Auburn football report card: Offense fails, defense hangs tough in road loss at Texas A&M

Auburn football lost at Texas A&M on Saturday, falling 27-10 in front of a packed house of over 100,000 fans at Kyle Field in College Station, Tex. It was a fairly comprehensive loss in Hugh Freeze‘s first game back in the SEC. The offense failed to sustain any drives of substance for most of the day, while the defense fought to hang tough, but had their own struggles allowing big plays.

Let’s just go ahead and dive into the report card from the Tigers’ first loss of the 2023 season.

Offense: F

In one of the worst offensive performances from Auburn in recent years, the Tigers racked up just 200 total yards, with 89 of those coming on the final two drives of the game as Texas A&M held a double-digit lead and was playing defense not to lose, as opposed to attacking the way they had been all game. At one point in the middle of the game, Auburn netted just 33 total yards during a 32-play stretch.

Auburn passed for 56 yards, was 3-15 on third down, averaged 3.1 yards per play, committed seven true penalties (three were intentional delay of games on fourth downs), and allowed seven sacks. Auburn’s offense suffered five three-and-outs and never moved the ball further than the Texas A&M 31-yard line in the game. The Texas A&M defense racked up 15 tackles for loss.

The good? Brian Battie shined after Damari Alston was injured. Battie accounted for 82 total yards, making plays on the ground and catching the ball. Jarquez Hunter had six carries for 51 yards in the first half, but only managed three carries for two yards in the second. It’s hard to find much else. Auburn moved the ball some in the middle of the field, but penalties and sacks as drives went on are going to kill momentum and scoring chances every single time. Robby Ashford ignited a 45-yard drive with the score 20-10, infusing some energy into the team, but the drive ended with a punt after late-drive mistakes.

Best player: Battie accounted for a third of Auburn’s offense and showed flashes of speed and vision that led him to some nice production at South Florida.

Worst part: The penalties. There was a holding after an 11-yard rush, a holding after a 6-yard rush, two false starts on two different third downs, while three different offensive linemen committed penalties.

Bottom line: An offensive collapse the nature of what Auburn put forth on Saturday is a total failure. Talent can be attributed, as well as game plan, play calling, penalties, mental errors, you name it. Against Cal and Texas A&M, the Tigers’ only two Power Five opponents, Auburn has one offensive touchdown and just one drive of over 45 yards in 24 drives.

Defense: B-

If this grade were just a first-half grade, Auburn’s defense might have received an A, but then the second half happened. The Tigers allowed 402 total yards, 27 points and gave up five third-down conversions in 12 attempts, but it looks different when split into the two halves. In the first half, Auburn allowed six points and just 121 total yards, giving up 2-7 on third down and forcing the Aggies into three straight three-and-outs to end the first half. But in the second half, there were many more busted coverages and missed tackles. Texas A&M racked up 21 second-half points, 281 total yards, 158 on the ground, and converted five of seven on third down. Texas A&M averaged 8.8 yards per play in the second half.

Best player: Eugene Asante was again fantastic, finishing with nine tackles and a fumble return for a touchdown.

Worst part: The explosive plays. Texas A&M’s nine “big plays” accounted for 289 of their 402 total yards. Of the Aggies’ 200 rushing yards, 115 of them came on two carries.

Bottom line: Auburn’s defense played well enough overall to win, but when the offense provides no help, it’s tough. Injuries certainly didn’t help, as Keionte Scott sat out and a bunch of other players fought through the pain. A few three-and-outs in the middle of the game and it appeared Auburn’s defense was settling in, but the two straight touchdown drives coming out of halftime were brutal. And the Aggies racking up over 400 yards and 27 points on just 58 plays isn’t ideal. There’s one more game to go before a bye week that this defense desperately needs.

Special teams: B

Alex McPherson hit his ninth-straight field goal dating back to last season, hitting a 53-yarder right before halftime that brought Auburn within 6-3. That was the only real bright spot, as Koy Moore returned two punts for 14 yards, Battie returned one kick for 16 yards, and Oscar Chapman punted the ball nine times for a 40-yard average. Texas A&M’s Ainias Smith was held in check on punt returns with a 10-yard average on three returns.

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