Auburn's looking to notch its first home SEC win since 2014 and move to 2-1 on the year, while Texas A&M is aiming for an impressive 3-0 start after beating UCLA and Prairie View A&M in the first couple of weeks.
Heath Clary, the assistant sports editor at The Battalion, Texas A&M's student paper, offered up a look at the game from the Aggie side.
Q. A&M is off to a strong start, especially with that win over UCLA. How are the Aggies feeling right now? Do they think they can challenge for the SEC West crown?
A. I think the Aggies are happy with the way that they have played to this point, but they still know they have plenty of room for improvement. The UCLA win was great, but the offense and defense both sputtered in the fourth quarter. The dominating win over Prairie View A&M was also nice, but they will have to prove that they can execute a game plan so effectively against an SEC-caliber opponent. I think they also know that if they continue to get better, the coaching staff has recruited well enough that A&M can match up talent-wise with almost any team in the SEC and if they play well and limit mistakes there aren't a lot of teams that can beat them.
Q. How has the defense looked with John Chavis running things?
A. The defense made tremendous strides in Chavis' first season last year, and the unit has continued its ascent in 2016. The Aggies have played excellent football in seven of eight quarters this season thanks to an improved linebacking corps. The defensive end duo of Daeshon Hall and Myles Garrett has been dynamic as usual and the secondary looks good too.
Q. What matchups against Auburn scare Texas A&M the most?
A. I think it's going to come down to whether or not Auburn can run the football. The Aggies have been susceptible to the power running game for as long as I can remember, but this year might be a different story. Chavis really preached gap integrity this offseason among the linebackers, and those practices will be put to the test on Saturday. If A&M can find a way to force Auburn to go to the air then they will have a good chance to win the game.
Q. Which areas should Auburn be particularly concerned about?
A. With the return of Speedy Noil, A&M boasts the best receiving corps in the country. And even though the Tiger defense has looked terrific in the first two weeks of the season, I think they have their work cut out Saturday. Josh Reynolds is a tall and athletic receiver who poses a legitimate vertical threat, Ricky Seals-Jones is a big, physical guy who is a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries and Noil and Christian Kirk are both versatile speedsters who are lethal when they get the ball in space.
Q. The visiting team has won every Auburn-A&M matchup since the Aggies moved to the SEC. Does that continue this Saturday?
A. I think so. Trevor Knight showed plenty of improvement last week, and I expect him to take another positive step forward. He has an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball, plenty of weapons at his disposal, especially with Keith Ford and Trayveon Williams looking like a legit backfield duo. If Knight can distribute the ball to all of those athletes in an efficient manner, then I think the Aggies will put up enough points to win.
Q. Score prediction?
A. The Auburn defense looks stout and the offense looked explosive last week against Arkansas State, but I think the Aggies are the better team. I think their defense is going to find a way to contain Gus Malzahn's running game and force Sean White -- or whoever else the Tigers line up behind center -- to beat them with his arm. I think the Aggies leave the High Plains with a 27-17 victory.
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