The Auburn Tigers began SEC play this afternoon with a road trip to College Station.
It was the first real test for Auburn, who began the season 3-0 with two easy games at home and a concerning road victory at California where major red flags with the offense were evident.
These red flags were on full display this afternoon. The first three weeks of the season were all pointing to this moment. There were a couple of decent showings at home against vastly inferior opponents.
Excuses were made in the first road game at Cal Berkeley. It was a long trip. It was a late start. But Saturday in College Station proved that this Auburn team still has a very long way to go.
As the game went on and Aggie Quarterback Connor Weigman went down with an apparent ankle injury, one thing became clear. The Aggies have at least two quarterbacks far superior to anything the Tigers are rolling out there right now.
Redshirt sophomore backup, Max Johnson, started the second half and immediately led A&M to two scoring drives. The first culminated in a touchdown pass to his brother Jake, who caught his first college touchdown.
On the positive side of things for Auburn, their defense looked like the real deal in the first half. The last three drives of the first half, A&M was held to just 17 yards on 9 plays.
However, whether it was Bobby Petrino and Jimbo Fisher making the right half time adjustments, or the defense tiring in the 95 degree Texas heat, they could not sustain the same level of play.
Eugene Asante narrowed the gap to 20-10. At the time of the touchdown, Asante’s 67 yard return represented 2/3 of the total offensive output for the Tigers and then for a brief moment, there was hope for the Auburn faithful.
After a quick stop of the Aggies, Auburn used some creative runs against an A&M prevent defense to get into field goal range with a chance to make it into a one score game.
However, the 7th sack by the Aggies and a costly holding penalty knocked the Tigers out. A 79-yard run and subsequent touchdown for the Aggies was the final blow.
And what does Auburn get as a reward for their middling offense next week? A date with the two time defending national champs… the Georgia Bulldogs.
You can follow Michael Brauner on Twitter @MBraunerWSNP
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