Texas A&M defense shines in 16-10 win over Auburn

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Le’Veon Moss ran for a career-high 139 yards and a touchdown and No. 9 Texas A&M held off Auburn 16-10 on Saturday to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2016.

“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.”

Texas A&M’s offense struggled at times, but the defense was solid all day, holding the Tigers to 176 yards and 0 of 12 on third-down attempts.

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

Quarterback Marcel Reed is proud to have helped the Aggies (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) w to their best start since winning the first six games of the 2016 season.

“It means a lot,” he said. "We are doing what we can to get those wins every day. We are trying to play our best ball. It wasn’t that today, but we got the job done.”

Texas A&M was driving in the fourth when Marcel Reed’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Xavier Atkins, who returned it 73 yards to the 2. Jackson Arnold scrambled in for the score on the next play to get the Tigers to 13-10 with about 10 1/2 minutes to go.

Auburn’s defense got a stop after that, but the Tigers couldn’t move the ball, with a sack by Cashius Howell forcing a punt less than six minutes left.

It looked like the Aggies had a touchdown on their next drive when Reed connected with Mario Craver. But they were flagged for an ineligible player downfield to take the points away. They settled for a field goal that made it 16-10 with less than three minutes to go.

The Tigers got the ball back twice after that, but they punted the first time and Arnold was sacked on fourth down on their next possession and the Aggies ran out the clock to end it.

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

Auburn (3-2, 0-2) entered the game ranked fifth in the nation by allowing just 58.2 yards rushing a game. But the Aggies piled up 145 yards rushing by halftime and finished with 207 yards rushing led by Moss averaging 6.6 yards a carry.

His performance came despite dealing with a stomach bug that he said led to vomiting through most of the first quarter.

“It's kind of difficult,” Moss said. “Your stomach is hurting and you're throwing up every time you get off the game. It’s kind of weird... but I got better as the game went on after I took a little medicine.”

The Aggies got a 1-yard TD run from Moss on their first possession to take an early lead. That score was set up by his 38-yard run on the previous play.

Randy Bond made field goals of 33 and 49 yards in the second quarter after Auburn got on the board with one from 32 yards. Bond missed one from 50 yards at the end of the second quarter and his 49-yard attempt early in the third quarter was short.

Reed threw for 207 yards and KC Concepcion had a season-high 113 yards receiving on seven catches.

Auburn: The Tigers punted nine times Saturday as Arnold and the offense struggled to get anything going. He threw for 124 yards and was sacked five times Saturday after being taken down nine times last week against Oklahoma.

Texas A&M: The Aggies will need to finish drives and play cleaner going forward after committing 13 penalties for 119 yards Saturday.

Freeze knows the No. 1 thing his team has to do moving forward is to improve on third down after the Tigers have converted just 3 of 27 combined in the last two weeks.

“I sound like a broken record,” he said. "It’s unacceptable.”

Elko got irked a few minutes into his press conference Saturday when he felt like there were too many questions about Texas A&M's struggles Saturday and not enough about the team's accomplishments.

“Does anybody want to ask a question about us being 4-0 for the first time since 2016,” he said. “How did the defense bounce back? Or how about how you held them to 176 yards on offense and you had five sacks and they were 0 for 12 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down and you got the return game going again? I don’t mean to sound like someone else, but my gosh, will you guys stop being so dreadful and gloomy?"

Auburn: Host Georgia on Oct. 11.

Texas A&M: Hosts Mississippi State next Saturday night.

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