It seems a bit odd that Auburn football is prepping for a home football game in the opening weekend of December, yet here we stand. The Tigers host the No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday, for the final home game of this unprecedented season. Let’s take a look at the series history between the two.
The history goes back to Dallas, Texas, in 1911, where Texas A&M blanked Auburn 16-0 in the first meeting. They did not meet on the football field again until 1986, when the Aggies once again defeated the Tigers, this time 36-16.
When Texas A&M left the Big 12 in 2011 and joined the SEC West division in 2012, it created a new yearly matchup for the two schools. Away teams have fared well in the series, it took six years for the home team to win a game once the yearly series picked up in 2012. That team was Auburn in 2018, who had previously won in 2017 and also won the 2019 matchup to extend the winning streak to three.
The three-game win streak for Auburn is tied for the longest win streak in the short series history, no team has yet to win four straight meetings. The current series is tied up at five wins apiece, so Saturday’s winner takes the series lead.
Jimbo Fisher knows the Auburn Tigers though and won a national championship against Malzahn in 2013 while at Florida State. Since taking over the Texas A&M program in 2018, Fisher has not defeated Malzahn.
However, this year’s Aggie team certainly has the talent and capability of handing Auburn its only home loss of 2020. The Aggies are ranked No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and have playoff ambitions. A win over Auburn moves Texas A&M one step closer to its first playoff berth.
The last time Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond and the Aggies came to Auburn, they saw a fourth-quarter lead evaporate. With just over five minutes remaining, Auburn trailed by 10 before Chandler Cox punched it in for the first Auburn score since the first half.
At one point Texas A&M was given a 96.3% chance to win the game, according to ESPN. But two quick drives orchestrated by Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham gave the Tigers two fourth-quarter touchdowns and its sixth win of the season, 28-24.
Saturday’s game will be the third game for Auburn against a Top 5 opponent this season. That ties Tennessee and Ole Miss for most Top 5 opponents scheduled in the SEC. Under Malzahn, Auburn is 8-17 against Top 10 opponents, home or away, but the Tigers are 0-2 so far this season.
