POSTGAME THOUGHTS: Texas A&M holds on to beat Auburn 16-10

Running the gauntlet of the SEC schedule is all about how you respond to challenges.

In Auburn, Texas A&M faced what I think is the most complete defensive unit they had seen to this point of the season. The Tigers got after Marcel Reed in the first half. Two of Texas A&M’s first two drives ended with Reed on the turf courtesy of a sack. The Aggies offense had moments but sputtered.

Thankfully, the defense responded in the first half. Auburn was 0 for 8 on third down. The Aggies had two sacks and held a potent Auburn rushing attack to just 30 yards. We talk about the concept of complimentary football quite a bit and the first half of this contest showcased Texas A&M’s ability to play complimentary football in spades.

The Aggie offense certainly did not perform to the standard we’ve seen to this point of the season. And yet, the Aggies still managed to head into the half up ten points thanks to the defense buckling down and largely suffocating Auburn.

The second half saw more of the same. While Texas A&M had success moving the ball, they struggled to capitalize with points. Penalties plagued the offense and when it seemed like the Aggies were driving to put the game away in the fourth quarter, Marcel Reed threw a crippling pick to give Auburn life.

Auburn punched in the ball on the following play to bring the score to 13-10 Texas A&M. The Aggies would get three back courtesy of a field goal but this one was far from over as Texas A&M punted back to Auburn with under two minutes left in the game.

Once again, the Texas A&M defense came up in a big way, sacking Jackson Arnold on 4th and 1 to seal the game.

I have a ton on my mind but here are some key takeaways.

Penalties. Texas A&M killed multiple drives with penalties on offense and gave Auburn multiple chances with penalties on defense. That has to be cleaned up. Against the best teams, that will kill A&M.

Complimentary Football. When one unit struggles, the other unit has to step up. The defense stepped up in a massive way to make up for the offensive mistakes from Texas A&M. Without that complimentary football, the Aggies come up short. Instead, the Texas A&M defense comes up huge in the fourth quarter with Auburn being held to single digit yards. Including the final sack that sealed the game.

Le’Veon Moss. This was the best performance of the year for the gifted running back. Moss had 139 yards and a touchdown and looked a lot like his old self.

Grit. They don’t ask you how, they ask you how many. However, fighting through a sloppy performance to win this contest is something old versions of Texas A&M didn’t do. The performance has to be cleaned up but thanks to that grit, the zero in the loss column remains intact.

Given how many times we’ve seen Texas A&M struggle out of the bye, or off of big wins, or when dealing with adversity - as disappointed as I am with this win, I’m still thrilled to see a Texas A&M team fight through to win. Now, we move on to Mississippi State who as of this writing is giving Tennessee all they can handle.

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