What You Need to Know:

  • After a bye week, Auburn is ranked #16 and is 6-2 on the season and 4-1 in the SEC. The Tigers lost to Clemson in week 2 and let an early lead slip away against LSU.
  • Texas A&M fell to 5-3 on the season; 3-2 in the SEC after getting outmatched by Mississippi State on Saturday.
  • Auburn’s remaining schedule includes a road trip to College Station, then three home games against Georgia, ULM, and Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
  • Texas A&M is trending down at 79th in total offense with 387 YPG (90th in passing YPG; 42nd in rushing YPG); while Auburn is ranked 27th in total offense with 462 YPG (68th in passing YPG; 19th in rushing YPG).
  • Auburn’s SBNation site is College and Magnolia.

Betting Lines:

  • Auburn opens as a -12.5 point favorite.
  • Auburn is 3-3-2 Against the Spread while Texas A&M is 4-4 ATS.
  • The Under has hit in A&M’s last 4 games; while the Over has hit in the last 5 games Auburn has played.

Historical Notes:

  • Texas A&M leads the all-time series 5-2 against Auburn.
  • Auburn has never lost in College Station, and Texas A&M has never lost in Auburn. Before A&M joined the SEC, two of the games were played in Dallas.
  • Auburn is known as the Tigers, but does not have a live tiger. It does use a live eagle in pre-game pageantry to fly across the stadium to the War Eagle yell. The current War Eagle is War Eagle VII, and named Nova. However, Nova was suspended from flight activities due to a diagnosis of chronic heart disease. A bald eagle named Spirit is flying in the place of Nova for this season. War Eagle is also an endearing term used like Howdy, or Roll Tide among fans. Auburn has clarified that its mascot will remain the Tigers, as they are the “Tigers who say ‘War Eagle’”. In my opinion, this is one of the best traditions in College Football. Also, Get better Nova.
  • Famous Auburn Tigers Alumni include Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson, Jimmy Buffett, Frank Thomas, Cam Newton, and Tim Cook. Leave your favorite in the comments.

Tigers to Watch:

Kerryon Johnson RB 6’0” 212 lbs

The junior running back is running at a 5.3 yards per carry average. Kerryon has 723 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. The 14 TDs puts Kerryon tied for fourth in total TDs this season (rushing, receiving, return). This is after being slowed by injury earlier this year. Auburn uses the spread to employ a power running scheme, and Johnson is a great fit for what Coach Gus Malzhan wants to do.

Jeff Holland, LB 6’2” 249 lbs

The junior edge rusher currently leads the SEC with 8 sacks along with 10 tackles for loss. In Auburn’s last game against Arkansas, Holland forced two fumbles and recovered one.

Media Blitz:

  • Venue: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
  • Game Time: 11:00 am CT
  • Channel: ESPN

Newsreel:

Weather:

  • Forecast calls for a cloudy day with highs reaching into the mid 80s. There is currently a 20% chance of rain.