Texas A&M’s defense scored the game’s only touchdown and Seth Small kicked four field goals as the No. 14 Aggies shut down No. 13 Auburn 20-3 on Saturday in SEC play at College Station, Texas.
The Aggies (7-2, 4-2 SEC) overwhelmed Auburn from the opening kickoff. The Tigers (6-3, 3-2) finished with just 226 yards and committed a turnover that enabled Texas A&M to take control of a close game early in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers were trailing 9-3 early in the fourth quarter when Auburn quarterback Bo Nix made a huge mistake. While rolling out for a bootleg, he dropped the ball without being touched. Defensive end Micheal Clemons scooped it up on Auburn’s 24-yard line and raced untouched into the end zone and Ainias Smith caught Zach Calzada’s two-point conversion pass to make it 17-3 with 13:04 remaining.
Small’s 37-yard field goal with 3:15 remaining capped the scoring.
Calzada went 15-for-29 passing for 192 yards and no interceptions, as the Aggies were much more successful moving the ball on the ground. Isaiah Spiller rushed for 112 yards on 21 carries and Devon
Achane added 98 yards on 10 carries to lead a rushing attack that amassed 217 yards.
Nix was 20-for-41 passing for 153 yards with an interception. Tank Bigsby rushed for 69 yards on 15 carries, as the Tigers were held to 73 yards on 29 attempts, an average of 2.5 yards per carry.
Texas A&M and Auburn exchanged field goals in the first quarter, with Small connecting from 21 yards before Anders Carlson capped Auburn’s ensuing possession by hitting from 32 yards.
The Aggies failed to regain the lead with 3:15 left in the first half when Small missed a 42-yard field goal.
Auburn had a golden opportunity to take a lead to open the third quarter, but Carlson pushed a 33-yard field wide left with 9:16 left in the quarter.
The Aggies took advantage of the mistake to drive down the field and take a 6-3 lead on Small’s 29-yard field goal with 3:39 left in the quarter.
Small extended the lead to 9-3 with a 47-yard field goal less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
