-game losing streak since 1950. For Williams, who picks up his first career head-coaching win after being named Auburn’s interim last week, the emotions remain indescribable. He celebrated on Pat Dye Field with several of his former teammates, who made the trip back to town to support their star running back in his unexpected role. He fought back tears on the field with his team and in the postgame press conference. “Who would have ever thought that I’d be standing here?” Williams said. “Lord knows I didn’t.” Auburn players know it’s because of Williams — the crowd, the emotion, the energy, all stemmed from their support of one of the most beloved figures in program history. It was tough to find a tailgate without a No. 24 Auburn jersey. When he instructed Auburn fans to “go crazy” in the pregame hype video, they lost their minds. “The way all of Auburn came out?” defensive tackle Colby Wooden said postgame. “The stadium was electric. How his former teammates came back and was, like, with us. Like, they were ready to play with us. Like, they brought back the true meaning of what it means to be an Auburn Tiger, and I'm happy for everybody.” From the jump, Jordan-Hare Stadium was positively electric, adding to a defensive gem of game in which Texas A&M had just four first downs in the second half and didn’t reach the red zone until the final two minutes of the game, and quarterback Connor Weigman completed a paltry 39 percent of his passes (14-of-36). The Aggies’ 215 yards are the fewest allowed by Auburn in an SEC game since 211 yards against Florida in 2011. Auburn hadn’t won a game in 50 days — since a miraculous finish in overtime in Week 4 against Missouri. Bryan Harsin’s tenure was clearly in the drain midway through the year; it was just a matter of when. But Auburn’s attitude since Halloween, when Harsin was let go just before noon, has not been that of a team with its season completely wiped. “When (Williams) got the job, the building changed,” Bigsby said. “The energy has started feeling more Auburn — it was missing that a little bit, and I'm really happy that that feeling came back, because Auburn football is special. This place doesn’t deserve nothing but the best.” Williams admits he’s had more than a few sleepless nights since taking over the interim role. Then came the overtime loss in Starkville — which felt more like a positive stepping down than a defeat. All the while, Williams has leaned on his players. He was transparent from the start; he said after the game that he confided his fears in his position group, the running backs, shortly after he took the job, and they had his back. He said from his first day that he can’t guarantee a win as the interim coach, only a team that plays its heart out. The Tigers have done so for two straight games now. Saturday night, he got to lean on the fanbase that’s supported him for nearly two decades. “These people love Coach Lac, and Coach Lac loves Auburn,” edge rusher Derick Hall said. “One thing I’ve heard a million times over: If you love Auburn, Auburn will love you back. That’s 100 percent true. Like I said, just the work Coach Lac put in, we knew coming in tonight that this environment would be nothing short of amazing, and the Auburn family showed up and showed out, so we couldn’t thank them any more. They helped us get this victory tonight.” 1COMMENTS

i love that caddy is making history and brought his sons with him. just by his love alone he has given auburn fans hope and pride after the harsin crap. this is my good luck thread as it should be so busy i will not be able to keep up with the game thread and the game both. war eagle boys and girls! they can try and hurt our pride. they can talk trash about us. they can doubt the hell out of us. but at the end of they day they can never steal our hearts. this is why we will always be relevant because no matter how much crap is thrown our way and sometimes flooring us we will always jump right back up. we are the mighty tigers and we are coming. be very afraid because we are pissed!

i posted this for you I AM. it appears you are right so here we are. lets discuss this some. let me say i do not think the wall is working at all and it is a waste of money. i also say where he turned down help from the FBI. i am not sure why. one idea i have and i think it is a pretty good one is this. national guard and even reserves serve a weekend a month and two straight weeks out of a full year. i watched thousands come through AOD depot since 81. the vast majority of them are assigned to help but most show up and hide and it is nothing to see a bunch of them sleeping. so why not let them help assist the border patrol? they are already trained with weapons and military related issues such as terrorism so why not let them earn their money instead getting over on uncle sam like many of them do? i have read countless articles and books on the subject and unless the situation has change the majority of these guys are coming through the main entrance point from mexico. they claim there is no way they can check every single vehicle or they would have traffic jams and all the crap that follows them. so why not spend that money on entry points of america by adding additional lanes so they can check more vehicles? and i know the military and even some police departments have heat detectors that can tell you if anyone is in a house by sweeping it. then the guys that go in know what they are facing. so why not use them unless metal blocks their ability? i mean houses have a lot of metal and copper wiring right?

