Auburn Tigers 3 Keys to Victory over Texas A&M

The Auburn Tigers can upset the Texas A&M Aggies if they succeed in these three ways

After beating Louisiana-Monroe 48-14 inside Jordan-Hare Stadium last week, the Auburn Tigers remain home for a matchup with the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies. Auburn needs to win if it wants to keep its hopes of making a bowl game alive.

Auburn will be looking for its second SEC win of the season. Texas A&M is hoping to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive as well as build more momentum heading into its game against No. 3 Texas next week.

Here are three keys to victory for Auburn.

Keep the crowd engaged

Despite wins being difficult to come by for the Tigers in recent years, Jordan-Hare Stadium is still regarded as one of college football’s toughest places for visiting teams to play.

This game is set to take place under the lights which should energize the fans even more and Auburn needs to capitalize. If the Tigers can keep the game close and the crowd engaged, they will have a chance of pulling off the upset.

“Night games in Jordan-Hare are always fun, our people enjoy it,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. “If we can find a way to get this thing to the fourth quarter with a chance to win it, our fans will make a difference. I believe that with all my heart.”

The Tigers will need their fans’ support as much as ever as they look to pull off an upset that could shake the playoff landscape completely.

Make Marcel Reed Uncomfortable

Texas A&M has played significantly better since making the switch from Connor Weigman to Reed at quarterback.

Reed is a dual-threat quarterback, a play style that Auburn has seen previously this season. If the Tigers can get pressure on Reed, they will be in good shape. If Reed has time in the pocket or an escape route, however, Auburn’s bowl hopes could go up in smoke.

"That's something that we were pretty awful at the beginning of the year, and I think we've consistently gotten better at containing those dynamic guys,” Freeze said. “I think the stats show that and I think the games prove that. Hopefully, those experiences are something that we can draw upon, and these guys are really balanced.”

Take Care of the Football

Auburn has cleaned up this area quite a bit as the season has gone along, but the objective remains the same.

The Aggies are arguably the best defense Auburn has faced this season and providing them with additional opportunities to make an impact will lead to Auburn’s seventh loss of the season.

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The television broadcast will be carried by SEC Network.