AUBURN, Ala. – A rested top 10 opponent on the road? Just another Saturday in the Southeastern Conference.
After a dramatic and disappointing 24-17 defeat last week at No. 11 Oklahoma, in which the Sooners’ only touchdown in the first 55 minutes came on a hideout play the Southeastern Conference later said should have instead resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Auburn visits No. 9 Texas A&M Saturday.
Despite the officiating miscue, the Tigers still had a one-point lead midway through the fourth quarter before the Sooners rallied in what Auburn coach Hugh Freeze called a “disappointing loss.”
“The plays were there for us to have a chance to beat a quality opponent on the road in this league,” Freeze said. “We’ve got to learn how to win those games, and it starts with us as coaches.”
Freeze found positives in the performance.
“There were a lot of good things on that film,” he said. “The thing I point out first is the passion and the resilience I thought our kids played with in a difficult environment and getting some difficult breaks.
“They continued to fight the entire 60 minutes, and we had a chance to win the football game. They made the drive when they had to, but if our defense plays like that, they’ll keep us in a lot of games.
“There’s certainly a lot of things we can improve upon, but it was fun to watch them compete. it stings, but we’ve got to put it behind us and move on to A&M.”
Now the Tigers travel to Bryan-College Station, Texas, to continue a series that’s produced many memorable games in its first 15 matchups.
“We’re really closer, and we’ll get to get tested again, certainly, with an excellent top 10 team on the road at A&M,” Freeze said.
In their SEC opener, the Aggies will be looking to avenge Auburn’s 43-41 quadruple overtime upset last November, when Texas A&M was ranked No. 15.
“(Texas A&M quarterback) Marcel Reed, we saw him last year, is super twitchy and can throw and run it,” Freeze said. “They have a great running game, best running game we’ve seen. This will test our run defense for sure.”
Auburn (3-1, 0-1) and No. 9 Texas A&M (3-0, 0-0) kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Kyle Field with Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer and Katie George on the broadcast. On the Auburn Sports Network, Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell and Bret Eddins will bring the action to listeners.