AP sources: US border agency leader is being forced out MIKE BALSAMO, COLLEEN LONG and ELLIOT SPAGAT 5-6 minutes WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is being forced out of his job leading the nation’s largest law enforcement agency as agents encounter record numbers of migrants entering the U.S. from Mexico, according to two people familiar with the matter. Chris Magnus was told to resign or be fired less than a year after he was confirmed as the Biden administration’s choice to lead the agency, according to two people who were briefed on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. He is refusing to step down. Magnus's removal is part of a larger shakeup expected at Homeland Security as it struggles to manage migrants coming from a wider range of countries, including Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. This comes as Republicans are likely to take control of the House in January and are expected to launch investigations into the border. Migrants were stopped 2.38 million times at the Mexican border in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, up 37% from the year before. The annual total surpassed 2 million for the first time in August and is more than twice the highest level during Donald Trump’s presidency, in 2019. Brandon Judd, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, confirmed that Magnus was being pushed out. The Los Angeles Times was first to report on the ultimatum. In a statement to the newspaper, Magnus said he was asked by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to step down or be fired. He said he wouldn’t step down and defended his record. Neither Customs and Border Protection nor the Homeland Security Department responded to requests for comment. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she'd seen the reports but had no comment. Flows across the border have been extraordinarily high by any measure. The numbers reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions in more countries, the relative strength of the U.S. economy and uneven enforcement of asylum restrictions. Trump-era asylum restrictions carry no legal consequences for crossing the border illegally, encouraging repeat attempts. The Biden administration agreed with Western hemisphere leaders in June to work together more on hosting migrants who flee their countries. Last month, Mexico began taking back Venezuelans who entered the U.S. illegally but measures so far have failed to produce major change. “There have always been periods of migrant surges into this country for different reasons, at different times,” Magnus told The Associated Press last year. “But I don’t think anybody disputes that the numbers are high right now and that we have to work as many different strategies as possible to deal with those high numbers.” Despite decades in law enforcement, Magnus was an outsider. As the police chief in Tucson, Arizona, he rejected federal grants to collaborate on border security with the agency he now leads and kept a distance from Border Patrol leaders in a region where thousands of agents are assigned. Magnus rankled some rank-and-file agents — and delighted agency critics — with his announcement in May that he was revisiting guidelines for agents to pursue vehicles after a spate of fatal collisions. In July, Magnus released an investigation that said Border Patrol agents on horseback engaged in “unnecessary use of force” against Haitians at a massive camp in Del Rio, Texas, in September 2021. The investigation also found the agents did not use their reins to whip the Haitians. The National Border Patrol Council, the agents' union, has been more muted in its criticism of Magnus than of Mayorkas. But Judd, the union president, said he welcomed Magnus’ departure. “I think it’s a good thing,” Judd said. “He was just working on policies that were just going to incentivize more criminal activity. The vehicle-pursuit policy, had he implemented that, all it would have done is increase criminal activity.” The Senate confirmed Magnus’ nomination in December by a 50-47 vote. Another critical Homeland Security agency — Immigration and Customs Enforcement — has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for years. Magnus, 62, was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, where he served stints as an emergency dispatcher, paramedic, sheriff’s deputy and police captain. He was police chief in Fargo, North Dakota, and Richmond, California, before he took the job in Tucson in January 2016. In Tucson, Magnus created a program to steer people away from drugs, worked with nonprofits helping homeless people and overhauled the department’s use-of-force policy. He openly criticized Trump policies for making migrants more reluctant to share information about crimes with police. Roy Villareal, chief of the Border Patrol’s Tucson sector from early 2019 until late 2020, said he sought an introductory meeting with Magnus, who was then Tucson’s police chief, but that he never heard back, calling their lack of interaction “a telling sign." __ Spagat reported from San Diego.

What Bruce Pearl said about Auburn basketball recruiting with top 2024 prospect visiting against USF Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser 2-3 minutes AUBURN — Auburn basketball escaped an embarrassing loss against USF in Neville Arena on Friday night, but perhaps more important than the game itself was who was in attendance. Most notably in Neville Arena was five-star center Flory Bidunga, who 247Sports ranks as the No. 1 five-man in the Class of 2024 and No. 4 overall. Four-star guard Cam Scott, No. 26 in the same ranking, was also watching the Tigers. Due to NCAA rules, coach Bruce Pearl cannot comment specifically on recruits who visit the Plains, but he explained why he thinks his program has had so much success pulling in some of the best prospects in the country for visits in recent years. PREVIEWING TEXAS A&M:Auburn football vs. Texas A&M: Our scouting report, score prediction FOOTBALL COACHING SEARCH:From Lane Kiffin to Deion Sanders to Hugh Freeze, ranking Auburn football coach candidates "One of the things I'm so very pleased about is just, like tonight, it was sold out," Pearl said. "It's the second game of the year. It's November, and we're selling games out. ... I'm happy for our players that they get to play in this environment. So anytime you bring prospects in they get a chance to see the environment. "It's the same thing over in Jordan-Hare. I guarantee you that the world of college football took notice that here in November, late in the year, with all that's going on with our football program, Auburn is selling out at home. That's sending a message to the world of college football (and) every prospect out there. That doesn't happen everywhere. It happens at Auburn." In the Class of 2021, Pearl scored a big win by securing the commitment of Jabari Smith Jr., recognized by 247Sports as the No. 7 prospect in the country and the second-best power forward. Smith is now in the NBA after playing one season with Auburn, selected by the Houston Rockets with the third overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Richard Silva is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

i hope the mom sues the crap out of them. do all my friends with the name dick need to change their names now? good grief that is so stupid and what a slam to vets. i bet he gets hjisass chewed or loses his job.

sorry the word clown is reserved for you trumpers....................

