The Auburn Tigers got big days offensively from Jarett Stidham and Kerryon Williams and took advantage of several Texas A&M miscues en route to a 42-27 win. The Aggies fall to 5-4 on the season and now Kevin Sumlin’s job status looks even more tenuous.
With that, here are a few takeaways from an interesting afternoon in College Station.
Stidham With Big Day In Texas Homecoming
The former Stephenville quarterback made his return to the Lone Star State for the first time since leaving Baylor in 2015 and he did not disappoint. Jarrett Stidham started a perfect 10-for-10 and once he found his rhythm, the Auburn offense was in full sync.
The sophomore finished 20 of 27 for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the contest. The win keeps the Tigers in the playoff conversation and with two upcoming spotlight games against Georgia and Alabama, the former Yellowjacket will be a big key for Gus Malzahn and Auburn the rest of the way.
Late First Half Momentum Swing Costs Aggies
The pivotal moments of the game came late in the first half with the Aggies holding a 13-7 lead. With less than three minutes to go, Stidham found Darius Slayton for a 53-yard touchdown pass over the middle of the field to give Auburn the lead again.
Then, after Texas A&M went three and out (thanks to some conservative playcalling), Shane Trupicka had a punt blocked and recovered for a touchdown to make it 21-10. That sequence in the last 1:36 seemed to take the wind out of Texas A&M’s sails and they never looked the same.
Defense Gets Outworked
Simply put, the Aggies got manhandled from the second quarter on. Running back Kerryon Johnson had a big day on the ground for Auburn, rushing for 145 yards and a score on Saturday.
The defense held serve in the early stages, but just never looked the same after the late surge by Auburn in the half. The Tigers finished with 496 yards of total offense in the win.
Quarterback Carousel Keeps Spinning
Kellen Mond got the start for the Aggies and simply looked flat from the beginning. The true freshman finished 5-of-11 for just 16 yards and was benched midway through the second quarter for Nick Starkel. To Starkel’s credit, he gave the Aggies a spark.
He finished 11-of-22 for 184 yards and it appears the starting job is back in his hands per head coach Kevin Sumlin. In a position that has not seen a lot of stability, the carousel keeps spinning again. The Aggies will look to bounce back next Saturday at the final home game of the season in College Station as they host New Mexico.
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