College Football
Preview
Texas A&M at Auburn
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 23, 2024
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama

You could almost feel the bulletin-board material being pinned up in the Auburn meeting room once the slip-up came off Mike Elko's tongue.

No. 15 Texas A&M closes the regular season on Nov. 30 with an epic battle with No. 3 Texas that may decide whether the Aggies land a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

But first the Aggies visit Auburn this Saturday in a Southeastern Conference battle.

"When you're in the situation we're in, it's easy to focus on the task at hand," Elko said, promising Texas A&M wouldn't look past downtrodden Auburn. "You know, I think those big games earlier in the year, maybe you look ahead, and if we didn't have what's at stake, maybe you would worry about it.

"Our focus is single-handedly on Texas. I mean, Auburn right now and locked in on what needs to get done."

Oops, the split-second of tripping over his words will be a huge postgame talking point if the Aggies (8-2, 5-1 SEC) stumble against the Tigers (4-6, 1-5).

Texas A&M badly needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. SMU (9-1), BYU (9-1) and the Aggies are the first three teams on the outside of the playoff field after Tuesday's latest projection.

Freshman quarterback Marcel Reed is very aware of what's at stake entering the pivotal stretch.

"Obviously, we're going to go into practice and prepare for this team like it's the biggest game of the year," Reed said of Auburn. "And we got to win out. And this is just another step in the way we want to go."

Reed passed for a season-high 268 yards along with two touchdowns as the Aggies rolled to a 38-3 home win over New Mexico State last weekend.

Defensive end Nic Scourton continues to have a big year on the defensive side with 14 tackles for loss, including five sacks.

Auburn (4-6, 1-5) doesn't have any playoff scenarios to ponder as the program tries to avoid a fourth consecutive losing season. After the clash with the Aggies, the Tigers close the regular season at Alabama on Nov. 30.

But first, Auburn has to beat Texas A&M or the losing season goes into the books.

"Can't wait," Tigers coach Hugh Freeze said. "It'll be a tall task. They're extremely talented. It will be a good test for us."

Auburn will rely on standout running back Jarquez Hunter, who had 102 yards in last week's 48-14 rout of Louisiana-Monroe.

Hunter's 11th career 100-yard outing pushed his season total to 1,015 yards. He ranks sixth all-time in Auburn history with 3,185 career rushing yards. Legendary Bo Jackson is No. 1 with 4,303.

"It's very special to me," Hunter said of his first 1,000-yard season. "I tried to work in the offseason, I planned for this moment. I couldn't do it without the help of the O-line, tight ends and receivers doing a great job blocking and making sure I get to where I need to be.

"I executed off their blocks. It's very special to add to the great running backs who have been here before me, to be part of one of them."

Quarterback Payton Thorpe threw five touchdown passes against ULM, including three to receiver Cam Coleman. Thorpe has passed for 2,111 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Keldric Faulk (seven sacks) and Jalen McLeod (six sacks) have been standouts for an Auburn defense that is tied for 18th in scoring defense at 18.7 points per game.

Texas A&M notched a 27-10 home win over the Tigers last season.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Texas A&M 8-2 W1 31.6 19.4 6-1 2-1 7-2 0-0 5-1
Auburn 4-6 W1 27.6 18.7 3-4 1-2 4-5 0-0 1-5
Last Meeting
Texas A&M Auburn
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
9/23/23 AUB 10 TAM 27 402 209 193 200 144 56
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Texas A&M M. Johnson 63.6 123 2 0
Auburn P. Thorne 50.0 44 0 0
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Texas A&M L. Moss 15 97 6.5 1
Auburn B. Battie 8 59 7.4 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Texas A&M A. Smith 5 78 15.6 0
Auburn B. Battie 2 23 11.5 0
Touchdowns Player TD
Texas A&M J. Johnson 1
Auburn D. Alston 0
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Texas A&M M. Reed 59.3 1129 9 2
Auburn P. Thorne 63.7 2111 18 3
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Texas A&M L. Moss 121 765 6.3 10
Auburn J. Hunter 146 1015 7.0 5
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Texas A&M N. Thomas 26 390 15.0 4
Auburn K. Lambert-Smith 40 761 19.0 8
Touchdowns Player TD
Texas A&M L. Moss 10
Auburn K. Lambert-Smith 8
Quickchart Matchup
Texas A&M Texas A&M Off vs  Auburn Auburn Def
Texas A&M 412.4 yards
Auburn 304.8 yards
Texas A&M 5.2 yards/rush
Auburn 3 yards/rush
Texas A&M 7.7 yards/attempt
Auburn 6.8 yards/attempt
Auburn Auburn Off vs  Texas A&M Texas A&M Def
Auburn 428.5 yards
Texas A&M 344.8 yards
Auburn 5.1 yards/rush
Texas A&M 3.9 yards/rush
Auburn 8.7 yards/attempt
Texas A&M 6.7 yards/attempt