Auburn will be invaded by the Aggies from College Station!
(Photo by Acid Reign.)
War Eagle, everybody! Saturday night, the Auburn Tigers will host the Texas A&M Aggies in Jordan Hare Stadium. This will be only the 7th time these teams have met on the gridiron, but the series has already produced some memorable, and some not so memorable games. The SEC West battle will set the tone for the rest of the year. The winner moves on with confidence, the loser will be trying to catch the leaders in the toughest division in football.
This game should be an interesting chess match on both sides of the ball. I’m not sure what to make of the 67-0 Aggie victory over Prairie View last weekend. I’ve seen some highlights, and this looked like a badly overmatched mid-major, that wanted to get the game over with, keep their guys healthy, and cash a check. I watched a good bit of the first week’s game agains UCLA. When you think of Texas A&M lately, it’s about the spread and a wide open passing game. What was actually shown on the field a couple of weeks ago was a surprisingly balanced attack. The Aggies ran the ball 41 times for 203 yards, and passed it 42 times for 239. If there’s a point of concern about the offense from that game, it was a completion percentage of only 52 percent. Despite that, the Aggies averaged 5.7 yards per completion. It was a very hit or miss proposition. There were a lot of big plays generated, but also a fair amount of drives that went nowhere.
The concern for the Texas A&M defense is that it started well, and allowed the Aggies to build a 24-9 lead. Then, the pass rush slowed down, and UCLA started breaking off big plays. Quarterback Josh Rosen put up 343 passing yards and led a comeback that pushed the game to overtime. This was despite this being UCLA’s first game in a new offense. Last week, Auburn’s opponent failed to force even a single punt. The last thing Texas A&M wants is for Auburn to sustain long drives.
This game will kick off Saturday at 6:00 PM, and it’s on ESPN. The weather people can’t quite agree on what the weather is going to be like, with a tropical storm hovering off the Carolina coast. Earlier in the week, we were advised that showers were likely. Now, the thinking is that Auburn is on the dry side of the circulation center, and sinking air will suppress shower formation. This storm probably won’t move west, but as of right now, no one really knows, while it hangs around nearly stationary, and pounds the coast. Those attending this game might want to take a rain poncho, just in case.
The brief history of Tiger-Aggie battles, after the jump!
Auburn and Texas A&M first did battle in Dallas, in 1911. Auburn had gotten out to a 3-0 start to the season, and coach Mike Donahue’s team had not allowed a single point. Texas A&M had not allowed a point on the season, either. When the dust settled in Dallas, the Texas A&M defense was still unblemished, as the Aggies won it, 16-0. It was a bit of a rebuilding year in Auburn, which finished the year at 5-2-1. Texas A&M was finally score on in Houston 3 weeks later, as they fell to Texas, 6-0. The Aggies finished the season with a 6-1 record, and did not allow but 17 points all season long.
The two teams did not meet again till New Year’s Day of 1986, in the Cotton Bowl. Texas A&M had been derailed in the season opener by Alabama, and later suffered a shocking loss to Baylor. The Aggies regrouped, though, and ran the table from there, in the Southwest Conference, the first of three straight conference championships for head coach Jackie Sherrill. Auburn was coming off a season of high expectations, that proved impossible to meet. Auburn limped into the game at 8-3, having been blown out at Tennessee, manhandled at home by Florida, and having suffered the Van Tiffin “kick” in the Iron Bowl in a 25-23 loss. The only silver lining on the season was that Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy. Aggie backs Roger Vick and Johnny Hector were too much for the Auburn defense, in the bowl game. Texas A&M blasted Auburn, 36-16. Heads rolled on the Auburn staff, after the bowl game.
Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, and came to visit Auburn on a cold October night. The Aggies were coming in off a close 24-19 loss to LSU, and no one could have foreseen what was coming. Auburn, needing a win to remain bowl-eligible, looked absolutely hapless. Texas A&M rolled to a 42-7 halftime lead, and went on to win 63-21. Texas A&M roared to a 11-2 final record, and freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel won the Heisman trophy. Auburn continued to roll over and play dead in conference play, and the coaching staff was fired after a 3-9 effort.
No one gave Auburn much chance in College Station in 2013. With Johnny Manziel at the helm, the Aggies had not been held below 40 points on the season. Both Auburn and Texas A&M had lost just once apiece, Auburn at LSU, and Texas A&M had lost to Alabama visitors. The loser of this one would drop out of the SEC West race. It was a see-saw battle that Texas A&M threatened to turn into a rout. Auburn’s offense hit another gear in the 4th quarter, and was unstoppable. Auburn had the ball 3 times, and scored 3 touchdowns. The defense did just enough for Auburn to hang onto a season-turning 45-41 victory. Texas A&M stumbled to 9-4, while Auburn won the SEC title and played for the national championship.
In 2014, Texas A&M started the season hot, scoring lots of points. Then, the 3 losses in a row ensued, including a 59-0 beatdown by Alabama. A narrow win over Louisiana Monroe didn’t give much hope, before the Auburn visit. Auburn enter the game with a 7-1 mark, and ranked in the top 5. Auburn began by turning the ball over, and spotting the visitors a 14-0 lead. The Tigers battled back, and set up for a late 2nd quarter field goal to cut the Aggie lead to 8 points. The field goal was blocked, and returned for a touchdown, and Auburn trailed 35-17 at the half. Auburn was not done. The defense shut Texas A&M down in the 2nd half, holding the Aggie offense to just a couple of field goals. Auburn had 2 possessions at the end of the game, with a chance to tie or win. Both drives ended with lost fumbles, and Auburn fell, 41-38. This began a slide that saw Auburn lose 4 of its last 5 games. Both teams muddled to 8-5 final records.
Last season, Auburn headed to College Station on a 2 game losing streak, and a shaky quarterback situation. Auburn got up off the mat, and the defense had a great day, holding Texas A&M to just 10 points. Jeremy Johnson had his best day of the season at quarterback, and Auburn won a surprising 26-10 decision. Auburn beat Idaho a couple of weeks later to finish the regular season with 6 wins, and eeked into the Birmingham Bowl, where the Tigers dismantled Memphis. Texas A&M finished the season 8-4, then lost to Louisville in the Music City Bowl.
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