How Auburn can attack Texas A&M’s vulnerable defense

Apparently William Shakespeare predicted the 2024 Texas A&M defense by coining the phrase, “All that glitters is not gold.” Shakespeare was unknowingly describing the Aggies.

Now people will turn their attention to likely first-rounder Nic Scourton as a major reason for the team’s 8-2 season. Granted, Scourton will be collecting an even bigger check next season, but the Aggies’ defense has plenty of holes and exploitable points that the Auburn Tigers will take advantage of.

Coachspeak

First and foremost, Hugh Freeze outlined the overarching need for Auburn during the media availability. With offensive talent all over the field, the Tigers need to find ways to get them the ball often.

TAMU brings a talented defense to The Plains. However, Auburn can and must counter that with its own playmakers. Cam Coleman, for example, should see more targets after a three-touchdown afternoon.

“Yes, I would love to answer that and definitely say we throw eight times at him, but I can’t dictate the coverage,” Freeze said. “Yes, we could design a play to hit him, but it’s really hard to design a play where you guarantee he gets a short route to him because I don’t know, they could be in coverage to sit. two. They may have a tight man; it’s really hard.

“It just happened that we had a couple of RPO opportunities early in the game on Saturday, and they were all nice to him, and they had a couple of third down throws where they had a little mesh route and he was the option on that. .”

Take a little time

At a time when pace and acceleration of play became the norm, Auburn should take a little more time to get the game started. As mentioned, Scourton provides the Aggies with virtually their only pass-rush threat. The only SEC team with fewer sacks than the Aggies’ 21 this season is Mississippi State with a shocking seven.

With five sacks and a ton of expectations, the defensive lineman is showing nothing but flashes. Meanwhile, the rest of the rush doesn’t seem to be doing anything spectacular. As a result, allowing the wideouts to get a step deeper into their routes, quarterback Payton Thorne can get the ball downfield at his own pace.

Long rides

Both Notre Dame and South Carolina, teams that defeated TAMU, won with a brutal running approach. With a combined 76 carries, 484 yards and five touchdowns, the teams broke the Aggies. Any defense can look bright after staying off the field and watching your team’s running game crush the opponent.

Meanwhile, Auburn needs to run the ball at least 30 times. Now we know Jarquez Hunter probably won’t see more than 18 touches. However, if you use the entire backroom, instead of a heavy dose of Thorne, to wear the Aggies down, Auburn will win this game.

Overview

Frankly, Texas A&M is thriving on a lighter schedule. They played against struggling teams or against schools that let down after a big game. Auburn should not only perform well against the Aggies, but also stay in this game the entire time. Nothing about TAMU’s defense should scare or worry Auburn enough to require a change in a regular game plan.

If the Tigers can go their own way and not make many mistakes, they will enjoy a productive afternoon. Look deeper than the record and look at this game as a solitary event.

Auburn’s offensive potential makes this tilt instantly entertaining.