All Aggies

Halftime: Aggies Down 2 Touchdowns to Auburn After Abysmal 1st Half

The Texas A&M Aggies found little success on offense in the first half, meanwhile the Auburn Tigers cruised behind graduate quarterback Payton Thorne to take a two-score lead to halftime.

Matt Guzman

Nov 23, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) carries against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Nov 23, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) carries against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. / John Reed-Imagn Images
In this story:

Halfway through their penultimate game of the regular season, the Texas A&M Aggies find themselves deep in a hole they don't have much time to come back from.

A missed field goal and an interception told the story of their offensive woes through two quarters, meanwhile the Auburn Tigers are cruising behind stellar play from graduate quarterback Payton Thorne, who has 190 passing yards and as many touchdown passes (2) as incompletions.

Entering the matchup, the narrative for Texas A&M was whether or not it was going to give Auburn the attention it needed to in order to avoid a repeat of its road beatdown at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Luckily, the final few drives seemed to pivot from the helplessness the Aggies were displaying in the first quarter, but at halftime, they still find themselves down by two scores, 21-7.

Beyond Thorne, Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter finished just shy of the 50 yard rushing mark, and has been a catalyst for the quick consistency Auburn established on offense.

On the other end of things, Marcel Reed is 9-for-16 for just 88 yards and an interception, while Amari Daniels is shouldering the load in the backfield behind him. The Aggies generated 168 yards of total offense, and showed signs of life near the end of the half, but couldn't convert their final drive into more points.

Entering the second half, the Aggies will need to revamp their defense to contain Thorne and prevent a slew of completions that keep Auburn on the field. On offense, preventing minor mistakes will be the name of the game.

Texas A&M has some work to do, but it's got a second half to go — and a ton to play for.

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @AllAggiesOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @TAMUAggiesSI

MORE TEXAS A&M AGGIES NEWS:

Texas A&M Aggies Open as Slight Favorites vs. Auburn Tigers

Auburn Tigers Not Focused on Spoiling Texas A&M Aggies' Season

Opening Odds Released for Texas A&M Aggies vs. Texas Longhorns

Texas A&M Aggies vs. Texas Longhorns Kickoff Time Announced

No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies vs. Auburn Tigers: Preview, How To Watch, Betting Odds

Published
Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

Home/News