Auburn vs. Texas A&M: Tigers look like real SEC contender in win over Aggies

Zac Al-Khateeb

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Auburn vs. Texas A&M: Tigers look like real SEC contender in win over Aggies image

No. 8 Auburn scored yet another impressive victory — in its first true road game, to boot — beating No. 17 Texas A&M 28-20 in a pivotal SEC West matchup.

And in so doing, the Tigers looked like real contenders alongside Alabama and LSU to win the SEC West.

MORE: Week 4 top-25 highlights

The Tigers' 28-20 featured several big plays from the offense, including freshman quarterback Bo Nix (12 of 20, 100 passing yards, one touchdown), running back JaTarvious Whitlow (18 carries, 67 yards, one touchdown) and Anthony Schwartz (87 total yards, one touchdown) but the biggest storyline from their win might be the defense. The defensive front limited the Aggies to a paltry 56 yards on the day and harrowed Kellen Mond throughout.

To the Aggies' credit, they never gave up, scoring 17 fourth-quarter points to keep the score respectable. Mond completed 31 of 49 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to overcome myriad mistakes in all three phases of the game.

See how Auburn scored a pivotal win in the SEC West:

Auburn vs. Texas A&M score

  1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Final
Auburn 14 0 7 7 28
Texas A&M 0 3 0 17 20

Auburn vs. Texas A&M updates, highlights

(All times Eastern)

Final: Auburn 28, Texas A&M 20

7:07 p.m.: And Bo Nix delivers the dagger, taking it 7 yards for the first down off the zone-read. Auburn wins 28-20.

7:05 p.m.: A&M takes its final timeout on Auburn's second-and-8 with 2:05 remaining. Might have enough time for a few desperation plays if they can force a three-and-out.

7:03 p.m.: A&M attempts an onside kick, but Auburn easily falls on it. WIth 2:11 remaining in the game and only one timeout for A&M, that might do it for the would-be comeback.

7:01 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, TEXAS A&M. And the Aggies aren't going away! Mond engineers an eight-play, 81-yard drive in 2:18 of game clock, punctuated by a 15-yard touchdown to Ainias Smith with 2:12 left to play. 28-20 Auburn.

6:59 p.m.: Kellen Mond with some nice chunk plays of 18, 11, 16 and 12 yards. Aggies are driving at the Auburn 23 with 2:48 remaining.

6:56 p.m.: A&M averts disaster. Isaiah Spiller recovers Roshauud Paul's muff at the 19, and that's where the Aggies will take over.

6:53 p.m.: Texas A&M takes its first timeout of the half on an Auburn third down and 4:46 remaining.

6:47 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, TEXAS A&M. Gotta give it to the Aggies: They're not giving up. Kellen Mond was 6 of 9 through the air for 59 yards on that scoring drive, but A&M stalls at the 6-yard line and settles for the gimme field goal.28-13 Auburn.

6:37 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, AUBURN. That might be the dagger. A&M needed a stop, but Auburn instead takes it 69 yards off 12 plays and 6:01 of game clock. It's capped with an 8-yard score from JaTarvious Whitlow. 28-10 Auburn.

6:30 p.m.: Aggies need a stop, but Auburn is getting big chunks of yards. They're driving near the A&M 20 with 10 minutes remaining.

6:24 p.m.: Noah Igbinoghene fields the ensuing kickoff at the goal line and returns it 31 yards out, where the Tigers take over.

6:20 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, TEXAS A&M. And the Aggies finally find the end zone with a 27-yard touchdown connection between Mond and Quartney Davis, who caught it at the 9, ducked under a would-be tackle and ran it into the end zone for the score with 14:28 remaining. 21-10 Auburn.

6:18 p.m.: Big Kat Bryant called offsides for the third time today. A little too quick on the snap.

6:17 p.m.: A&M putting together a pretty decent drive. Started at its 15 and is now at the Auburn 32. This is four-down territory now.

Third quarter: Auburn 21, Texas A&M 3

6:08 p.m.: Aggies D holds strong again, forcing a punt at its 45.

6:04 p.m.: Tigers follow up with passes of 12 and 17 yards to Seth Williams and Eli Stove, respectively. Driving now at the A&M 46.

6:03 p.m.: Auburn tries the flea-flicker, and Bo Nix has a wide-open Eli Stove! Too bad he overshot him. Second-and-10 upcoming.

5:59 p.m.: Braden Mann's 68-yard punt (!) is fielded at the Auburn 2 by Christian Tutt, who side-steps a pursuer and returns it 24 yards to the Tigers 26. Tough break for the Aggies, who could have had Auburn pinned inside its 5.

5:58 p.m.: OK, now A&M has it fourth-and-19 after consecutive false starts on the punt attempt.

5:56 p.m.: Another three-and-out by A&M, and Jimbo Fisher might want refs to call what looked like, at least, defensive holding.

5:51 p.m.: Aggies defense holds strong with a three-and-out. They'll need more of those if they want to get back in this one. A&M to take over at its 39.

5:47 p.m.: Texas A&M gets a 22-yard gain on third down but it's not enough to move the chains. Caden Sterns' punt goes out the back of the end zone for a touchback. Aggies' last six drives (in reverse chronological order) have looked like. ...

Three-and-out
Fumble
Missed field goal
Punt
Three-and-out
Punt

5:43 p.m.: Auburn's defensive line is having its way with Texas A&M. Derrick Brown strip-sacks Kellen Mond, but A&M recovers it. The very next play, Tyrone Truesdell sacks him again. Follow that up with a false start and A&M has third-and-30 from its 15.

5:38 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, AUBURN.The Tigers take advantage of the short field and cap it with a 9-yard touchdown connection between Bo Nix and Seth Williams. 21-3 Auburn.

