College Football Preview – Texas A&M Aggies vs. Auburn Tigers

Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies have turned their season around. It looked like the Aggies might have a middling year after opening the SEC slate with two losses, but they have looked strong ever since they knocked off Alabama in College Station last month. Texas A&M now has an outside chance to win the SEC West, and they will look to knock off the Auburn Tigers on Saturday.

College Football Betting Odds

Auburn +4.5

Texas A&M -4.5

Total 49

Bryan Harsin has had a nice first year in Auburn. The Tigers are 6-2, and their only two losses were on the road against Penn State and at home against No. 1 Georgia. They are currently 3-1 in SEC play with big wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss in the last two weeks. Auburn won both those games by double digits, showing that this team could win double-digit games in 2021.

The Aggies appeared to be down and out after starting quarterback Haynes King suffered a major injury against Colorado in Week 2. Zach Calzada did not look sharp in relief against the Buffaloes, and then he stumbled against Arkansas and Mississippi State before taking his game to the next level in a 41-38 win over Alabama. Now, Texas A&M has new life.

When Auburn Has the Ball

Bo Nix might own all the Auburn records when it’s all said and done. Nix hasn’t been great, but he still has two more years of eligibility, and he has already thrown for more than 6,700 yards in his career. His completion percentage and YPA have slowly gone up each year, and Nix has been very good in his last two games for the Tigers.

The Auburn ground game has been one of the best in college football. Tank Bigsby leads the way with 666 yards and seven touchdowns, and Jarquez Hunter is averaging 7.7 YPC in this scheme. That has the Tigers averaging 5.5 YPC as a team.

Texas A&M has one of the best defenses in the country. Defensive coordinator Mike Elko has led the Aggies to the third-ranked scoring defense (16.1 PPG), and they have a top ten passing defense. Demarvin Leal is a Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Trophy semifinalist, and he could be a first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft.

When Texas A&M Has the Ball

Since replacing Haynes King, Zach Calzada has had his ups and downs. Calzada hasn’t been as effective, but he has steadied the ship and is averaging 6.6 YPA. His accuracy is still an issue, but Jimbo Fisher continues to work on it week by week.

The Aggies have a fearsome run game. Isaiah Spiller is averaging 6.2 YPC, and Devon Achane is reeling off 7.1 YPC. Tight end Jalen Wydermyer is a force in the passing game with 25 receptions for 353 yards and four touchdowns.

Auburn has done a good job stopping the run. The Tigers are allowing 3.5 YPC on the season, but they have had some issues against the pass. That’s music to the Aggies’ ears as Fisher will have some new looks ready to take advantage of this secondary.

Prediction

Calzada has stepped up recently, and that makes the Aggies the pick on Saturday. Texas A&M has loads of talent and a better scheme, and the Tigers will be playing catch-up the whole game.

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