Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight has been named the Aggies’ starting QB.
War Eagle, everybody! It’s time now for another Auburn football preview! Auburn will host Texas A&M in the third game of the season on September 17th. We’ve seen some spirited battles in the first four games of this SEC series, and this one will likely be as well. Since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, neither Texas A&M nor Auburn has won at home against the other. Auburn should be in a great position to change that, provided that the Tigers stay healthy this fall.
Auburn starts this season with 5 consecutive games at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium before hitting the road to Starkville on October 8th. The Tigers open with Clemson and regroup with Arkansas State before the Aggies come calling. Texas A&M opens with a pair of home games against UCLA and Prairie View A&M before traveling to Auburn. The Tigers certainly have the tougher draw in the first couple of games.
All eyes are on the Texas A&M offense this year after the implosion last fall. A ton of talent departed by the end of last season, including offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, a pair of five-star quarterbacks, veteran runner Tra Carson, and 3 starters on the offensive line. An old familiar face to Auburn fans was brought in to run the offense, former Tuberville coordinator Noel Mazzone. Mazzone’s heyday at Auburn featured one-back, quick-passing attacks along with bruising running from Rudi Johnson. Mazzone’s schemes have changed dramatically. Like many coaches these days, Mazzone is a proponent of the hurry up, no huddle offense.
Coming out of spring drills, Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight was named the starting quarterback over veteran Jake Hubenak. We saw a plethora of talented new running backs on display in the Aggie spring game, and they’ll by joined by transfer Keith Ford this fall. The Aggie receiving corps remains as dangerous as ever. The real question for the offense is now the offensive line. Three new starters must be acclimated and be ready to defend the quarterback’s blind side.
Defensively, the Aggies look to take the next step under second-year coordinator John Chavis. Texas A&M should have one of the SEC’s better defensive lines, led by scary end Myles Garrett. Last season, the run defense was a work in progress thanks to injuries at linebacker. The defensive line was geared more for the pass rush, and the front seven struggled at times against teams determined to run the ball. The Aggies hope to get healthy and improve there. A young secondary was expected to be a concern this year, but results this spring are encouraging. The young guys fared favorably against the good receiving corps and should be bolstered by a good pass rush.
The Aggies took some massive blows on special teams, losing both kicker Taylor Bertolet and punter Drew Kaser to graduation. The spring game did not bode well here with all 3 field goal attempts missed. Aside from the legs, the Aggies were solid on special teams last season and should be again.
Unit matchups, after the jump!
Auburn defensive line vs. Texas A&M offensive line: Auburn brings a deep and talented defensive line into this game, a line that finally looked healthy this spring after a couple of years of problems. Junior defensive end Carl Lawson and senior tackle Montravius Adams could have been drafted by the NFL last spring had they gone out. Sophomore tackle Dontavius Russell really came on late last year and was a force in Auburn’s spring game. Auburn’s end situation on the strong side is still a bit unsettled. Sophomore Byron Cowart was the heir apparent this past spring, but it was true freshman phenom Marlon Davidson who started on A-Day, and he was impressive. Auburn has depth at both positions, and the team plans to rotate frequently up front. Texas A&M’s reshuffled line features junior Tanner Sharp and sophomore Koda Martin at tackles, sophomore Connor Lanfear and senior Jermaine Eluemunor at guards, and freshman Erik McCoy at center. This past spring, these guys had their struggles against the Aggie defensive line. Texas A&M will try to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hand this fall to try to minimize issues here. Advantage: Auburn.
Auburn linebackers vs. Texas A&M backs: I think I’ll pencil junior Tré Williams and incoming senior transfer T. J. Neal in as starters, and I think we’ll see sophomore Deshaun Davis if Auburn uses 3 linebackers. There is talent behind those guys although most of it is unproven. A show of guys we’ve never heard of debuted in the Aggie spring game and for the most part acquitted themselves well. Sophomore Kwami Etwi had the best spring game but did lose a fumble at the end of a long run. Junior James White is the most consistent of the bunch and will probably start. The unit will be joined by Oklahoma transfer Keith Ford this fall. Advantage: Even.
Auburn corners vs. Texas A&M receivers: Auburn will be talented, if a bit young, at corner this season. Sophomore Carlton Davis is locked in at one starting spot after a stellar freshman campaign. A battle is still on for the other spot between redshirt freshman Jamel Dean, senior T. J. Davis, freshman John Broussard, and redshirt freshman Javaris Davis. One could also see senior Joshua Holsey at corner, if necessary. All of these guys showed great things this spring. Texas A&M is fast and deep at receiver. Listed as starters on the outside are junior Speedy Noil and senior Josh Reynolds. That’s a tough couple of guys to cover one on one. Carlton Davis should be able to match up on one side. How Auburn’s newer guys do on the other side is a question. Advantage: Even.
Auburn safeties vs. Texas A&M secondary receivers and quarterback: I’m going to put senior starting Auburn nickel back Jonathan Ford with the safeties, and it’s really not certain at this time who’ll be back there with him. Senior Joshua Holsey and junior Tray Matthews are veterans, but both are coming off surgery. Junior Stephen Roberts came off the bench last season to replace the fallen, and he looked good this spring. Junior Nick Ruffin held down the other safety spot this spring. Auburn should have a good bit of depth here. Texas A&M will spread defenses out once again with sophomore Christian Kirk and junior Ricky Seales-Jones in the slot positions. Also, the defensive plan will have to account for coordinator Noel Mazzone’s love for screens to running backs. Senior quarterback Trevor Knight should be an apt leader for the Aggies at quarterback. Knight has a good bit of playing experience and won’t have the jitters like a green quarterback would. Knight also has some mobility and can throw on the run. Auburn will have to be at the top of its defensive game to slow this bunch down. Advantage: Even.
