Auburn Daily Roundtable: How should Tiger fans feel about the Texas A&M matchup?

Auburn travels to Texas A&M for their SEC opener this weekend.

There's a lot of unease surrounding the Tiger fanbase heading into the matchup.

How should we feel about the game, and how should we approach a win or loss?

Here's our staff's thoughts on the Aggies:

What's the biggest area of weakness for Auburn this weekend?

Jack - Pass rush, through three games against inferior offensive lines Auburn has had 8.0 sacks and with A&M only allowing around one a game it’ll be the biggest weakness in my opinion.

Joshua - I feel like the greatest weakness still remains to be our rush defense.

Jeremy - Composure. Let’s face it, Auburn did not look great on the road under the lights two weeks ago. Starting the SEC slate on the road isn’t ideal for a lot of new faces and guys who haven’t played together. This team needs to prove they can go into a hostile road environment and remain calm and poised.

Steve - Injuries. If Kam Stutts and Izavion Miller can’t go Saturday that will really hurt the effectiveness of the running game. Keionte Scott is out and as we’ve already seen that really has a negative impact on punt return ability, not to mention his absence on the defensive side of the ball.

Zac - This answer really depends on who plays among Auburn’s banged up players. If Stutts and Miller play, I think the mismatch is Auburn’s defensive front be TAMU’s OL.

Lindsay - The pass rush. Auburn's had to send defensive backs and linebackers to generate pressure, and you're both dealing with injuries in those groups and facing an offense that likes to spread it out and get the ball out quick. Can Auburn's defensive liner generate enough pressure to impact the QB?

Sheldon - Turnovers. With four turnovers in the game against Cal and three turnovers against Samford, Auburn must win the turnover battle this Saturday and not have the same problems protecting the ball.

What will be the most important aspect of Auburn's offense vs the Aggies?

Jack - Diversity, the ability to scheme off of runs and mix up your passing concepts will make it an interesting game.

Joshua - Balance will be the most important impact. If Auburn can establish a run game it will open up additional passing opportunities.

Jeremy - The running game. The offensive line is dealing with some injuries. If we can run the ball consistently and get a push up front, Peyton Thorne will have a much better shot at getting into rhythm and delivering a win.

Steve - Third down conversions. Auburn must be able to keep drives alive by converting those third down situations. Keeping The Aggies' offense on the bench is a good defense.

Zac - Opening up the passing game and protecting the football.

Lindsay - Consistency. Auburn's defense played a LOT of snaps versus CAL because Auburn's offense couldn't sustain drives. Facing an Air Raid team with an injury-impacted defensive backfield can make for some tired defenders in the 4th quarter if the offense can't keep the chains moving.

Sheldon - Time possession is an underrated aspect of the game. The Auburn Tigers need to have long drives to keep the Aggies offense off the field and keep the Tiger’s defense fresh.

If Texas A&M blows the Tigers out, what would be the primary reason why?

Jack - An inability to stop the run and pursue the quarterback consistently.

Joshua - I don't believe this game will turn into a blow out, too many things would have to go completely wrong for Auburn to not keep it at least a close game.

Jeremy - Turnovers. Auburn has struggled with turnovers and that obviously can’t continue. If A&M gets up early at home it could lead to a blowout if the running backs can’t hang on to the football.

Steve - If Auburn is blown out, it will probably be due to poor field position, turnovers and/or the inability of the offense to start and sustain drives.

Zac - Auburn’s offense plays like it did at Cal.

Lindsay - Fatigue on Auburn's defense combined with an inability to move the ball through the air for Auburn's offense.

Sheldon - Turnovers. Turning it over three or four times against Texas A&M, like they did against Cal and Samford, would be the nail in the coffin.

Give your four impact players for this game, two for Auburn and two for A&M.

Jack - Payton Thorne and Jalen McCleod for the Tigers. Connor Weigman and Ainias Smith for the Aggies.

Joshua - Payton Thorne and Donovan Kaufman for Auburn. Connor Weigman and Ainias Smith for Texas A&M

Jeremy - Payton Thorne, Shane Hooks, Connor Weigman, Ainias Smith.

Steve - Payton Thorne, Jaylin Simpson, Conner Weigman and Evan Stewart.

Zac - Donovan Kaufman, Payton Thorne, Evan Stewart, Fadil Diggs.

Lindsay - Payton Thorne and Rivaldo Fairweather for Auburn, Connor Weigman and Evan Stewart for A&M.

Sheldon - Jaylin Simpson, Jeremiah Cobb, Conner Weigman, Shemar Turner.

What's your gut feeling about this game? How should Auburn fans approach this one win or lose?

Jack - I expect a close game, favoring the Aggies. Win or lose its Freezes first SEC game at an SEC school in over five years. Success like 2019 LSU can’t be expected every year, a 7-8 win season should be celebrated so don’t get upset if Auburn drops one on the road in one of the most hostile places in the country.

Joshua - I feel that Auburn does have a chance to win this game provided they play well. I think that the Auburn fanbase as a whole should look at this matchup win or lose as a genuine scale of where the team stands currently and how they may fair throughout SEC play.

Jeremy - Playing on the road is tough. Auburn fans should be ELATED if Hugh Freeze can get a win Saturday. If the Tigers come up short on the road, fans should not hang their heads all. Recruiting has been great. The program is headed in the right direction. This is a mulligan season. If Auburn wanted to win championships this year, they should have hired Hugh two years ago.

Steve - A win would provide a huge amount of momentum for the Tigers as they welcome Georgia to the plains next week. A close loss where Auburn plays well for the most part, would still provide some optimism going forward. A blow out, where everything went wrong would be very discouraging and make it difficult to get off the mat next week against Georgia.

Zac - Look at what Freeze has done with the program. Auburn is trending up. Regardless of the outcome Saturday, Auburn is gaining ground in the SEC.

Lindsay - My gut feeling is that Auburn wins a one-score game, but Auburn fans should know that we're not favored and the goal should be to see that the offense can work against an SEC opponent. It's not going to look as good as it did against Samford, but the goal should be to be competitive and not look as bad as you did against Cal.

Sheldon - My gut feeling is Auburn loses or wins by a field goal at Kyle Field. Auburn is heading in the right direction. Auburn has an open and honest coach who has built a solid staff and recruited players for the future that will help this team get to where the Auburn faithful want it to go.