This past Saturday, Week 11 of NCAA football regular season games, several of the top ranked teams were upset. The No. 3 Auburn Tigers now 7-2 (3rd SEC West were upset 41-38 by the unranked Texas A&M Aggies now 7-3 (5th SEC West), and surprisingly, the loss came at home and on CBS TV. Let’s recap how the Aggies stole this one from the mistake-prone Tigers.
The demon for the Tigers was their late fumbles that came about 2 times late in the game. The Aggies were able to score 4 times in the 1st half and then recover the 2 Auburn fumbles late to win the game, a loss that may end Auburn’s playoff chances. The Aggies were actually 23 point underdogs in the game, the wound up partying on the sideline after the game was over.
Offensive leaders in the game for the Tigers were QB Marshall, who completed 15 of 21 passes for 219 yards with 1 TD. RBs Artis-Payne & QB Marshall who combined for 48 carries for 288 yards with Artis-Payne scoring 2 touchdowns and Marshall scoring 2 touchdowns. Receivers Bray & Coates combined for 8 receptions for 123 yards with Bray scoring 1 TD. Auburn had 31 first downs with 582 total yards with 219 passing and 363 rushing with 3 turnovers.
Leading the Aggies offensively were QB Allen, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 277 yards with 4 touchdowns and was intercepted 1 time. RB’s B. Williams & T. Williams combined for 22 carries for 132 yards. Receivers Kennedy & Reynolds had 10 receptions for a combined 206 yards with Kennedy scoring 1 TD, and Reynolds scoring 2 touchdowns. The Aggies had 22 first downs with 453 total yards with 277 passing and 176 rushing, with 1 turnover.
The real difference in the score if this game was not a FG returned for a TD, or a Hail Mary to end the Tigers playoff thoughts, but 2 fourth quarters fumbles that was the difference in the game. That happened as a result of a miscommunication between their QB and RB on a simple play and QB Marshall trying to make a exchange, was hit by Aggies LB Alaka and Marshall fumbled with the Aggies recovering the ball. Then with close to a minute left in the game, the Auburn Center Dismukes snapped the ball in an unexpected manner that hit QB Marshall and became a loose ball and the Aggies again recovered and ended the Tigers’ chance to make a comeback win and ended their 15 point comeback.
Now that the loss has been accepted by those fans that bet on college football at a offshore sportbook or with a local shop, the next game for the now 7-2 Auburn Tigers is on the 15th of Nov. at the No. 20 Georgia Bulldogs now 7-2 (2nd SEC East). The Texas A&M Aggies now 7-3 play at home against the Missouri Tigers now 7-2 (1st SEC East) at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN TV.