On a five-game winning streak, No. 5 Texas A&M will travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium to face Auburn on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Entering this matchup, A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said he believes in his team even though it struggled in some areas against LSU on Nov. 28.
“When you play a team sport, you can’t be pointing fingers,” Fisher said. “You have to do your job. It’s kept us as a tight-knit group, and I’m very proud of our entire organization.”
Despite the Aggies winning record so far, A&M has a three-year losing streak against the Tigers.
Auburn sophomore quarterback Bo Nix leads the Tigers with 1,854 pass yards this season. Last season, Nix led the Tigers in a 28-20 victory over A&M as a freshman with 100 passing yards and one touchdown.
“You have to be disciplined against the running quarterbacks,” Fisher said. “Bo Nix is a tremendous player, just like his dad was. You have to take away lanes, and in coverage, you have to trust that the lanes are taken care of. It’s a very challenging thing.”
Fisher said Nix has many talented teammates around him, including junior wide receiver Seth Williams who leads the Tigers with 580 receiving yards.
“I recruited Seth Williams out of high school,” Fisher said. “He’s a big, fast receiver.”
Fisher said the way the team plays against Nix is essential, and the defense must be ready.
“Guys always say they hate playing guys who can scramble,” Fisher said. “You cannot let up on defense when you play a guy like that. On every play, the way you play him is important.”
Leading the Aggies with 66 tackles, senior linebacker Buddy Johnson said the team takes much pride in its run defense, which gave up just 36 yards on the ground to LSU.
“Stopping the run is something we love to do,” Johnson said. “I think that is what keeps us fired up and keeps us going.”
Freshman running back Tank Bigbsy leads the Tigers with 566 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season, but has been limited in the Tigers’ last three games with a hip injury sustained against Tennessee.
“Tank Bigsby is a fantastic back as well, but I know he got nicked up,” Fisher said.
Fisher said even though the team was not consistent offensively against LSU, he believes they will get better. He said he expects senior quarterback Kellen Mond to come back and play well.
“He got hit some,” Fisher said. “He’ll adjust and move on like he has all year and his entire career. We have to play better around him, make some plays. I expect him to come back and play really well.”
Senior offensive lineman Ryan McCollum said the team is looking to bounce back offensively against Auburn.
“I think a lot of it has to do with us coming out and practicing this week and kind of putting the LSU game behind us and figuring out what our mistakes were… and correcting them,” McCollum said.
McCollum said Auburn is a talented team, and this week’s matchup will be a tremendous challenge for the Aggies.
“Auburn is a great football team, and their record doesn’t represent how good of a team they are,” McCollum said.
A&M will face the Tigers on Dec. 5 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.