Saturday Spotlight

(13) Auburn Tigers at (14) Texas A&M Aggies 

Auburn: When they decided to relieve Gus Malzahn of his head coaching duties, I wasn’t sure what to expect from them or even which direction the program was going in. Bryan Harsin comes in and the team has bought into what he wants to do. Earlier in the season, they were 2-0 before a loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions. On the bright side of things, the Auburn Tigers have won four of their last five games including victories over the LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, and Arkansas Razorbacks. Two of those wins came on the road by the way. Auburn has been succeeding in SEC play for one reason. The performance of one Bo Nix. Now I can admit that I’ve been very critical of him at times because his play has been up and down. That also comes with analysis, giving opinions, and being honest when you need to be. I get he was benched in a game against Georgia State, but since then, he has delivered some quality performances. Last year, they averaged 5.6 yards per play. This season, that number is up to 6.5 yards per play. Under Harsin, Bo has found his rhythm and settled in. Though he’s played well, everybody knows the strength of this offense is their running game with Tank Bigsby. Defense is always going to be a staple of their team. They’ve been strong once again this year allowing only 19 points per game. Today, they’ll travel to Kyle Field for a showdown.

Texas A&M: Last year, they were on the outside looking in of the College Football Playoff. It was by far the best year in the Jimbo Fisher tenure. They had some hype surrounding them coming into the year. I can say that much. This year has been a roller-coaster season if anything. What hurt them was the back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State. However, they have one of the biggest victories of the season! They were able to stun the world and upset the Alabama Crimson Tide. In the last two years, only three teams have been able to beat Alabama in the regular season. That’s LSU, Auburn, and these Texas A&M Aggies. Haynes King was the starting quarterback until he, unfortunately, got hurt. In his place, Zach Calzada has been the starting quarterback. Jimbo is one of the best offensive minds not just in college football, but I’ll say in all of football. This year, the strength of this Aggies offense has been a running game that two very strong backs. That’s Isaiah Spiller and Devin Achane. Their offensive line has also improved considerably over the year. This ground attack also helps Calzada. Although Jimbo would prefer him to be limited in his pass attempts, Zach continues to climb the ladder and impress me each week with every snap. They’re home today for a big game with Auburn in town.

Auburn X-Factor: Colby Wooten– One thing about Auburn football is they’ll always have strong defensive lines. He’s one of their best defensive linemen. The motor he plays with really stands out to me. Colby never gives up on plays and those are the type of guys you want to team up with and play. Against the pass, he’s always in on the quarterback. Even if the quarterback is mobile, Colby will travel to get after him. I’ve seen him stop screenplays as well. He’s a sharp defender.

Texas A&M X-Factor: Jalen Wydermyer– I could watch this kid play all day. No tight end his size should be moving as fluidly up the field as he does. Jalen is such a mismatch and the Aggies use him in so many ways. He can climb up for the ball. There isn’t a safety or any defensive back that can match up with him because of the height advantage he has. He’s sneaky athletic with the things he can do on the football field.

Final Thoughts: This is a key game in the SEC West believe it or not. I’m expecting a physical battle here between these two. Both of these teams pride themselves on running the football. Both teams want to establish that running attack to help eliminate pressure off their quarterbacks. This game comes down to a few things. One, whoever wins on those early downs will have a shot at taking this game along with the turnover battle which was my second key. Also, whoever can get those few big plays down the field should succeed. I’m expecting this to come down to the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Texas A&M 23, Auburn 17