Instant analysis:1st road win vs. ranked team since 2015

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Instant analysis: Auburn downs Texas A&M for 1st road win vs. ranked team since 2015

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

7-8 minutes

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Anthony Schwartz blazes by Texas A&M defenders for a 57-yard touchdown on the opening drive of Saturday's game.

Quick start, defense lift No. 8 Auburn to 28-13 win against No. 17 Texas A&M

Two games away from home against ranked opponents, two statement wins for No. 8 Auburn.

Buoyed by a dominant defensive effort and a quick start offensively to open each half, the Tigers opened SEC play with a 28-20 win against No. 17 Texas A&M on the road at Kyle Field. Auburn is now 4-0 with a pair of impressive wins in the Lone Star State, adding Saturday's victory over the Aggies to their season-opening win against Oregon to their early-season resume. It was Auburn's first road win against a ranked team since 2015 at Texas A&M.

Auburn scored on its opening drive against Texas A&M, using a 57-yard reverse by Anthony Schwartz to spark the offense early. The Tigers then added a 6-yard pass from Joey Gatewood to John Samuel Shenker to race out to a 14-0 lead on the road. The defense, meanwhile, suffocated Texas A&M and made life difficult for Kellen Mond, thanks largely to a dominating showing from Derrick Brown, who made a triumphant return from an upper-body contusion he sustained early in last week's game against Kent State.

Sam Craft/AP Photo

Auburn linebacker Chandler Wooten (31) reacts after the defense stops Texas A&M on a third down run during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Auburn's defensive line dominates

Auburn's defensive line entered the season talking about being the best unit in the country. On Saturday against Texas A&M, the Tigers looked the part. Auburn's defensive front set the tone in the team's SEC opener, limiting Texas A&M to 12 first-half rushing yards (and 56 for the game) while racking up seven tackles for a loss an three sacks -- two of which came courtesy of Derrick Brown.

Auburn's defense particularly dominated the first half, when Texas A&M's seven drives ended in a missed field goal, a three-and-out, a field goal, a punt, another three-and-out, a punt and then another missed field goal.

Sam Craft/AP Photo

Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown (5) tackles Texas A&M running back Jacob Kibodi (23) for a loss during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Injured players make impact in return to action

Seth Williams, Derrick Brown and Prince Tega Wanogho all returned to action against Texas A&M after injuries sidelined them against Kent State, while Anthony Schwartz had a much smaller protective cover on his left hand. Their returns were noticeable for Auburn. Williams caught a third-quarter touchdown on Auburn's opening drive of the second half to give the Tigers a 21-3 lead and finished with four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Brown dominated the line of scrimmage, finishing with a pair of sacks and . Wanogho started at left tackle, while Schwartz opened the game with a 57-yard touchdown run on the opening drive and finished with two receptions for 30 yards.

Sam Craft/AP Photo

Texas A&M defensive lineman Micheal Clemons (91) tackles Auburn running back Shaun Shivers (8) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Auburn goes away from Boobee Whitlow early

Boobee Whitlow entered Saturday as the SEC's second-leading rusher, and he was off to one of the best three-game stretches to open a season for an Auburn running back in the last 25 years -- but the Tigers went away from their workhorse, at least early on against Texas A&M. Whitlow had just two carries for minus-4 yards in the first half (and one of those was right before halftime as Auburn tried to get out of the shadow of its own goalposts). The Tigers didn't get much out of their running backs for most of the afternoon -- and if you take away Anthony Schwartz's 57-yard touchdown, the run game was largely ineffective against the nation's No. 21 rush defense.

Auburn evidently kept Whitlow fresh for the end of the game, however. The redshirt sophomore had eight carries for 47 yards and an 8-yard touchdown on Auburn's 12-play, 69-yard scoring drive that sealed the game with 8:27 to go in the fourth.

Whitlow finished the game with 18 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Sam Craft/AP Photo

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix (10) looks down field to pass against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Bo Nix struggles with overthrows in 1st road game

Bo Nix led Auburn to a win in his first SEC game and the first true road start of his career, but the true freshman struggled with some overthrown passes that would have turned a solid outing into an impressive display. Nix had overthrows on three shots downfield in which he had wide receivers wide open. He missed deep attempts to Anthony Schwartz in the first quarter, Will Hastings in the second  quarter and then to Eli Stove on a third-quarter flea-flicker. All three would have likely been touchdowns. Nix finished the game 12-of-20 for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Anthony Schwartz rushes past Demani Richardson (26) and Myles Jones (10) for a 57-yard touchdown during the first quarter at Kyle Field on September 21, 2019 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Play of the game: Anthony Schwartz's 1st-quarter touchdown

Anthony Schwartz doesn't need to fully healthy hands to make an impact -- just a smaller protective piece on his surgically repaired left hand. The world-class sprinter, a week removed from his first reception of the season, came through with Auburn's longest play from scrimmage of the season on the team's opening drive Saturday. Schwartz took a reverse, off a flip from Boobee Whitlow, and then weaved 57 yards through a few defenders for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. It was the longest run by an Auburn player since Malik Willis in 2017 against Mississippi State.

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Auburn's Derrick Brown gets a sack in the first half against Texas A&M.

Player of the game: Derrick Brown

Derrick Brown returned from an upper-body contusion that sidelined him for most of last week's win against Kent State, and the future first-round pick played like a man possessed. Brown finished with four tackles, including three for a loss and two sacks, a pair of pass breakups and a forced fumble. His first pass breakup could have been a pick-six in the first half had he been able to corral the ball.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.