AUSTIN (KXAN) — A big fourth-down stop with less than a minute left propelled No. 9 Texas A&M to a 16-10 win over Auburn on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station.
Dayon Hayes dropped Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold for a 6-yard loss on fourth-and-1 to preserve the home win for the Aggies. Texas A&M sacked Arnold five times for the game, and three times in the fourth quarter.
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Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell (9) sacks Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Texas A&M safety Dalton Brooks (25) knocks Auburn running back Jeremiah Cobb (23) out of bounds after a catch and run during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) is pressured into throwing a pass by Auburn defensive end Chris Murray (3) that was called for intentional grounding during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks to pass down field against Auburn during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Auburn running back Damari Alston (0) is stopped in the backfield by Texas A&M cornerback Will Lee III (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Auburn defensive end Keyron Crawford (24) sacks Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) breaks a tackle attempt by Auburn linebacker Xavier Atkins (17) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Auburn wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (1) looks for a whole to run against the Texas A&M defense during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Texas A&M place kicker Randy Bond (47) makes a 44-yard field goal against Auburn during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) -
Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell (9) reacts after sacking Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold on fourth down during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
It was a defensive showcase for the most part, despite the Aggies gaining 414 yards of total offense. Auburn was a combined 0-for-14 on third and fourth downs, getting turned away 12 times on third down and twice on fourth. Auburn punted nine times and was held to negative-9 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
“When we play together as 11, we can be good,” Aggies head coach Mike Elko said. “We’ve had breakdowns that have caused issues, but today we didn’t. We leveraged the ball really good today.”
The Aggies held Jeremiah Cobb, the Southeastern Conference’s second-leading rusher going into Saturday, to 28 yards on six carries.
Linebacker Taurean York was a big part of that effort. The junior from Temple had seven tackles, six of them solo and two for a loss, with a pass breakup and three quarterback hurries.
“He’s a special kid,” Elko said of York, who was named a preseason All-American by multiple outlets before the year began. “He’s a unique player and I’m really glad we’ve got him in the middle of our defense.”
Le’Veon Moss scored the Aggies’ only touchdown on their first drive, capping a 4-play, 66-yard series with a 1-yard plunge. He rumbled for 139 yards on 21 carries.
Randy Bond connected on three of five field goal attempts for the Aggies, hitting a 42-yard kick with 2:42 left to give them a little more distance from the Tigers. He was good on kicks from 33 and 49 yards in the first half and missed kicks from 50 and 49 yards.
Marcel Reed finished 15-for-22 with 207 yards passing, but threw an interception in the fourth quarter that let the Tigers back in the game. Leading 13-3, his throw to Terry Bussey on a receiver screen pass was high, and it bounced off Bussey’s hands and right to Xavier Atkins, who returned it 73 yards down to the Aggies’ 2-yard line. Arnold scored on the next play, cutting Texas A&M’s lead to 13-10 with 10:20 to go.
KC Concepcion caught seven passes in nine targets for 113 yards for the Aggies.
Penalties were a huge detriment to the Aggies’ effort offensively. Of 13 total penalties, nine were on offense for 80 yards, including four holding calls. They were penalized 119 yards overall, while Auburn was flagged 10 times for 69 yards.
“When you want to be a complete team, there are times where one side has to carry the other,” Elko said. “We weren’t really in sync offensively, but on defense, we kept going out and making the plays we needed to make to win.”
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