5:35 p.m.: Isaiah Spiller with a nice 13-yard gain up the left side, but he fumbles the ball. Auburn will take over at the A&M 38. Disastrous for the Aggies.

Halftime: Auburn 14, Texas A&M 3

5:16 p.m.: Halftime stats

First downs:A&M 9; Auburn 6
3rd downs:A&M (4 of 10); Auburn 149
Passing: A&M 14 of 24, 142 yards; Auburn 5 of 10, 44 yards
Rushing: Auburn 18 attempts, 102 yards; A&M 13 attempts, 12 yards
Penalties: A&M 3 for 25; Auburn 5 for 30
Turnovers:N/A
Possession:A&M 18:05; Auburn 11:55

5:11 p.m.: Seth Small pushed it left. He's 1 of 3 for the day. Auburn takes a 14-3 lead into the half.

5:10 p.m.: Big Kat Bryant is called for offsides. That will give A&M an attempt at a 51-yard field goal with four seconds remaining.

5:10 p.m. Aggies have the ball at their 40 with seven seconds left in the half — enough time to get in position for a long field goal.

5:08 p.m.: Aggies use their last timeout after tackling JaTarvious Whitlow for a 4-yard loss. They'll get the ball back with fewer than 10 seconds in the half.

5:06 p.m.: Or Auburn could take a play out of Tulane's book and go for a fake kneel for ... 5 yards? And now A&M takes its first timeout with 26 seconds remaining.

5:05 p.m.: Mond misses Quartney Davis on third-and-5 from Auburn's 47. Aggies punt, Auburn takes over at its 6, and that should do it for the half.

5:01 p.m.: Mond hits Quartney Davis for a gain of 18. Aggies driving near midfield and this drive isn't over yet.

5 p.m.: Derrick Brown nearly picked off an A&M screen attempt. Aggies will face third-and-10 with 1:16 left. Auburn, it should be noted, has two timeouts remaining.

4:58 p.m.: Aggies will take over at their 20 with 1:47 left in the half. Got to have something here (considering A&M gets the ball out of the half).

4:58 p.m.: Bo Nix overthrows a wide-open Will Hastings on third-and-8. The Tigers are now 0 for 4 on third downs from that distance and beyond today.

4:54 p.m.: And Auburn responds in kind with a third-down sack by Derrick Brown. Aggies' Caden Sterns punts on fourth-and-16 to Auburn's 7.

4:52 p.m.: Justin Madubuike gets the sack on Bo Nix to force a punt! Aggies are playing a lot tougher in the second quarter.

4:46 p.m.: An illegal procedure penalty offsets another Texas A&M first down, which can't convert on third-and-15 a few plays later. Caden Sterns' punt goes into the end zone, and the Tigers take over at their 20 with 6:54 remaining.

4:40 p.m.: Kellen Mond has completed seven straight passes and is 11 of 14 passes for 109 yards. A&M driving at its 47.

4:34 p.m.: Aggies get their second three-and-out of the game, forcing Auburn to punt from its 25. A&M to take over at its 26.

4:28 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, TEXAS A&M. Aggies can't convert on third-and-5 and will instead have to settle for the field goal. Seth Small makes good on the try this time and gets A&M on the board. 14-3 Auburn.

4:24 p.m.: End of the first, and Auburn is out-gaining 91-14 on the ground. Aggies will need to do better if they want to keep up.

First quarter: Auburn 14, Texas A&M 0

4:23 p.m.: Followed with a 41-yard pass to Jhamon Ausbon! Aggies moving up the field, knocking at the Tigers' 22.

4:22 p.m.: Kellen Mond keeps it on the zone read and takes it up the right sideline for 17 yards.

4:18 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, AUBHR. And two plays later, quarterback Joey Gatewood (a noted dual threat) fakes a run left and connects with a wide-open John Samuel Shenker for a 6-yard touchdown. 14-0 Auburn.

4:17 p.m.: Eli Stove and Nick Schwartz get gains of 13 and 18 yards, respectively. Tigers are knocking at the door at Texas A&M's 8.

4:15 p.m.: Auburn faces third-and-2 after taking over at A&M's 46. Not much doing so far outside of Schwartz's big run.

4:09 p.m.: A&M fails to convert on third-and-1, then an unnecessary roughness call against Glenn Beal moves the Aggies back even further. They'll punt from fourth-and-16.

03 p.m.: Texas A&M holds tough after the big gain. Auburn punts, and the Aggies will take over at their 28-yard line.

4 p.m.: Bo Nix with the nice pass to Seth Williams, who drags defenders a good 7-8 yards for a 19-yard gain.

3:58 p.m.: MISSED FIELD GOAL. That's tough. Seth Small misses the 48-yard field goal, and Auburn will take over at its 31. 7-0 Auburn.

3:57 p.m.: Auburn gets some pressure on Kellen Mond, who throws a slightly high ball that Quartney Davis can't pull in. Field goal team incoming.

3:55 p.m.: A defensive holding call against Auburn (on third down, of course) gives Texas A&M the ball at the Tigers 35.

3:53 p.m.: Another third-down conversion from Mond! He hits Jalen Wydermyer on third-and-8 for a 13-yard gain.

3:51 p.m.: Texas A&M goes backward on its first two plays, but a nice third-and-16 connection between Kellen Mond and Jhamon Ausbon goes for 19 yards and a first down.

3:45 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, AUBURN. Anthony Schwartz takes the end-around 57 yards to the house! Tigers up early with the big play. 7-0 Auburn.

3:44 p.m.: Auburn getting nice 4- and 5-yard chunk plays on the ground. Tigers are driving near midfield.

3:41 p.m.: Auburn will start the game at its own 25 after letting the ball bounce out the back of the end zone.

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.