Ten thoughts: Texas A&M defense vs Auburn offense Jeff Tarpley 9-11 minutes Texas A&M's defense continues to have issues stopping the run and it's grown from an annoyance (when the team was still winning games in September) to a crisis, especially now that the offense is putting up 400 yard games. There were complaints about the three man front that veteran coordinator DJ Durkin brought with him from Ole Miss but the team hasn't been able to stop the run no matter what type of front it's using. Two weeks ago versus Ole Miss, the Aggies allowed the Rebels to rush for 390 yards on the ground, clock in at a 31:47 time of possession, and run 83 plays in all. Last week against Florida was more of the same (290 yards allowed, a 37:07 time of possession, and 78 plays run). It's hoped that a return to normalcy on the injury front could help but multiple defenders were missing due to illness as even more of them were out due to physical issues. Auburn's offense struggles any time they have to throw the ball and they completed just eight throws versus Ole Miss and seven of them against Mississippi State. However, they can still run the ball via running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter when they play programs that have issues via their run defense....and the Aggies certainly qualify as one of those teams given that they're now 14th in the Southeastern Conference in run defense. Here's the Aggies' Southeastern Conference rankings on defense. 8th in scoring defense at 24 points per game 14th in rushing defense at 215 yards per game 9th in pass efficiency defense at 126 overall 9th in total defense at 389 yards per game Here's Auburn's Southeastern Conference rankings. 11th in scoring offense at 24 points per game 8th in rushing offense at 181 yards per game 14th in passing efficiency at 113 overall 9th in total offense at 382 yards per game 1. A&M has varied between three and four man fronts this season, especially as Durkin brought over an every down 3-2-6 look from Ole Miss with him. They're young in spots and don't play fundamentally sound football ranging from shedding blocks to keeping an outside arm free to containing the edge. In addition, the need to protect the backers means that A&M's defensive linemen don't get upfield and make negative plays, they don't get enough guys in the box to do so either, or they get too many defensive backs on the field. In case you're wondering if this sounds familiar, it's basically the same thing I typed last week. 2. Auburn is still running the scheme that the departed Bryan Harsin brought with him from Boise State. The scheme attempts to leverage you via pre snap movement and they'll operate under center and out of the gun. In addition, they use a lot of two tight end sets (second tight end Luke Deal has 252 snaps out of the offense's 600+ total snaps). They'll line up with a tight end to one side, watch you overshift your defense to that side of the field, and run a play back the other way. They put the quarterback on the move so that they don't get hit a lot (they rank fourth in the SEC in pass blocking efficiency) and they run play action about 27% of the time. 3. Oregon transfer Robby Ashford became the starter after TJ Finley went down with an injury and was rated as a dual threat quarterback coming out of high school. He's been a better runner than passer so far this season but he also hasn't had a lot of help from his teammates in the passing game. He's got a baseball background and so he not only has a strong arm but also can make throws from a variety of angles. He can run and scramble but also has seven fumbles on the season. 4. Auburn's offensive line is helped by the use of misdirection and shifts which give them favorable numbers and angles and they're not a great run blocking group as a whole. Right tackle Austin Troxell, Auburn's best player up front, is gone with an injury. The other tackle, Kilian Zierer, is from Germany and didn't pick up the game of football until about five years ago in Germany. He can be had via leverage since he's only about 312 pounds on a 6 foot 7 frame and still is learning the game from a technical standpoint. Troxell suffered from some of the issues and the duo has given up 31 pressures on 619 pass sets. Brenden Coffey will take Troxell's place and he's similar to Zierer from a physical standpoint. Thus, he projects to be a much better pass blocker with his length and feet but is less capable as a run blocker. Veteran Brandon Council moved from guard to center due to the retirement of Nick Brahms prior to the beginning of the season and has has been a quality blocker in the run game via his 328 pounds (which makes him difficult to overpower). 5. A&M's McKinnley Jackson can attack shoulders and redirect things in the backfield and has five tackles for loss in the three games since he has been back from injury. However, their style means that they attack blockers head up which makes it difficult for them to shed and they're young as a group so they're not consistently sound from a technical standpoint. As a result, they struggle to protect the backers (when the backers themselves aren't having issues) and don't generate much pass rush (14 sacks in nine games). In addition, the younger guys on the roster struggle to contain on the edge and allow too many ball carriers to get outside. The Council-Jackson matchup is one to watch in the middle of the defensive line. 6. A&M's Andre White Jr., and Edgerrin Cooper both played last week and Cooper had seven stops (four solos) He maintained his run fits, scraped over the top of the defensive linemen, and didn't over pursue. The rest of the unit struggled in some measure in those categories and they weren't tested in the passing game much since most of the throws went to the third level of the defense. 7. The defense will have a physical challenge in terms of Bigsby who can has great feet and vision but is not a breakaway threat. Second year man Jarquez Hunter is short, powerfully built, and can really run with burst although he struggles versus the better competition on their schedule. 8. A&M's secondary has struggled the past two weeks with misdirection and motion in terms of their run fits versus both Ole Miss and Florida. They were caught running with receivers who proceeded to block them down the field. In addition, they wound up in a lot of one on one situations in space and didn't tackle well. As a result, both teams had several big runs and averaged six yards per pop on the ground. Not only that, A&M was without multiple starters in the backfield last week due to injury, illness, or penalties. They'll be faced with motion, misdirection, and play action again this week much like they were in those two contests (which means man coverage down the field) and fitting the alleys against a more traditional running game. The difference is that Auburn's passing game should not stress them as much as either that of the Gators or Ole Miss. 9. Auburn's receiving corps lost their three top receivers from 2021. Slot Ja'Varrius Johnson (23 catches, nearly 20 yards per reception) has good long speed, explosion, can track the ball in the air, and doesn't drop many passes. He works the third level relatively well as opposed to being a down to down player who moves the chains. Koy Moore is an outside guy who is fluid enough to be better after the catch than before. Three of the team's six leading receivers are backs or tight ends which indicates how much of a struggle it is for the Tigers to get the ball down the field. 18COMMENTS 10. On paper, even with all of its injury woes, A&M has more talent. In addition, up until last week, the Aggies had been more successful versus offenses such as South Carolina's or Auburn's that reduced their formations and allowed them to get more people into the box. A&M allowed the Tigers just 73 yards rushing last season and no one is going to argue that Auburn has a better offense in 2022 than they did in 2021. Nonetheless, the Tigers have run the ball well lately and they're averaging nearly 35 points per game in their last three outings while the Aggies run defense has gone south. As a result, A&M is going to have to do some things much better than they have lately (and on the road as well) in order to use the Tigers to end the season on a high note.

