Saturday, November 23
Auburn, Ala.
6:30 PM
Texas A&M
at
Auburn
No. 15 Aggies Trek To Auburn for Weekend Showdown
Nov 22, 2024 | Football
No. 15 Texas A&M faces its final road test of the regular season on Saturday night under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium when the Aggies travel to face Auburn. Kickoff on ESPN is set for 6:30 p.m.
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
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Secs(#15) Texas A&M at Auburn
Saturday, November 23, 2024 • 6:30 PM CT
Jordan-Hare Stadium • Auburn, Alabama
Weather: clear, upper 40s
WATCH
TV: ESPN (Dave Flemming, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden)
Watch Live: ESPN App
LISTEN
Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (Andrew Monaco, Dave Elmendorf, Will Johnson)
1620 AM/94.5 FM (local), SiriusXM 192
Listen Live: 12th Man Mobile App
Spanish Broadcast: Click Here (Pedro Luna, Michel Gonzalez)
102.7 FM (local)
Listen Live: 12th Man Mobile App
FOLLOW
Live Stats: Click Here
Social Media: @AggieFootball on X
Auburn Tigers (4-6, 1-5)
- RANKING: AP: NR / Coaches: NR
- LAST GAME: Nov. 16
- at Auburn 48, ULM 14
- HEAD COACH: Hugh Freeze (Southern Miss '92)
- Overall Record: 85-61 (14th season)
- at Auburn: 10-13 (2nd season)
- vs. Texas A&M: 3-4
Texas A&M Aggies (8-2, 6-1)
- RANKING: AP: #15 / Coaches: #14
- Last Game: Nov. 16
- at #15 A&M 38, New Mexico State 3
- HEAD COACH: Mike Elko (Penn ‘99)
- Overall Record: 24-11 (3rd Season)
- at Texas A&M: 8-2 (1st Season)
- vs. Auburn: 0-0
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- Texas A&M and Auburn meet for the 15th time Saturday ... The Aggies have claimed three of the last four meetings, including a 27-10 victory in Kyle Field a season ago.
- Dual-threat QB Marcel Reed has regained his role as the starter and recently posted season-highs with 268 yards, completing 20 passes, including a pair of scoring strikes ... The freshman added a rushing score of his own to up his total to six on the year, good for second among SEC signal callers.
- The Aggies boast one of the best rushing offenses in the nation, ranking 13th with 212.5 yards per game, while their 24 rushing touchdowns are good for 19th in the country.
- Junior RB Amari Daniels has played a key role in the Aggies’ success in the run game throughout the year, ranking 15th in the SEC with 55.0 yards per game and seventh with seven rushing scores, including a 71-yard dash to the end zone against New Mexico State.
- The offensive line has controlled the battle in the trenches while clearing the way for A&M’s top-15 rushing attack, as the unit leads the SEC and ranks 11th nationally allowing 37.0 tackles for loss.
- Texas A&M has been efficient in the red zone as it ranks fifth in the country and leads the SEC with a 95.0 conversion rate ... The Aggies have scored on 38 of 40 trips, including 29 touchdowns.
- Sophomore LB Taurean York paced the defense as of late, leading the team in tackles in three of the last four games, most recently tallying eight at South Carolina ... York leads the team with 55 tackles, good for 20th in the SEC.
- Junior DL Nic Scourton has been a force in league play, tallying 10.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks through six SEC games and has helped lead a defense that ranks 11th in the country with 73.0 tackles for loss ... He ranks eighth in the nation and second in the SEC with 14.0 tackles for loss on the season, while his 5.0 sacks are good for 17th in the league.
QUICK HITS
- The Aggies notched their best start in SEC play, boasting a 5-0 record for the first time since joining the league in 2012 and their best conference start since going 7-0 to begin Big 12 play in 1998 ... A&M’s 5-1 record in conference play is its best since going 8-1 in an all-SEC regular season in 2020.
- With the wins over No. 8 LSU and No. 9 Missouri, Texas A&M stands as one of just three teams in the nation to take down two AP top-10 teams this season.
- The Aggies have held their opponents to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground in five of the last seven games, most recently limiting LSU to just 24 yards on 23 attempts ... A&M has only allowed multiple rushing scores in a game twice this season and its nine touchdowns allowed on the ground this year rank 15th in the nation.
- The Maroon & White have disrupted the opposition’s aerial attack all season, most recently limiting New Mexico State to less than 100 yards through the air ... The Aggies’ 57 passes defended rank 12th in the country and third in the league.
- Junior DB Will Lee III has brought veteran leadership to the secondary and ranks 14th nationally with nine breaksups while his 10 passes defended are the fourth-most in the SEC.
