Robert Behrens is a 2005 Texas A&M graduate and the Managing Editor of Good Bull Hunting, SB Nation’s Texas A&M team site. He’s a self-described college football pragmatist, but is also not afraid to take any and all cheap shots at A&M’s opponents if he thinks someone will retweet it. You can follow him on Twitter at @rcb05, but do so at your own risk.
1. What is a Texas A&M fan’s first thought of Auburn football at this exact moment?
For me, it’s flashing back to Auburn students rushing the field after Amari Daniel’s dropped a two-point conversion attempt in the fourth overtime a season ago at Jordan Hare. That game ultimately cost the Aggies their first ever trip to the SEC Championship Game against what should have been (all due respect) a very beatable Auburn team. That was a traumatic loss as a fan, and I can imagine, is still in the mind of the players as well, which is why I think there’s little chance of A&M having any kind of a hangover effect from the big win in South Bend two weeks ago. A&M is out to prove they are a different team this season, so I have little doubt that the Tigers have their full attention.
2. What are your thoughts on Hugh Freeze?
There’s nothing worse than your opponent having a super likeable coach, and lucky for Aggie fans this week, Hugh’s checkered past makes him a relatively easy coach to root against. When Auburn hired him, it certainly felt like a hire that was either going to be wildly successful or go down in flames, with little room for middle ground. Which is a bit funny since the middle ground is kind of where this program has lived during his tenure. But here’s hoping A&M can begin the descent into dumpster fire status this Saturday.
3. How bad was Auburn screwed in last week’s Oklahoma loss and what would be your reaction if it happened to the Aggies?
I’ll be honest, it was pretty bad. The defensive touchdown Auburn had called back stings, but honestly that was a 50/50 call. In a vacuum, you can’t be all that mad at it, but when that call doesn’t go your way, you kinda hope that there’s another pivotal call that will swing in your favor, and BOY did that not happen. One missed call led directly to a Sooner touchdown, while another (the pass interference) would have undoubtedly increased the likelihood of a scoring drive.
I’m not one to fully blame the refs for the outcome of a game, because there are usually missed calls (or bad ones) on both sides, and ultimately they either even out, or you simply have to find ways to overcome them. While Auburn certainly had opportunities late to make this a game even with the calls not going their way, I can’t fault anyone who feels like the refs’ incompetence greatly hindered their chances to pull off a road upset.
Mostly I’m just hoping we don’t see any makeup calls this Saturday in College Station.
4. Who are your two favorite Auburn Tigers of all time?
Dallas Walker and Jacoby Mathews.
KIDDING!
As a ’90s kid, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say Charles Barkley and Bo Jackson. Two absolutely iconic sports figures who represent Auburn well. Also who can forget Bo getting stuffed at the goal line four straight times by the Texas A&M defense in the 1986 Cotton Bowl?
5. Name two Aggies that Auburn fans should look out for and why?
After the Notre Dame game, I’m sure everyone is familiar with WR Mario Craver, who currently leads the country in receiving yard per game. But I’m here to tell you that A&M’s other transfer WR, KC Concepcion, is just as talented, and just as capable of making the secondary miserable this Saturday. Neither possesses great size, but they have great hands and are absolutely electric once the ball is in their hands.
The other player I’ll name is DE Cashius Howell, who against Utah State had sacks on three consecutive plays. He has shown some pretty elite flashes as a pass rusher, and given Auburn’s struggles to keep Jackson Arnold off the mat a week ago, he could be in for a big afternoon.
6. Which two Tigers scare you the most and why?
As a recruiting addict, the answer has to be Cam Coleman and Xavier Atkins. Coleman was famously a one-time A&M commit under Jimbo Fisher, and Atkins was heavily recruited by A&M, rumored to be a virtual lock to flip to the Aggies at one point before ultimately sticking with his pledge to LSU out of high school. Fast forward to today, and they’re Auburn’s leading receiver and leading tackler, respectively. From a narrative perspective, there are few things worse than seeing players your team desperately wanted producing for the opponent. But conversely, it can be even sweeter if you’re able to prove maybe they should have come here after all.
7. Where will each team have an advantage over the other?
I think the A&M passing game really has a chance to exploit an Auburn secondary that hasn’t been tested all that much yet this season. I think A&M’s skill position talent on offense is a step up from anything the Tigers have seen to date, so it will all be about whether A&M can take advantage of big play opportunities and limit costly penalties. Conversely, I think Auburn can take advantage of an A&M defense that has been inconsistent at best at containing the ground game through their first three matchups. So Auburn may be less about explosive plays and more about controlling the clock and limiting A&M’s offensive opportunities.
8. What is your analysis/score prediction for the game?
I’m still not fully bought in on this A&M team yet. They’ve shown some elite flashes but also have some obvious flaws. Luckily, that is true for virtually everyone in the SEC this season, which is what makes this season so potentially fun. We’re still at that point in the year where we’re still figuring out exactly who everyone is, but if forced to choose, I do think I trust A&M more to make plays in the big moments, particularly between QBs Marcel Reed and Jackson Arnold. This game could be a close one, and in the end, Reed has proven to have the ability to lead scoring drives in crunch time pretty consistently (even against Auburn last year, despite the defense squandering it). For that reason, I’m going to take the Ags in this one, 34-24.
9. Where will Auburn and Texas A&M end up this season?
If A&M can win this one, they then face three (seemingly) winnable games up next with Florida, Mississippi State and at Arkansas. So A&M starting 7-0 for the first time in 30 years is legitimately on the table. As much as I’ve been burned before, I think this team is capable of taking that next step, so I’m going to predict A&M can finish 10-2 and be right in the mix for either an SECCG appearance or a Playoff spot. But the good news for the Ags is that win or lose this game, they still have a lot in front them to play for.
Looking at Auburn’s schedule, meanwhile, it feels like the success of their season could truly hinge on this game. Falling to 3-2 with Georgia and Mizzou up next is not a good spot to be in. Add in Vandy looking quite competent and Bama seeming to round info form, and there are a lot of losable games left if your team can’t figure some things out. I think ultimately, I’ll say Auburn ends up 7-5, and is taking a hard look in the mirror following the Iron Bowl about whether or not Hugh Freeze will be the leader of this program in 2026.
10. Lastly, do you really, truly like the Yell Leaders and why?
I truly do like the Yell Leaders, but I get why they’re fun to ridicule. When you see what they do in context of a stadium full of 100,000 fans, it makes sense. They wear white and do exaggerated motions because you have to be seen by fans and the tippy top of a massive stadium. To me, the Yell Leaders are much more effective and have much more of an impact on the stadium atmosphere than any group of traditional cheerleaders you’ll find. And when it comes to Midnight Yell Practice and the cheesy jokes/stories, I think it’s important to note that they’re meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Jokes that elicit at best a groan or a sensible chuckle. Nobody is expecting peak standup comedy, it’s just a fun way to take some jabs at opponents the night before a game.
Now I will say that where we get into trouble is putting the Yell Leaders front and center in smaller group settings. That’s when the things that work in front of an full stadium look truly absurd. We aren’t doing ourselves any favors there, for sure. But overall, the Yell Leaders are a unique (and effective) tradition at a school chock full of unique traditions, and it’s part of what makes us, well, us. We could have standard cheerleaders, do a volley chant at the stadium and put “MAKE SOME NOISE” on the video board like everyone else, but being like everyone else isn’t want makes college football great. It’s the quirks of each stadium and program that make this dumb sport what it is. So why not embrace it.
