Credit to Rachel Perreault | Director, Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In a game highlighted by the Aggie defense and the stellar reserve quarterback work of Max Johnson, the Texas A&M football team soundly defeated the Auburn Tigers, 27-10, at Kyle Field Saturday to begin SEC play.
Spelling starter Conner Weigman due to injury with a precarious 6-3 lead coming out of halftime, Johnson completed his first five passes for 95 yards, including a pair of touchdown strikes, to lead Texas A&M in a dominant second half.
Meanwhile, the Texas A&M defense overwhelmed Auburn, holding the Tigers to 200 yards of total offense thanks in large part to a season-high seven sacks. The visitors were only able to scrounge up 56 passing yards on the day with three different quarterbacks taking snaps.
Auburn’s first four drives of the second half resulted in three-and-outs and Texas A&M outgained the Tigers 146-2 in total offense in the pivotal third quarter. The Maroon & White held the Tigers to 3-of-15 on third-down conversions for the game, including just 1-of-10 through the first three quarters.
After the Aggie defense held Auburn to a three-and-out on the first series of the second half, Johnson led Ol’ Sarge’s charges on a six-play, 46-yard drive, hitting his brother Jake Johnson for a 22-yard scoring toss, staking the Maroon & White to a 13-3 lead with 9:42 remaining in the quarter.
The Texas A&M defense stymied the Tigers again on the next drive after just three plays and the Aggies followed with another touchdown drive. This time they traveled 65 yards on six plays, capped by a precision 37-yard aerial to Evan Stewart in the end zone to stretch the margin 17 at the 6:22 mark of the third quarter.
Auburn’s lone touchdown was scored by its defense early in the last quarter. Kayin Lee forced a Rueben Owens fumble at the Tigers’ 33-yard line and Eugene Asante picked it up and rambled 67-yards to cut the A&M advantage to 20-10 with 12:16 left in the game.
Amari Daniels iced the game with 4:20 remaining when he weaved his way to a career-long 79-yard run, taking the ball down to the Auburn 4-yard line. Le’Veon Moss pounded his way into the end zone on the next play for the final score of the game.
Max Johnson ended the day hitting on 7-of-11 through the air for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
The Aggies mounted a 6-0 lead with a pair of first quarter field goals by Randy Bond. He closed out Texas A&M’s game-opening 12-play, 41-yard drive with a 51-yarder. With 5:31 remaining in the period he hit a 32-yarder following a three-and-out by Auburn.
Texas A&M appeared to score a defensive touchdown when the Tigers’ Damari Alston caught a flare pass from Payton Thorne and turned up field and fumbled the ball after getting thumped by Tyreek Chappell. Edgerrin Cooper scooped up the ball and scampered 63 yards. Video review in Birmingham overturned the action deeming it an incomplete pass.
The second quarter was a field position battle with neither team able to cash in until the Tigers’ Alex McPherson put a 53-yard field goal through the uprights with five seconds remaining in the half. The highlight for Texas A&M in the quarter was 3.0 quarterback sacks.
The backfield tandem of Moss and Daniels gobbled up career highs for rushing yardage. Moss ended the day with 97 yards on 15 carries. Daniels added 85 yards on five totes as the Aggies rolled up 209 yards in the ground game.
Linebackers Taurean York and Cooper played like mad dogs in a meat market to lead the A&M defense. York registered a career-high 11 tackles, including 2.0 TFL. Cooper logged eight tackles, including 3.0 TFL and a career-high 2.0 sacks. Walter Nolen and Chris Russell Jr. both checked in with 1.5 sacks.
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Texas A&M Football Post Game Notes
Texas A&M 27, Auburn 10
Kyle Stadium (Bryan-College Station, Texas)
Team Notes
- The Texas A&M defense forced an Auburn punt or turnover on downs on 10-of-11 drives, including five 3-and-outs.
