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When the Texas A&M football team knocked off LSU a few weeks ago, it looked like the Aggies were going to have a great shot at making the SEC title game. They had zero conference losses with three conference games left, and two of them being against unranked teams. Now, the Aggies have lost two straight conference games against those unranked teams, and they will be playing #3 Texas this weekend. The Aggies need a lot of help. Their loss on the road in quadruple overtime on Saturday against Auburn was likely the nail in the coffin for their SEC and College Football Playoff hopes.
Auburn came into Saturday's contest with just four wins, but the Texas A&M football team was only favored by a few points. A win in this game for the Aggies would've been huge as it would've kept them at just one conference loss, and a win this weekend against Texas would've punched them a ticket to the conference title game. Now, things aren't so simple. In fact, with all of these tie-breaker rules, things are extremely complex.
Texas A&M did not get off to a good start on Saturday as Auburn jumped on the Aggies early and often. It took just a few minutes for Auburn to get on the board as they went up 7-0 with an early touchdown, and then they made it 14-0 on a long touchdown just a few minutes later.
The second quarter didn't get off to a good start for Texas A&M either as Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman scored his second touchdown of the game just a couple minutes in, and all of a sudden, the Tigers had a 21-0 lead.
Texas A&M does deserve some credit for how they fought back into this game. They looked dead in the water when it was 21-0, but they did a good job of staying focused and finding a way back in it.
It took a while, but Texas A&M finally got on the board with a touchdown late in the first half. They trailed 21-7 at the break, and they came out strong in the second half.
The Aggies got within seven on Noah Thomas touchdown reception early in the third quarter, and then less than two minutes later, Thomas scored again on a 73-yard reception to tie the game.
Auburn went back up with a touchdown late in the third, but 10 straight points by Texas A&M gave them the lead with around four minutes left. However, the Tigers kicked a field goal to send it to overtime with five seconds remaining.
Things went back-and-forth in overtime and the game ended up coming down to two-point conversions. A crucial drop from Texas A&M cost them the game, and Auburn won 43-41 in four OTs.
Not one player or coach is at fault for Texas A&M in this game. Obviously there were plays that should've been made, but things earlier in the game could've prevented it from coming down to crucial moments in overtime.
If you look at the stats in this game, things were even for the most part. Auburn had 469 yards and Texas A&M had 464. Rushing and passing were incredibly even. Auburn had more penalties, and the Aggies dominated time of possession as they had the ball for over 36 minutes. Here is why Texas A&M lost the game:
Texas A&M football can't have a slow start that like
Texas A&M played better than the Auburn football team for most of the game on Saturday, but their start was so horrendous that they weren't able to overcome it. You simply can't go down 21-0 on the road and expect to win a game. The Aggies have to come out more ready and prepared, and a lot of that falls on the coaching staff. They did a good job of not quitting, but if they just get out to a not awful start, they probably win this game by two scores.
The Texas A&M defense has to be better
One area that Texas A&M certainly needs to improve against Texas is their defense. Auburn ended up having 469 yards of offense. Obviously some of that came in those first two overtimes, but not a ton. Texas has way better weapons than Auburn does, so the Aggies need to be ready to play better on that side of the ball.
Week 13 college football recap
This past weekend of college football was pure chaos, especially in the SEC. Let's take a look at went down around the country if the power four conferences.
Clemson, SMU and Miami are the three teams fighting for an ACC title. No chaos in that conference over the weekend. All three teams easily took care of business, and it will come down to the final week in terms of who will play for the championship.
There were some big results in the Big 12 this weekend, and the race for the conference title game is getting intense. Colorado got upset by Kansas, Arizona State took down BYU in a wild one, and Iowa State survived a scare against Utah. There are four teams tied atop the standings with one week left. Buckle up.
In the Big Ten, there were two big ones this weekend. Ohio State took down Indiana in the huge top-five showdown in Columbus, and Penn State barely survived a scare from Minnesota on the road, winning 26-25. The conference title game will be between Oregon and Ohio State barring anything crazy.
Lastly, the SEC is where we saw maximum chaos. Texas A&M was upset by Auburn, Alabama was upset by Oklahoma and Ole Miss was upset by Florida. All of those teams had College Football Playoff hopes with two losses, and those hopes are likely all dead now that they have three. The Aggies still have a slight chance to get in as they can win the SEC, but it's unlikely. The others do not have any hope.
What a chaotic weekend of college football it was, and with just one more week of the college football season left, there is sure to be more wild results. Week 14 is almost here, and enjoy it. When it's done, we have to wait about nine months for another college football Saturday.