Auburn's offensive keys to beating Texas A&M JD McCarthy 3-4 minutes After narrowly losing Cadillac Williams’ debut as head coach, Auburn is returning to Jordan-Hare Stadium for a showdown with the struggling Texas A&M Aggies. Both teams are riding five-game losing streaks and are 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the SEC. The loser of the game will have sole possession of last place in the SEC West. Despite this, Jordan-Hare Stadium is sold out and is expected to be a wild atmosphere. Buy Tigers Tickets The Auburn faithful want to watch Williams make his home debut as head coach of the Tigers and they want to do their part to make sure the Tigers come out on top, something Vegas thinks will happen. If Auburn is going to come out on top then their offense will need to have a good night and here are five things they can do to make that happen. Todd Van Emst / AU Athletics Texas A&M is the worst team in the SEC at stopping the run and Tank Bigsby is one of the best running backs in the country. This matchup is a massive advantage for the Auburn offense and one they must exploit. He had a season-high 20 carries against Ole Miss and should have right around that many against the Aggies. Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports While Auburn’s offense did not change a ton with Will Friend and Ike Hilliard calling plays, one notable difference was the designed runs for Robby Ashford. These plays were effective against Mississippi State and was how Auburn scored its second touchdown of the game. The Tigers need to keep dialing up designed runs and not just rely on Ashford’s scrambling ability. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) Ashford has struggled to complete short passes this season and it seems like every screen is nearly an interception. While these should be high-percentage passes that allow Ashford to get comfortable that is clearly not the case and Auburn needs to move away from them. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics After a disastrous start to the season, Auburn has improved its ball security and has won the turnover margin in the past two weeks. Turnovers can keep a game close when it should not be and can quickly deflate a crowd, Auburn can not afford to do that against the Aggies. Zach Bland/ AU Athletics Auburn’s offense has struggled all season to finish their drives, they have scored on 59.38% of their red zone trips, the second-worst rate in the SEC. In addition, Anders Carlson’s struggles have made field goals a riskier chance than they should be, he has made 70.6% of his field goals and he missed multiple from inside 40 yards. The Tigers should look to be aggressive on fourth down when they get into Texas A&M territory and not settle for field goals. Sure Texas A&M does not have a great offense but Auburn needs to make the most of its drives and field goals are not good enough.