Auburn Tigers look to improve to 4-0 for first time since 2019 when they visit Texas A&M

Auburn (3-0) at Texas A&M (2-1), Saturday, midday ET (ESPN)

Line: Texas A&M by 7 1/2, in accordance with FanDuel Sportsbook.

Collection report: Texas A&M leads 7-6.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

First-year coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers are in search of their first 4-0 begin since opening the 2019 season with 5 consecutive wins. Their fourth win that season was a 28-20 victory in opposition to the Aggies. Texas A&M seems to be to get off to a superb begin in convention play after profitable simply two SEC video games final 12 months so as to add to the criticism of highly-paid coach Jimbo Fisher.

KEY MATCHUP

Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman vs. Auburn’s cross protection. Weigman ranks tenth within the nation with 303 yards passing per recreation. He threw for 337 yards and a landing in lower than three quarters in opposition to Louisiana-Monroe for his third profession 300-yard recreation. He’ll face an Auburn protection that ranks twelfth nationally by permitting simply 155 yards passing a recreation, however that’s coping with accidents. Freeze stated beginning cornerback Keionte Scott will miss “appreciable time” after having surgical procedure Monday to restore an unspecified damage. Fellow cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett hasn’t performed but this season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Auburn: QB Payton Thorne. The graduate switch from Michigan State threw for 282 yards and a landing and ran for 123 yards and two extra scores final week in opposition to Samford. He’s the primary Auburn QB since Nick Marshall in 2014 to throw for 200 yards and run for 100 yards in a single recreation.

Texas A&M: WR Ainias Smith. He had seven catches for 127 yards final week for the fifth 100-yard recreation of his profession. Smith has 140 receptions for 1,806 yards and 17 touchdowns in his profession, placing him within the top-10 in class historical past in all three classes. He has not less than one catch in 32 consecutive video games.

FACTS & FIGURES

These groups first met in 1911 when the Aggies acquired a 16-0 win. … They didn’t meet once more till a 36-16 Texas A&M win within the Cotton Bowl in 1986. … Auburn has received 4 of 5 conferences at Kyle Discipline. … The Tigers have received seven of their final eight video games performed in Texas. … The Aggies are 27-7 at residence below coach Jimbo Fisher. … The Aggies are tied for first within the SEC with 15 cross breakups this season. … WR Evan Stewart began the season with consecutive 100-yard video games earlier than lacking final week’s recreation with an damage.

___

AP faculty soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll