Aggies Announce Kickoff Time Against Auburn

Texas A&M will have an early test in SEC play against Auburn on Sept. 23 at Kyle Field, both metaphorically and literally.

Kickoff for the Aggies' conference opener against the Tigers is scheduled for 11 a.m. next Saturday at home and will be televised on ESPN. The Aggies are looking to avenge their 13-10 loss against Auburn last season on the road against then-interim coach Carnell "Cadillac" Williams.

From the jump, the game was ugly at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Neither team's passing game could catch fire, forcing a ground-and-pound performance en route to the fourth quarter. A&M (1-1) dealt with multiple injuries and suspensions, forcing younger talent to grow up in front of fans and coaches throughout the night.

🚨 Kickoff time set for Auburn

📺 ESPN
⌚️ 11 a.m. CT
🏟️ Kyle Field pic.twitter.com/mbj0GJZMS0
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) September 11, 2023

The Aggies totaled 215 yards of offense and 12 first downs, three of which came on penalties against Auburn. Robby Ashford connected with Ja'Varrius Johnson for a 16-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Tigers the early 7-0 lead.

Alex McPherson drilled two field goals to make it 13-3 with three minutes left. Conner Weigman found Jalen Preston for a 17-yard score with just under two minutes to play, but speical teams couldn't recover the onside kick.

Liberty's Hugh Freeze replaced Bryan Harsin following a 5-7 finish and has the Tigers (2-0) rolling. Auburn picked up wins over the University of Massachusetts (59-14) and California (14-10) and could be undefeated heading into Week 4 with a victory over Samford on Saturday at home.

The Aggies enter Week 3 hoping to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive after falling against Miami, 48-33 on Saturday. The defense struggled with open-field tackling as Hurricanes QB Tyler Van Dyke threw for 374 yards and five touchdowns.

Weigman, who won the starting job over Max Johnson in fall camp, struggled at times in the passing game, throwing for 338 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions. The sophomore also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give A&M the early 7-0 lead.

“We did not tackle well,” head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “We had guys we could tackle and we tackled poor in space. That’s one thing we did last week and they had yards after the catch and we had some guys with arms around them, but we just didn’t make the plays and get them on the ground.”

All-time, the Aggies hold a slight edge over Auburn, 7-6, and have won two of the three previous matchups. In 2021, A&M outworked the Tigers in a 20-3 win at home. Micheal Clemons scored the game's only touchdown on a 24-yard fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.

A&M returns to Kyle Field to take on Louisiana-Monroe Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on SEC Network.