Auburn Football: Scouting Texas A&M, By the Numbers

The Auburn football team hosts SEC West foe Texas A&M Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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The Tigers are 7-1 overall and 4-1 in SEC play, and are ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, the Amway Coaches Poll and by the College Football Playoff Committee. Last week Auburn defeated Ole Miss 35-31 in dramatic fashion to retain their lofty status as the nation’s highest ranked one-loss team.

Texas A&M began the season 5-0 and moved as high as sixth in the AP poll, but three consecutive losses to division rivals have slowed the team’s momentum considerable. The Aggies defeated UL Monroe 21-16 last week to become bowl eligible.

As we look ahead to the game, we examine Texas A&M’s season to date from a statistical standpoint.

Offense

The Aggies average 36.4 points per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC and 20^th nationally.
Texas A&M averages 150 rushing yards per game so far in 2014, which ranks 13^th in the SEC and 82^nd in the country.
A&M has passed for an average of 335.4 yards per game this season, which ranks first in the SEC and seventh nationally.
The 485.4 yards of total offense the Aggies have gained on average is the third best in the SEC and 22^nd among all FBS teams.

Defense

Texas A&M has allowed opponents to score 25.9 points per game this season, which ranks 12^th in the SEC and 63^rd nationally.
The Aggies have allowed 177.8 rushing yards per game on average, which ranks 12^th in the Southeastern Conference and 87^th in the country.
A&M had held opponents to 236.4 passing yards per contest in 2014, which ranks 11^th in the SEC and 75^th among FBS members.
The Texas A&M defense allows an average of 414.2 yards of total offense, which is the 12^th best in the SEC and 78^th nationally.

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With 3.5 sacks last week against UL Monroe, true freshman defensive end Myles Garrett passed former South Carolina standout Jadeveon Clowney to set a new SEC freshman record for sacks in a season. Garrett now has 11 sacks for the Aggies, which ranked fifth nationally.
As a team, Texas A&M has 30 sacks, which is the second highest total in the SEC (Missouri has 31) and ranks seventh nationally.
Fellow freshman Speedy Noil has accounted for more than 100 all-purpose in each of his last four games.
Josh Lambo is 7-for-8 on field goals and 43-of-43 on extra points this season.
The Texas A&M scoring defense has been good in the fourth quarter this season. The Aggies hold a 96-30 scoring edge in the game’s final 15 minutes and overtime this season.
Punter Drew Kaser (#Kaser4Heisman) ranked 15^th in the country with a 40.4-yard net punting average. His 45.1-yard punting average in conference play is third best in the SEC.
Wide receiver Josh Reynolds has eight touchdown catches this season. The eight TDs in his first nine career games for the Aggies is a school record.
Texas A&M has accumulated more than 630 offensive yards in three games this season (South Carolina, Lamar and SMU) and had 520+ yards against both Arkansas and Mississippi State.

The Bad

Head coach Kevin Sumlin has performed well against ranked opponents in his career, and hold a 9-10 all-time record against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. However, the Aggies are just 2-7 against ranked teams across their last nine matchups.
Kyle Allen won his first start for the Aggies last week, but it was not pretty. The true freshman signal caller completed 13 of 28 passes (46.4%) for 106 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Texas A&M defense has improved statistically since 2013, but the Aggies still have issues stopping SEC opponents. A&M has allowed 39.6 points and 483.2 total yards per game in SEC play this season. The 2013 Aggies defense – which was one of the worst in the nation – allowed 37 points and 499 yards on average against the rest of the SEC.

The Ugly

Texas A&M has 415 yards of total offense combined in the team’s last two games. The 172 total yards against Alabama and 243 against UL Monroe are the two lowest yardage total the Aggies have had under Sumlin.
Kenny Hill, who became an early season Heisman Trophy candidate, lost his starting job after the Aggies’ 59-0 loss to Alabama and was suspended for two games prior to last week’s 21-16 win over ULM.
The Aggies have lost three consecutive games to ranked SEC West opponents by a combined score of 47-17. A&M lost 48-31 to Mississippi State, 35-20 to Ole Miss and 59-0 to Alabama during the month of October. The Auburn football team is currently ranked No. 3 in both national polls as well as the College Football Playoff committee.
Texas A&M has intercepted just three passes this season, which is the fewest in the SEC. Only Washington State has intercepted fewer passes nationally.

Next: Auburn vs Texas A&M Series History

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