Auburn, ALA (EETV)- Auburn came into Saturday having lost three of the last four SEC games but came off a strong win against rival Ole Miss before a bye week allowed the Tigers to rest up and prepare for the #20 Texas A&M Aggies.
The Aggies and Tigers have played six times since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012 and the home team had never come out victorious in front of their own fans. Auburn looked to change that.
The Tigers came out strong in the first quarter holding Texas A&M to just a field goal and putting seven points of their own on the board thanks to a trick play that saw Ryan Davis connect with Sal Cannella on a twenty yard pass. The Aggies answered back fast as they put up two touchdowns in the second quarter setting themselves up nicely with a 17-14 lead at the half.
Auburn seemed to be dead in the water as A&M would put up another score in the third quarter to put themselves up by ten heading into the final quarter. But Auburn would prove that no matter how much they were down by they were not going to go down without a fight. The defense played strong throughout the game and Aggie kicker Seth Small missed a 36-yard field goal that would have helped the Aggies put the Tigers away. Auburn defensive back Noah Igbinoghene would make what Head Coach Gus Malzahn would call, "the play of the game" and intercept Quarterback Kellen Mond to set the Tigers up to mount a comeback.
After that the Tigers did not look back. Jarrett Stidham would calmly guide the tigers down the field, maintaining his composure and connecting with receivers Darrius Slayton, Seth Williams, and Ryan Davis as the Tigers would score on a one-yard touchdown run from Chandler Cox to cut the lead to three with just over five minutes left.
After the Auburn defense made another key stop. Christian Tutt provided a spark with a 28-yard punt return to set the tigers up around midfield with just over two minutes left. A Ryan Davis 41-yard gain would set up the Tigers from the 11-yard line where Seth Williams would haul in the go ahead touchdown on the very next play.
Jarrett Stidham would finish the game an impressive 18-29 with 239 yards and two touchdowns both falling in the hands of freshman Seth Williams. Darius Slayton would haul in eight catches on the day with 107 yards as Ryan Davis would bring in five for 75 yards.
On defense the leading tackler for the Tigers was Daniel Thomas who Malzahn said, "was everywhere, like a heat seeking missile" Thomas would finish with 12 tackles while Deshaun Davis and Jeremiah Dinson would both finish with nine.
The win moves Auburn to 6-3 (3-3 SEC) and the loss drops Texas A&M to 5-4 (4-2 SEC).
The Tigers look to ride this momentum as they head to Athens next week to face the Georgia Bulldogs.
