It’s Auburn week, and in head coach Hugh Freezes’ first season at the helm, visiting Texas A&M for both programs’ SEC opener will be a battle of emotions, and while the Aggies’s predominate strength is behind the arm of sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, the Tigers’ defense is well equipped to challenge his day in the pocket.
However, Freeze’s defense will be missing two starters, linebacker Austin Key and cornerback Keionte Scott, which should provide an opening for Weigman to expose the middle of the field with one of the deepest wide receiver units in the country. Regarding getting to the red zone, the Aggies are one of the top teams to consistently make their way to the goal line in their first three games but only convert at a 74% clip.
Just one spot below Washington, Texas A&M’s 52.78% rate of possessions in the red area is a direct result of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s “feed the studs” mantra going into full effect, as the elite receiving weapons, including Evan Stewart, Ainias Smith, Noah Thomas, Jahdae Walker, and Moose Muhammad III are weekly matchup problems for nearly every opposing defense. Still, against Auburn’s No.1-ranked red zone scoring defense, the Aggies will need to find creative ways to either convert their opportunities with a mix of run/pass or focus on explosive down-field plays.
Both teams are coming off decisive victories against lesser opponents. Even though we didn’t learn much about The Aggies other than the offense’s continued dominance, the quarterback duo of Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford present a challenge as both can make plays out of structure, so if the defense struggles to contain both options on Saturday, relying on Weigman’s arm and the run game should still result in positive results if this offense is as elite as we’ve witnessed thus far.
Texas A&M will host the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 11:00 a.m., where it will air on ESPN.
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