- Junior DL Cashius Howell and Albert Regis have been menaces for opponent’s passing games, ranking second and third on the team with six and four breakups, respectively ... Regis batted down a pair of passes against New Mexico State, and Howell has had at least one breakup and one hurry in a game five times this season, while his total pass breakups are good for 14th in the SEC.
- Graduate K Randy Bond ranks 13th nationally with 17 made field goals this season and his 87 total points are good for 19th ... Bond is just one field goal away from taking sole possession of fourth all-time at A&M, entering the game with 56 in his career.
MILESTONES TO WATCH FOR
- QB Marcel Reed making his way through Texas A&M’s freshman records, needing one touchdown pass and 193 passing yards to join the top-five in each category as he enters the week with nine scoring strikes and 1,129 passing yards ... Reed is also 99 rushing yards away from the top-15 and one rushing score from the top-10 with 375 yards and six scores on the ground this year.
- Sophomore QB Conner Weigman continues to climb the Texas A&M record books and is in need of three touchdown passes to crack the top-15 all-time, entering the game with 19 career scoring strikes.
- Graduate WR Moose Muhammad III ranks 13th in career touchdown receptions at Texas A&M with 12 entering the week and his next scoring grab will move him into a tie with Albert Connell (1995-96) for 12th ... Muhammad is also four catches and 38 receiving yards away from cracking the top-30 all-time at A&M.
- Junior WR Noah Thomas is looking for a touchdown catch to move further through the top-15 all-time at A&M, entering the week with 11 to-date.
- Graduate K Randy Bond ranks among the top-10 on A&M’s career fields made, extra points made, kicker-only scoring and overall scoring lists ... He is just one field goal away from taking sole possession of fourth all-time with 56 to-date ... Bond is also three points away from making his second appearance on the single-season scoring list with 87 points on the year.
QUARTERBACK ROOM
- The Aggies boast proven depth in their quarterback room with three players that have made multiple starts in their A&M careers and each thrown for at least 290 yards and multiple touchdowns in a game.
- Freshman Marcel Reed has stood ready and shown up in a big way when called on, leading the Aggies to four victories in his five starts as well as three of A&M’s record five wins to start league play ... In the win over New Mexico State, Reed passed for two touchdowns and added a rushing score of his own for the third time this season, marking the first time an Aggie has done so three times in a season since Kellen Mond (2017-20) in 2019.
- Reed was named SEC Freshman of the Week after sparking a 31-6 scoring spree in the second half to lift the Aggies past No. 8 LSU with three unanswered rushing touchdowns of his own to become the first A&M QB to rush for three-plus scores since Trevor Knight in 2016 ... He also garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance at Florida after throwing for 178 yards and two scores to go along with 13 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
- Sophomore Conner Weigman began the year as the starter and returned after battling an early injury to guide the Aggies to a landslide victory over No. 9 Missouri in Week 6 and made it four straight in league play with a road win over Mississippi State.
- In the Missouri win, Weigman connected on 18-of-22 passes for a season-best 276 yards, leading the Aggies to victory over a top-10 team for the second time in his career ... Against McNeese, Weigman guided the Aggies to touchdowns on all five drives he was in on in the first half, helping A&M take a 38-0 lead into the half.
- Junior Jaylen Henderson started the final four games of the 2023 campaign, accounting for four touchdowns in the lopsided win over Mississippi State in his first start for the Maroon & White ... He has completed 53-of-78 passes for 715 yards and six touchdowns as an Aggie, while also adding 104 yards on the ground and two scores.
MAROON GOONS
- The Texas A&M offensive line has been winning the battle in the trenches, playing with great consistency despite having to lean on its reliable depth ... The Maroon Goons have helped the Aggies boast one of the best rushing offenses in the country while also holding strong to protect their quarterbacks.
- The Maroon & White rank 10th in the country and lead the SEC, allowing 37.0 tackles for loss on the year, while their 16.0 sacks allowed rank fifth in the league.
- With the help of the o-line clearing the way, the Aggies rank 13th nationally and second in the SEC averaging 212.5 rushing yards per game and have racked up over 200 yards on the ground in six games this season.
- The line is anchored by junior Trey Zuhn III, who was named a season-long team captain prior to the season ... While the Aggies have had to use four different starting lines this season due to injury, Zuhn has remained a staple at left guard and has been joined in all 10 games by Ar’maj Reed-Adams at right guard and Dametrious Crownover at right tackle.
- Zuhn started all 13 games last season and has logged 34 career starts as he helped clear the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in 2022 and helped A&M rack up over 400 yards of total offense in eight games last year.
