Aggies' Auburn Win May Be More Impressive Than Alabama

A month ago, Texas A&M had nothing to lose, and now the Aggies have something more to gain with every win

Texas A&M’s 20-3 win over Auburn on Saturday, I propose, was more impressive than its win over then-No. 1 Alabama a month ago.

Why? The Aggies were wounded going into that game with Alabama. But there’s something about the chance to beat the nation’s top team, especially one that is also the defending national champion. It’s not hard to get hyped up for a game like that. The Aggies had nothing to lose. They had lost two straight. The SEC West was basically out of reach.

The Aggies were hyped. But they also took the Crimson Tide a little by surprise, I think, especially in that first half. Texas A&M hung on. They made enough plays. Alabama was off by JUST enough.

A month later, the ‘other’ team from Alabama came to College Station and the situation was completely different. The Aggies had won four straight games. They were coming off a bye week. They were healthier. They were still clinging to dreams of an SEC West crown, and the math to get to Atlanta still had a Simone Biles feel to it. Lots of flips, but there’s a way to stick the landing, you know?

But, unlike that night a month ago, the Aggies KNEW a win on Saturday would legitimately improve the math, not just make it some dreamy ‘beautiful mind’ equation. An Auburn loss meant a tie for second place in the division, one game back of Alabama. Sure, the Crimson Tide still need to lose a game to trigger the tiebreaker for the Aggies. But right now it’s about staying in the hunt and making that math work.

The Aggies’ 20-3 win over Auburn was an old-school example of knowing the stakes and doing whatever it took to stay alive.

It looked ugly, at times, right? Yeah, it did. But that ugliness was perpetuated, in part, by an Aggies defense that played a game in the finest tradition of the ‘Wrecking Crew.’ The Aggies held the Tigers to 226 yards of total offense. They turned one turnover into a touchdown. The Aggies needed it because the Tigers were bending, but not breaking, on defense. The Aggies didn’t have a single offensive touchdown despite 409 yards of total offense.

The Aggies were productive on offense, and while quarterback Zack Calzada’s shoulder received plenty of attention, the REAL story ought to be the 200 yards Isaiah Spiller (102 yards) and Devon Achane (98 yards) gained on the ground. Neither hit the end zone. But their productivity was key, nevertheless. Spiller’s one run deep in Aggie territory with Blake Bost at quarterback saved the walk-on from having to do more than hand the ball off for the two plays he had to take for Calzada.

And Calzada? Man, this guy is exhibiting a Tony Romo-level of toughness, isn’t he? At one point, watching him after that collision with Auburn’s Smoke Monday, it was clear that either he had a separated shoulder, a concussion, or both. The look on his face was one of excruciation. Unmanageable pain. Turns out he had a dislocated shoulder, per Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher. Aggies' trainers popped it back into place (I’m assuming not Lethal Weapon III style).

Less than 10 minutes later Calzada was back on the field.

Toughness.

That’s November in the SEC. That’s November in college football. November has this way of showing everyone what kind of team you are.

Are you worthy of being undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings? Sure, Michigan State. Go prove it at Purdue.

Yeah, about that. By the way, no team has more wins as an unranked team over Top 5 teams in college football history than Purdue.

Want to reinforce the belief that you’re the undisputed No. 1 team in the country. Sure, Georgia. Just go beat Missouri by 37. Well done.

Wanna show that your first undefeated season into November since ‘no one knows when’ isn’t a fluke? Then go on the road and beat North Carolina, Wake Forest. Oops. But it was a fun oops.

Need some style points? Then, Cincinnati, capitalize on that ESPN Gameday appearance and blow out Tulsa. Well, Cincinnati won, but, about that blowout …

Saturday was filled with teams that needed to prove something to themselves, to poll voters, to CFP committee watchers, and to their fans.

What did Texas A&M prove on Saturday?

The only way they’re going to make this math work is old-school.

‘Wrecking Crew’ defense.

Toughness and grit.

With a trip to Ole Miss next week, it’s a formula that can work.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.