How Texas A&M's Defense is Stepping Up at Right Time

With the Texas A&M Aggies advancing to 4-0 for the first time since 2016 with a win over Auburn, there are many positive points that Texas A&M can look at. Overall, the defense was incredible as it held Auburn to a total of 177 offensive yards.

Towards the end of last season, Texas A&M received some heat as it lost four of its last five games with the lone win coming against New Mexico State. At the end of last season, the Aggies ranked 13th in the Southeastern Conference in passing yards allowed per game with 232.2.

But this weekend against Auburn, Texas A&M's defense proved to have made some changes during the offseason, as they played a phenomenal four quarters against a conference foe.

Defense Pre and Post Auburn

Texas A&M Will Le — Sep 27, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies cornerback Will Lee III (4) motions to the crowd during the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In the Aggies first three games of the season against UTSA, Utah State and Notre Dame, the defense gave up 24, 22 and 40 points respectively, while they held Auburn to just 10 this past Saturday. So what was the difference?

The defense struggled early in the season against UTSA, where they allowed Robert Henry Jr. to rush for 177 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown run to open up the second half. After the Roadrunners got within reaching distance, the Aggies stepped it up on both offense and defense and finished with a 42-24 victory.

Against Notre Dame, the Aggies gave up 40 points, yet the offense was able to back up the defense by scoring 41. The defense was able to record their first interception against the Fighting Irish with a pickoff from Scooby Williams.

After a bye week before heading into Auburn, it seems like the Texas A&M defense was able to sharpen up on some things as they only let the Tigers have 177 yards of total offense. Along with under 200 yards of offense, the defense forced the Tigers to punt nine times.

A big part the defense played was holding Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold to only 11 rushing yards on 17 carries. Arnold has used his legs all season long as he rushed for a season high 137 yards in the Tigers' opener against Baylor.

The defense was also able to hold running back Jeremiah Cobb to a season low 28 yards, which ultimately shut down Auburn's entire offense. The defense has made major improvements from the first few weeks.

If the defense can continue improving, Texas A&M could be a very hard team to score points against.