ELEVATING THE RUN GAME
- Junior running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels made big improvements in the offseason and were a dynamic duo in the backfield to give the Maroon & White one of the best rushing offenses in the nation ... With the loss of Moss after a season-ending injury at South Carolina, Daniels and freshman QB Marcel Reed have stepped up to maintain the rushing attack.
- On the season, Daniels ranks 15th in the league with 55.0 yards per game while his seven touchdowns are good for seventh in the SEC ... In the win over New Mexico State, Daniels registered his second rushing score of 50-plus yards when he took off on a 71-yard sprint to the end zone.
- Daniels racked up a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries in the win over LSU ... He recorded his second multi-touchdown game of the season and of his career with a pair of 1-yard scores in the first half against Missouri and joined the 1,000 career yards club with 68 yards on 13 carries in the win at Florida.
- Reed has also supplemented the Aggies’ solid rushing attack ranking second among all SEC QBs with six touchdowns on the season, while his 5.2 yards per carry lead league signal callers and his 46.9 yards per game are good for top-25 in the league ... Reed came in midway through the third quarter against LSU and sparked the Aggies scoring three unanswered rushing TDs.
- As a team, the Aggies are No. 13 in the country and second in the SEC in rushing offense, averaging 212.5 yards per game, while their 24 rushing scores rank 19th nationally, and their 5.2 yards per carry average leads the league.
- After eclipsing the 300-yard mark in Week 2, the Maroon & White tallied 310 yards on the ground in the win at Florida, marking the first time they have tallied 300-plus rushing yards in back-to-back games since the 2012 season.
- In the win over McNeese, A&M racked up 333 yards on the ground and five rushing scores, marking the most rushing yards in a game for the Aggies since rushing for over 500 yards against Northwestern State to start the 2018 season and the most rushing scores since reaching the end zone five times on the ground in the Orange Bowl win over North Carolina to cap off the 2020 season.
STEADY BACKER
- Sophomore LB Taurean York immediately stepped into a leadership role as a true freshman in 2023, quarterbacking the defense at middle linebacker, and was selected as a team captain by his teammates ahead of the 2024 season.
- In the win at Mississippi State York tallied a career-high 12 tackles, registering the second double-digit tackles game of his career ... He has led the team in tackles in five games this season, most recently with eight at South Carolina.
- York’s efforts against the Bulldogs also led an impressive outing from the entire linebacker unit, as junior Scooby Williams recorded his first career interception and returned it 32 yards to set up an A&M touchdown while also adding a career-best 2.0 tackles for loss and six tackles, and sophomore Daymion Sanford nearly doubled his previous career high with seven tackles, 1.0 TFL and two breakups.
- He leads the Aggies with 55 tackles on the year, good for 20th in the SEC, and has recorded five-plus tackles in six of the team’s 10 games this season.
- York started all 13 games last season, finishing second on the team with 74 tackles, which ranked in the top-20 among SEC players and third among league freshman ... His 8.5 tackles for loss were the most by an SEC freshman a year ago and ranked fourth on the team.
NEW-LOOK SECONDARY
- The Texas A&M secondary has seen a number of new faces in 2024, adding eight defensive backs in the transfer portal while returning sophomores Jayvon Thomas and Dalton Brooks have also made starts this season.
- Junior Will Lee III, who came to Aggieland from Kansas State, ranks fourth in the SEC with 10 passes defended on the year, breaking up a career-high four passes in the win over Arkansas and recording his first interception as an Aggie in the win over McNeese.
- Brooks has come on strong in SEC play, making at least five tackles in four of the last six games and leading the team in two of those outings ... Brooks tallied a career-best nine tackles in the win at Mississippi State.
- Sophomore Marcus Ratcliffe made an immediate impact for the Maroon & White after spending last season at San Diego State, starting all 10 games and ranking fourth the SEC with three interceptions on the year.
- Senior BJ Mayes came up big in the third quarter against LSU, registering two of A&M’s three interceptions in the win that set up a pair of Aggie touchdowns ... His two picks on the year are good for 10th in SEC.
- Lone returning veteran Bryce Anderson registered the first touchdown of his career when he came up with a tipped pass and returned it 45 yards to the house at Florida, becoming the third Aggie to have scored a defensive touchdown in their career.
- As a team, the Aggies rank 12th nationally and third in the SEC with 57 passes defended, sitting at 19th in the country and third in the SEC with 11 picks.
DEPTH ON THE D-LINE
- Texas A&M boasts one of the most talented and unpredictable defensive lines in the nation, led by the veteran experience and consistent production of senior Shemar Turner and junior transfer Nic Scourton.
- Scourton has played with consistency in the SEC, registering at least 1.0 tackle for loss in eight of A&M’s 10 games ... Against Arkansas he finished with 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, including a strip sack late in the fourth quarter to help the Aggies seal the victory.
