After ‘huge step forward,' No. 9 Texas A&M prepares for Auburn

No. 9 Texas A&M will look to carry the swagger it gained from a last-minute victory and the time spent on an open week of preparation into a Southeastern Conference dust-up against Auburn on Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas.

The Aggies (3-0) climbed one spot in the AP Top 25 on Sunday, marking their highest ranking since they were sixth in Week 2 of the 2022 season.

Texas A&M had an open date last Saturday and had plenty of time to revel in its 41-40 win at then-No. 8 Notre Dame on Sept. 13.

That victory was the first time the Aggies knocked off a ranked opponent on the road since 2014. Marcel Reed completed 17 of 37 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, and Le'Veon Moss rushed for three touchdowns.

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said the win at Notre Dame was "a huge step forward" for his program, but he understands the milestone will be hollow if the Aggies don't build on it, starting with their conference opener.

"We have zero SEC wins right now," Elko said. "We've got a lot of things we've got to do still."

Reed hit Nate Boerkircher with an 11-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left to lift the Aggies over Notre Dame. Reed said this week that producing in the clutch built momentum for his team.

"Any time you have a bye week after a hard-fought game, it's a good time," he said. "... I don't think the bye week will stop us."

The Tigers will be on the road for their second straight conference game after dropping a controversial 24-17 decision at then-No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday. Auburn (3-1, 0-1) took its first lead of that game on Malcolm Simmons' 4-yard touchdown run with 7:08 remaining but couldn't hold on.

Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold, who was sacked nine times in the loss, passed for 220 yards and a score while Cam Coleman had three of Arnold's completions for 88 yards and the TD.

According to an SEC statement, Oklahoma broke a rule that prohibits teams from using the substitution process to confuse an opponent when they scored on a touchdown pass in the first half. Instead of the referees letting the score stand, the conference statement said Oklahoma should have been assessed a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"Ultimately, we can't do anything about it -- we have to turn the page and move on to Texas A&M," Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said Monday. "The plays were there for us to have a chance to beat a quality opponent on the road in this league, and we've got to learn how to win those games."

Saturday's game will mark the second of four consecutive contests for the Tigers against currently ranked teams.

Freeze said he expects the Aggies -- and all of Auburn's opponents moving forward -- to use film of the Oklahoma game to see how to rush Arnold and get him out of his comfort zone.

But Freeze said about his quarterback's recognition of the pass rush: "Good things happened when (Arnold) did that, and we've just got to continue to work to improve that. I don't think he could do a whole lot about five of (the sacks), but there's 50 percent that I think the ball's got to come out."

--Field Level Media