Texas A&M Aggies vs. Auburn Tigers: What the Stats Say

The Texas A&M Aggies hit the road one more time in the regular season.

Jon Alfano | 5 Hours Ago

Sep 23, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. (16) and Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Jaylen Henderson (16) in action on punt return during the third quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M Aggies

Before the game everyone's waiting for, the Texas A&M Aggies must hit the road one last time this regular season when they face the Auburn Tigers on Saturday night.

Auburn's season has not gone to plan, and that's an understatement. The Tigers are 4-6 on the season and 1-5 in SEC play, and they need to win out against two top-15 teams just to make a bowl game. Still, a chance to not only do that, but shake up the entire College Football Playoff race, provides some solid motivation for a team with nothing to lose.

As always, let's take a look at the stats and see how the two teams stack up.

Contrary to what one would assume based on their record, the Tigers have't had trouble moving the ball this season. They average 428.5 total yards (seventh in SEC), 256.5 passing yards (sixth) and 172 rushing yards (sixth) per game. The problem is converting those yards into points, as they average just 27.6 points per game (13th). Some players to look out for include running back Jarquez Hunter (1,015 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns) and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (761 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns).

Defensively, the numbers still look surprisingly good. Auburn allows 304.8 total yards (third), 200.3 passing yards (eighth), 104.5 rushing yards (third) and 18.7 points (fifth) per game. The pass defense is a little squishy, but for the most part, this is a solid defense all around.

These numbers really go to show how much the little details are lacking for the Tigers. Even with them placing in the top half of the conference in most key stats, they're still likely to miss the postseason entirely, which is not a good look for head coach Hugh Freeze.

In a way, the Aggies are almost the opposite in this scenario. Their stats don't look that impressive, save for their rushing offense averaging 212.5 yards per game (second), but they're winning games regardless. Mike Elko deserves a ton of credit for the work he's done in his first season at the helm.

As former division foes, A&M and Auburn have met every year since the former joined the SEC in 2012, with each team winning six games during that time. Last season, the Aggies won 27-10 for a convincing home victory.