Everything You Need to Know for Saturday's Showdown in College Station

Auburn, Al- A top 20 matchup this weekend in College Station could possibly have College Football Playoff sleeper implications. Here is all that you need to know before the 2:30 CDT kickoff on Saturday.

In a series where the road team had won every game since the 2012 SEC merger with Texas A&M and Missouri, Auburn broke the trend with last year's thrilling comeback victory at home. It is only safe to say that the Aggies still have a salty taste in their mouth from that day.

Under second year Head Coach Jimbo Fisher, A&M is looking to build off a dominating 62-3 win against the Lamar Cardinals and start off SEC play strong. On the other sideline, Gus Malzahn is bringing in his undefeated Tigers with Freshman quarterback Bo Nix and one of the Nation's best defenses. 

The biggest competition in this game will be Auburn's offense trying to continue their momentum in the running game, while still trying to get Nix comfortable.

This is a solid Aggie defense who held Clemson to only 24 points. That may sound like a decent amount of points, but they also have a Heisman favorite quarterback, Heisman contending running back, and a great group of wide receivers. Oh, and it was on the road in Death Valley. So this Texas A&M defense is very solid.

In Auburn's running game, they had three men rush for 100 plus yards last week against Kent State. JaTarvious Whitlow, Auburn's number one running back, ran for 135 yards. This was due to the offensive line finally finding their groove, even without NFL prospect Prince Tega Wanogho. 

This A&M defense averages less than 85 yards rushing per game, so Auburn will have to establish the run early and often with Whitlow and company.

In front of more than 100,000 screaming fans, Bo Nix will make his first true road start. In week one, Nix threw the game winning touchdown to Seth Williams to defeat Oregon 27-21. This is no ordinary true Freshman because from there on he has not shown signs of nerves. In week two, he threw the ball a lot against Tulane due to the strength of their defensive line. And of course last week Auburn went back to their bread and butter of the ground game. 

While this also being because of opponent weaknesses, it is very possible Gus did this to help his Freshman quarterback get familiar with the offense before SEC play got rolling. Nix has seem to become more comfortable in the Malzahn offense at the college level. If his offensive line can do the job of protecting him in the pocket, and allowing holes for the run game, then there is no doubt Nix could definitely lead Auburn's offense to a solid day.

Auburn's biggest concern with the Aggies' defense should be Buddy Johnson, the Junior linebacker who leads the team with 14 tackles. Behind Johnson in the secondary is Senior ball hawk Roney Elam. This guy has multiple interceptions already early in the season. A big key would be to watch for Gus Malzahn who is back calling his own plays, to try and detour from wherever those men are at. 

Unfortunately, Auburn has been attacked by the injury bug. Several players have been banged up with several injuries:

Seth Williams WR- Shoulder

Prince Tega Wanogho LT- Lower Body

Derrick Brown DT- Upper Body Contusion

Now, the good news is, all of these guys have practiced this week. Wanogho and Brown suffered injuries last week at practice and during the game respectively. Williams suffered a shoulder injury against Tulane on a pass from Bo Nix. I would be surprised if Wanogho and Brown did not play as well as Williams. Malzahn has been saying positive things about them and their progress in his press conferences this week. 

Where A&M struggles is putting too big of a work load on Junior quarterback Kellen Mond. This offense does have an average running game, but not one that is good enough to keep the Auburn defense on its heels. 

The big key for the Tiger defense will be to finally cash in on those sacks that they have not had many of this season. With a healthy Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson, Tyrone Truesdell, Big Kat Bryant, and Nick Coe (if he decides to show up), then that should not be anything out of the ordinary.

So all in all, Auburn has to do two things in their first SEC game of the year. The offensive line must give Bo Nix and the running backs a good day, and the defense needs to shut down Kellen Mond from the start.

The game is Saturday Sept. 21 at 2:30 p.m. CDT in College Station, Texas.