- Scourton ranks eighth nationally and second in the SEC with 14.0 tackles for loss on the year ... His total is tied for ninth with Cleveland Brown Myles Garrett on A&M’s single-season list since joining the SEC in 2012 ... Scourton also adds 5.0 sacks on the season which are good for 17th in the league.
- Turner filled out the stat sheet in the win at Mississippi State, finishing with six tackles, 2.0 for loss, and a solo sack for 9 yards lost, while also breaking up a pass a forcing a fumble ... He started the 2024 season with a career-high seven takedowns against Notre Dame.
- Junior Cashius Howell has been a key disruptor in league play and ranks 14th in the SEC with six pass breakups on the season ... Howell has registered at least one breakup and one hurry in four of the last six games, tallying three breakups and two hurries in the win at Mississippi State ... As a unit, the defensive line has tallied 17 of A&M’s 46 breakups this year.
- Juniors Shemar Stewart and Albert Regis have earned starting jobs on the line this season after being part of the Aggies’ consistent second rotation last year ... Stewart has come on strong in the last three games, getting to the quarterback in back-to-back victories while matching his career high with five tackles at Florida.
- As a defense, the Aggies have held their opponents to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground in five of the last seven games, most recently limiting LSU to just 24 yards on 23 attempts, not allowing a rushing yard in the second half ... A&M’s 63.0 tackles for loss rank among the top-25 nationally.
SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS
- Graduate K Randy Bond was one of the nation’s leading scorers a season ago and continues to rank among the best in 2024 while also climbing A&M’s all-time scoring, field goals made and extra point lists.
- Bond currently ranks 13th nationally and fourth in the SEC with 17 made field goals this season ... He sent a pair of 50-plus-yarders through the uprights at South Carolina, including one from a career-long 55 yards ... His 87 total points land among the top-20 in the country and top-five league scorers.
- Bond has posted double-digit points in a game 11 times in his career and four times this season, most recently tallying 10 points in the victory at Mississippi State by way of two field goals and four extra points.
- Among all active FBS players, Bond ranks 17th with 277 to-dat through just 33 games played.
- The kicker has been climbing A&M’s all-time field goals made, extra points and scoring lists, ranking fourth with 56 career makes, seventh overall with 277 points and ninth with 109 made extra points.
- Freshman P Tyler White has also elevated A&M’s special teams game this season, as he averages 44.8 yards on 34 punts in his first year as the team’s primary punter ... A semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, White boasts a 62-yard long from the Notre Dame and has sent 10 punts 50-plus yards and landed 20 inside the 20.
- White earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks this season after landing seven of his nine punts inside the 15 and five inside the 10 against Arkansas and the following week averaged 46.3 yards per punt, pinning Missouri on its own 1 ... White earned his third SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor after booming three punts 50-plus yards down the field, landing four of his five punts inside the 20, and finishing the night with an average of 48.4 yards per boot, including a game-long 54 yards.
- Five Aggies on the 2024 roster have registered a blocked kick in their careers ... Sophomore DB Marcus Ratcliffe got a hand on a punt against New Mexico State this year, senior DL Shemar Turner blocked a pair of field goal attempts last season, getting his hand on the ball in back-to-back weeks against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, junior DL Albert Regis blocked a field goal attempt in the win over Miami in 2022, and senior WR Jahdae Walker blocked a punt a year later in Miami ... Prior to arriving in Aggieland, graduate DB Trey Jones III registered a blocked kick against Eastern Michigan in 2022.
THE ELKO EFFECT
- Known as one of the top defensive minds in the country, head coach Mike Elko has consistently produced highly disruptive and productive defenses throughout his career, most recently putting the Texas A&M defense on the map during his time as defensive coordinator and carrying the same standard as the head coach at Duke.
- In his first season at the helm in Aggieland, Elko has led the Maroon & White to their best start in SEC play, going 5-0 against their first league opponents ... This marked the best record in conference play since the Aggies started their Big 12 slate 7-0 in 1998.
- In 2023, Duke led the ACC and ranked 16th nationally in scoring defense (19.0 ppg) while registering a top-five rush defense among league teams and standing in 17th in the country with 67 passes defended ... In Elko’s first season as a head coach, the Blue Devils ranked in the top-35 in the nation in scoring defense, rush defense, rushing touchdowns allowed and passes defended.
- After not finishing in the top-50 nationally in total defense for more than a decade, Elko’s first stint in Aggieland as defensive coordinator from 2018-21 coincided with consistent top-35 finishes, including a top-10 ranking in the 2020 final FBS total defense standings.
- Elko has produced top-50 defenses in 11 of the last 12 years with multiple programs (Duke, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Bowling Green).
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