- The Aggies limited Auburn to just 3-of-15 (20.0%) on third down, which marked the fourth straight game with three-or-fewer successful third-down tries by their opponent. Over the past two games, the Aggies have limited opponents to 4-of-37 (10.8%) on third-down tries. For the season, opponents have successfully converted just 20.4% (10-of-49) on third down.
- The Aggies harassed the Auburn signal-callers all day, while producing a season-high 7.0 sacks, which marked the most sacks by an Aggie squad since the defense generated 7.0 against South Carolina in 2017.
- The Maroon & White limited Auburn to 10 points, which marked the first time the defense has allowed 10-or-fewer points in an SEC game since beating Auburn, 20-3, in 2021.
- The Texas A&M defense has held opponents without a touchdown on all eight opening series of the game and second half in 2023. Auburn was limited to 3-and-outs on both opening drives.
- Texas A&M has scored at least a field goal on every game-opening possession and added points in three of four games on second-half openers.
- Texas A&M hit the 400-yard plateau in total offense for the fourth straight game with 402 total yards against the Tigers. The Aggies limited the Tigers to 200 total yards, which was a season low allowed for Texas A&M and season low gained for Auburn.
- A&M held its opponent to less than 100 yards through the air for the second straight week and the 10th time under head coach Jimbo Fisher after allowing just 56 yards through the air.
- The Aggies produced 6.9 yards per play, while limiting the Tigers to 3.1 yards per play.
- Ten different players combined to generate 15 tackles behind the Tiger line of scrimmage. Producing multiple TFLs were junior LB Edgerrin Cooper (3.0), freshman LB Taurean York (2.0), sophomore DB Bryce Anderson (2.0), Sophomore DL Walter Nolen (2.0) and senior LB Chris Russell Jr. (1.5).
- Today’s captains against Auburn were OL Layden Robinson, DL McKinnley Jackson, DB Demani Richardson and WR Ainias Smith.
Individual Notes
- Sophomore QB Max Johnson came off the bench and connected on 7-of-11 passes for 123 yards including two touchdowns as his two scoring strikes marked the first time in his A&M career he has thrown multiple touchdown passes in a game.
- Johnson’s interception-free game increased his streak of pass attempts without a pickoff to 102, while at Texas A&M.
- Johnson came in for sophomore QB Conner Weigman, who left the game late in the second quarter with a lower leg injury. Before departing Weigman had completed 8-of-14 passes for 70 yards.
- Graduate WR Ainias Smith moved past Jhamon Ausbon (2017-19) into eighth on A&M’s all-time receiving yards list after his 78 yards against Auburn upped his career total to 1,884.
- Smith’s 13-yard reception in the first quarter gave him 31-consecutive games with at least one reception, which dates back to the LSU game of the 2019 season and ranks as the 10th-longest streak in the nation.
- Sophomore TE Jake Johnson scored the first touchdown of his career, battling his way into the end zone after catching a 22-yard pass from his brother, Max, midway through the third quarter. This marked the first time in school history that brothers have connected on a touchdown pass and catch.
- Sophomore WR Evan Stewart scored the fifth touchdown of his career and third of the season on a 37-yard reception in the third quarter.
- Sophomore RB Le’Veon Moss posted career highs in both rushing yards and carries with 97 yards on 15 carries. He had a career-long rush of 36 yards in the first quarter and scored on a 4-yard rush for the Aggies’ final TD in the victory.
- Junior RB Amari Daniels produced the Aggies’ long play of the season with a 79-yard rush late in the fourth quarter. For the game, Daniels rushed for a career-high 85 yards on five carries.
- Freshman LB Taurean York posted the first double-digit tackles game of his career with 11 stops while also filling the stat sheet with a half-sack and 2.0 tackles for loss.
- Junior LB Edgerrin Cooper led the way with a career-high 2.0 sacks, while sophomore DL Walter Nolen and senior LB Chris Russell Jr. chipped in with 1.5 sacks to each set new career marks.
- Junior PK Randy Bond made it back-to-back weeks with 50-plus yard field goals as he sailed a 51-yarder through the uprights to put the Aggies on the board in the first quarter.