Texas A&M Defense Stifles Auburn in 16-10 Win, Aggies Improve to 4-0

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 9 Texas A&M leaned on its defense and a career day from Le’Veon Moss to hold off Auburn 16-10 on Saturday, giving the Aggies their first 4-0 start since 2016. Moss ran for a career-best 139 yards and a touchdown despite battling a stomach bug, powering an Aggies ground attack that piled up 207 yards against a Tigers defense that entered ranked fifth nationally against the run. “I heard people saying we really couldn’t run the ball,” Moss said. “It was a statement game for us, the offensive line and the running backs.” The Aggies’ offense sputtered at times, but their defense was dominant, holding Auburn to just 176 total yards and a stunning 0-for-12 on third down. Quarterback Jackson Arnold was limited to 124 yards passing and was sacked five times.

“We won two games without playing our best football,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “That is a testament to character and culture and just grinding.”

The Aggies struck first on Moss’s 1-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter, set up by his 38-yard burst. Randy Bond added field goals of 33 and 49 yards to stretch the lead to 13-3 at halftime.

Auburn’s lone touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter when Xavier Atkins intercepted a tipped pass from Marcel Reed and returned it 73 yards to the 2-yard line. Arnold scrambled into the end zone on the next play to cut the Aggies’ lead to 13-10.

But the Aggie defense tightened again. Cashius Howell’s sack forced an Auburn punt with under six minutes left, and after a Reed touchdown pass was negated by penalty, Bond’s third field goal of the game pushed the lead to 16-10. The Tigers had two more chances, but the Aggies sealed the win with a fourth-down sack in the final minutes.

“Our defense played their tails off and well enough to win the game,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “Offensively, that was unacceptable.”

Reed finished with 207 yards passing for Texas A&M, with KC Concepcion hauling in seven catches for 113 yards. Despite the penalties — 13 for 119 yards — Elko preferred to highlight the positives after his team’s gritty SEC opener.

“Does anybody want to ask about us being 4-0 for the first time since 2016?” he said, bristling at questions focused on miscues. “How about how you held them to 176 yards on offense, had five sacks, and they were 0-for-12 on third down? My gosh, will you guys stop being so gloomy?”