The only numbers that matter for Auburn is the final score: 28-24. That’s a good thing for the Tigers because the rest of the box score was won by the Aggies.
In total offensive yards, the Aggies had 143 more than Auburn. The Aggies had 421 yards for the day, while the Tigers had 278. Texas A&M had 28 first downs compared to Auburn’s 13.
Texas A&M had possession of the ball for 38 minutes of the game, while Auburn controlled it for only 21 minutes and 19 seconds.
The closest number was in passing yards. Auburn had 259 yards in the air, 239 from Jarrett Stidham and 20 from one pass by Ryan Davis. On the Aggies’ side, Kellen Mond threw for 220 yards.
The biggest difference, though, was in the run game. Texas A&M ran for 201 yards, while Auburn had only 19 rushing yards.
“Defensively, they’re as good as advertised against the run,” said head coach Gus Malzahn.
Coming into today’s game, Texas A&M had the best defense against the run game in the SEC, and the fifth-best in the country. They have held opponents to an average of 89.3 rushing yards per game.
When the first quarter ended, the Tigers had -14 rushing yards. The 37 yards they gained on the ground in the second quarter put them at 13 rushing yards in the first half. In the second half, the Tigers gained only six yards rushing.
Leading the Tigers in their run game was JaTavious Whitlow, who rushed for 16 yards. Whitlow is still not 100 percent, but he wanted to play in the game, according to Malzahn.
For Texas A&M, nearly half of their total offensive yards came on the ground. Trayveon Williams ran for 107 yards against the Tigers defense. He scored three touchdowns for the Aggies, two of which were from his run game. One was a 38-yard rush up the middle.
“I thought they had a good plan offensively,” Malzahn said. “They were able to run the football. They’ve got a very good running back.”
In a game where the numbers do not quite add up to a win, attitude played a big role.
“Auburn is built on toughness and is built on fight,” said linebacker Deshaun Davis. “I can tell you, my team showed a lot of fight tonight. We showed a lot of grit. We showed some will not to quit, and we found a win to win this game.”
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