AggieYell.com's breakdown of the matchup between Texas A&M (2-1) and Auburn (3-0) continues with a look at the Tigers offense against the Aggie defense.
Where, when, weather and TV
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
When: 11 a.m. central time Saturday
Weather: Very hot, with a high of 99
TV: ESPN
Auburn two-deep
QB: #1, Payton Thorne; 6-2, 203; Jr.-TR.
#9, Robby Ashford; 6-3, 218; So.
RB: #27, Jarquez Hunter; 5-10, 212; Jr.
#22, Damari Alston; 5-9, 209; So.
TE: #13, Rivaldo Fairweather; 6-4, 251; Jr.
#86, Luke Deal; 6-5, 257; Jr.
WR (Z): #14, Jyaire Shorter; 6-2, 209; Sr.
#19, Omari Kelly; 6, 178; So.
WR (H): #5, Jay Fair; 5-10, 186; So.
#6, Ja’Varrius Johnson; 5-10, 167; Sr.
WR (X): #3, Shane Hooks; 6-4, 191; Sr.
#4, Camden Brown; 6-3, 203; So.
LT: #52, Dillon Wade; 6-3, 307; Jr.
#63, Jaden Muskrat; 6-3, 302; Jr.
LG: #77, Jeremiah Wright; 6-5, 338; Jr.
#54, Tate Johnson; 6-4, 302; Jr.
C: #66, Avery Jones; 6-4, 307; Sr.
#75, Connor Lew; 6-3, 290; Fr.
RG: #62, Kam Stutts; 6-5, 343; Sr.
#50, Jalil Irvin; 6-3, 319; Sr.
RT: #53, Gunner Britton; 6-6, 312; Sr.
#72, Izavion Miller; 6-5, 318; Jr.
Texas A&M two-deep
DE: #10, Fadil Diggs; 6-5, 260; RS-Jr.
#18, LT Overton; 6-5, 265; So.
NT: #3, McKinnley Jackson; 6-2, 325; Sr.
#34, Isaiah Raikes; 6-2, 325; RS-Jr.
DT: #0, Walter Nolen; 6-4, 290; So.
#17, Albert Regis; 6-2, 325; So.
DE: #5, Shemar Turner; 6-4, 290; Jr.
#4, Shemar Stewart; 6-6, 285; So.
WILL: #45, Edgerrin Cooper; 6-3, 230; RS-Jr.
#40, Martrell Harris Jr.; 6-2, 220; So.
MIKE: #21, Taurean York; 6, 230; Fr.
#24, Chris Russell Jr.; 6-2, 235; RS-Sr.
NICKEL: #1, Bryce Anderson; 6, 195; So.
#25, Dalton Brooks; 6, 195; Fr.
CB: #7, Tyreek Chappell; 5-11, 185; Jr.
#11, Deuce Harmon; 5-10, 185; RS-So.
SS: #26, Demani Richardson; 6-1, 215; RS-Sr.
#9, Bobby Taylor; 6-1, 185; RS-Fr.
FS: #2, Jacoby Mathews; 6-2, 215; So.
#33, Jarred Kerr; 6, 195; So.
CB: #28, Josh DeBerry; 6-1, 180; Gr.-TR.
#14, Jayvon Thomas; 6, 190; Fr.
Injury update
Auburn: OL Kam Stutts and Izavion Miller are questionable.
Texas A&M: S Jardin Gilbert (undisclosed) is out. CBs Tony Grimes, Tyreek Chappell and Jayvon Thomas are expected to play.
Auburn statistical leaders
Rushing: Thorne, 22 carries, 140 yards (6.4 YPC), 2 TD
Alston, 24 carries, 119 yards (5 YPC), 1 TD
Hunter, 22 carries, 90 yards (4.1 YPC), 1 TD
Passing: Thorne, 43-63 (68.3%), 517 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
Ashford, 6-13, 61 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Fair, 14 catches, 174 yards (12.4 YPC), 2 TD
Fairweather, 8 catches 96 yards (12 YPC), 1 TD
Hooks, 5 catches, 88 yards (17.6 YPC), 1 TD
Texas A&M statistical leaders
Tackles: Cooper, 16
DeBerry, 14
York, 11
Tackles for loss: Cooper, 4
Turner, 3
Diggs, 2
Sacks: Turner, 3
DeBerry, Sylla and Stewart, 1
Interceptions: DeBerry, 1
Forced fumbles: Turner, 2
Fumble recoveries: Cooper, 1
Head-to-head
What Auburn wants to do
RPO you to death. This is the absolute centerpiece of their offense, even in third and long situations. That's why Thorne, an absolute non-factor in Michigan State's running game for three years, leads the Tigers in rushing. They will rotate a bunch of capable backs in to keep them fresh, but they want to run as much as humanly possible while still being up-tempo.
Thorne was brought in to be a game manager and be a fairly consistent passer, and so far he's going 1 for 2. He's managed the game pretty well, has completed 68% of his passes and gets the ball out quickly (quick outs and slants, mostly) to his receivers in the RPO game. But he's also thrown three interceptions and fumbled once, so consistency hasn't been there.
The Tigers have already turned the ball over 7 times this season, so ball control has not been their strong suit. They've also had a bad habit of turning the ball over in the red zone, which has them as a well below average team when they get inside the opponent's 20.
The threats in the passing game are Fair and Fairweather. Fair is the guy who has the speed to get deep and leads the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Fairweather is a talented tight end who averaged better than 15 yards a catch last year with a fair less effective passing game. He'll be a challenge for Jacoby Mathews and Demani Richardson.
Hugh Freeze has changed things up quite a bit, especially in the red zone, by bringing in backup quarterback Robby Ashford. Ashford leads the team with 4 rushing touchdowns and, while he's not a good passer at all, he's found ways to make things happen with his feet. But it's becoming more apparent what he's up to each week.
The Tigers aren't where a Hugh Freeze offense normally is, but they've still been effective. Odds are he'll have a trick or two up his sleeve this weekend.
What A&M may do to counter
Stay home, stuff the run as much as possible and force Thorne to throw in longer down and distance situations.
The Aggies have been bad, again, at forcing turnovers and getting sacks. But in terms of the running game, they've done pretty well at limiting the forward progress of opponents. New Mexico, Miami and ULM have averaged just 3.4 yards a carry, and the large majority of carries haven't gotten that far. With Auburn's RPO game, the challenge gets ramped up considerably. The Aggie defense -- particularly LBs Edgerrin Cooper and Taurean York and nickel Bryce Anderson -- have to stay in the right spot and not bite on the fakes.
Since Auburn is run-heavy, this will likely be a game where we see a lot of the big guys -- Shemar Turner, McKinnley Jackson, Walter Nolen and Fadil Diggs. If the Aggies can get some push in the middle, then the whole RPO scheme crumbles if the guys on the outside are staying home. If Stutts isn't fully healthy, that could be a big problem against Nolen and Jackson.
The Aggies will have to figure out how to limit Fairweather's effectiveness. Auburn will likely try to get him open down the seam, so it'll likely be up to Mathews to take that away.
A&M shouldn't have trouble figuring out what Auburn wants to do. It's a matter of having the discipline to not leave glaring opportunities for the Tigers to exploit.