Punting: Senior Kevin Phillips returns to punt again for Auburn, but he is being challenged by redshirt freshman Ian Shannon this summer. Phillips averaged 41.0 yards on 55 punts with 5 touchbacks and 17 balls killed inside the 20. Auburn gave up only 7 returns all last season for a 12.4 yard average, but one of them was an average-inflating 53 yard touchdown. Senior Marcus Davis handled all Auburn punt returns last season for a healthy 11.9 yard average. Junior Shane Tripucka takes over as the punter this season, and the Aggies should be OK there. Tripuka averaged 44.0 yards last season off the bench on 2 punts, and he had a 45-yard punt in the spring game. Texas A&M gave up 10.9 yards per return on 22 returns last season. Christian Kirk will reprise his role as punt returner, and he is dangerous, averaging a whopping 24.3 yards per return last season with a couple of touchdowns. I will go with experience in this matchup. Advantage: Auburn.
Kickoffs: Daniel Carlson was very good kicking off last season, notching 49 touchbacks on 69 kickoffs. When other teams did return the ball, the Auburn coverage held them to 21.2 yards per return. Auburn was dangerous returning the ball, averaging 27.9 yards per return despite not having one go for a touchdown. Jonathan Ford and sophomore Kerryon Johnson return, sporting last-season averages of 28.6 and 27.6, respectively. Sophomore Daniel LaCamera takes over kickoff duties this season. He managed 2 touchbacks on 4 attempts last season and showed a strong leg in the spring game. Texas A&M covers kicks pretty well and gave up just 19.0 yards per return last year. The Aggies were pedestrian returning kicks last season with Christian Kirk and Speedy Noil getting the bulk of the work, averaging just 19.9 yards per return. Advantage: Auburn.
Place kicking: Auburn junior Daniel Carlson is the man for Auburn. Carlson was 23 of 27 on field goals and perfect on extra points last season. Daniel LaCamera takes over the kicking duties for the Aggies. He was 0 for 3 in the spring game, but all were long-range misses. Advantage: Auburn.
Auburn offensive line vs. Texas A&M defensive line: The Tigers retool this year under new line coach Herb Hand. They’ll go with junior Austin Golson at left tackle, senior Alex Kozan at guard, senior Devonte Danzy at center, junior Braden Smith at right guard, and senior Robert Leff at right tackle. This should be a veteran, dominating bunch before the year is out, but I’ll be worried about both tackle positions in this game. Texas A&M has a tremendously talented pair of defensive ends, junior Myles Garrett and senior Daeshon Hall. In the middle, sophomore Daylon Mack and junior Zaycoven Henderson are listed at starters, but the guy who impressed me most in the Aggie spring game was sophomore Kingsley Keke. This guy is a 320-pound behemoth that the Aggie offensive line could not handle. Advantage: Texas A&M.
Auburn backs vs. Texas A&M linebackers: Senior Jovon Robinson looks to be Auburn’s feature back next season after coming on strong down the stretch last season. He’ll be joined in the backfield by a brutal tandem of H-backs in sophomores Kamryn Pettway and Chandler Cox. Both of those guys are a threat with the ball in their hands. Add in speed back Roc Thomas, and Auburn should be tough to stop at running back. If healthy this fall, the Aggies will start sophomore Dwaine Thomas and senior Shaan Washington on the outside and sophomore Otaro Alaka in the middle. The talent is there to be pretty good, if these guys keep improving. It will help having a great line to play behind. Advantage: Auburn.
Auburn receivers vs. Texas A&M corners: Auburn appears set at the outside receiver spots coming out of spring practice with senior Marcus Davis and junior Jason Smith as starters. The Tigers could be helped by an influx of talented true freshmen this fall. The rest of the group really didn’t impress, on A-Day. For the Aggies, junior Nick Harvey and sophomore DeShawn Capers-Smith are at the top of the heap with junior Priest Willis the first guy off the bench in the nickel. This group was able to run with the Aggie receivers in the spring game. Advantage: Texas A&M.
Auburn secondary receivers and quarterback vs. Texas A&M safeties: Auburn has potential threats here in Darius Slayton, Logan Rice, and Ryan Davis. Tight ends will likely be used more this season, and freshman Landon Rice reportedly has good hands. Still, none of these guys has much experience. Auburn is still unsettled at quarterback, having not named a starter coming out of spring drills. Tallying up the various rumors has sophomore Sean White at the top of the heap, but this decision won’t be made till fall. Texas A&M will start senior Justin Evans on the strong side and junior Armani Watts at free safety. Those guys have played a good bit of ball and should be excellent. Advantage: Texas A&M.
This is a tough early season matchup for Auburn. On paper, Auburn’s main advantage is on special teams. Should Auburn’s D-line disrupt the Aggie offense, this could be a low-scoring game. However, the key for the Tigers is to tackle well. The Aggies will get it out quickly, and they’ll toss up a few long bombs and see if any defender will do anything about it. Auburn must get the guy with the ball on the ground, and they just can’t get beat deep. The good news is that Texas A&M might be mortal at quarterback. We’ve seen Johnny Football and a couple of 5-star quarterbacks in recent years in this spot. We’ll have to see if Trevor Knight is the next great one.
The key for the Auburn offense is going to be to run the ball. The Aggie line is a much better pass rushing line than run plugging. Until I see some development in the passing game, this is the best hope for Auburn to win this game. Fortunately, the Tigers will have the home crowd behind them.
Prediction: The Aggies make a few big plays, but it is not enough. Auburn grinds it out, and comes away with a 31-27 victory.
The post Aggies Come Calling (Previewing Texas A&M) appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.
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