With two wins in two games needed for Auburn to make a bowl game, the improbable, but not impossible task starts with a home game against Texas A&M, its final game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2024.

It’s a rematch of Auburn’s 27-10 loss in College Station last season, but against a different-looking team with a new head coach and a lot more to play for.

The game is a must win for Texas A&M just as much as it is for Auburn, with the Aggies looking to keep their SEC Championship hopes alive.

Here’s a closer look at Texas A&M:

The coach

As mentioned above, this year’s matchup with Texas A&M comes against a new head coach as Mike Elko will lead the Aggies into Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

He spent two seasons as Duke’s head coach prior to getting the Texas A&M job, following four seasons as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher. Hugh Freeze mentioned earlier in the week that he is relatively unfamiliar with Elko, meeting him for the first time last spring.

The biggest connection between the two coaching staffs is Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, who spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons in College Station before leaving for Auburn after Jimbo Fisher was fired.

The team

Texas A&M comes into the Auburn game 8-2, still in contention for a spot in the SEC Championship game. Its lone conference loss came three weeks ago against South Carolina and its 5-1 conference record ties Texas A&M with Texas atop the SEC.

The Aggies’ two best wins on the season were home contests against LSU and Missouri, both top 10 teams at the time, but LSU is now unranked, and Missouri sits at No. 23.

What stands out most about Texas A&M is its rushing attack, but that took a significant hit in the loss against South Carolina. Star running back Le‘Veon Moss suffered a season-ending leg injury in that game, taking away the Aggies’ leading rusher.

They still rushed for 209 yards as a team in the one game since losing Moss, but that came against an overmatched New Mexico State team.

Texas A&M has other weapons in the run game, but Saturday’s matchup with Auburn will be the first time its run game without Moss will be put to the test since his injury.

Players to watch

With Moss now out of the picture, the two biggest names to watch on offense for Texas A&M are quarterback Marcel Reed and running back Amari Daniels.

Even when Moss was healthy, Reed was one of the focal points of Texas A&M’s run game, carrying the ball 72 times this season for 375 yards and six touchdowns. Reed and Connor Weigman have both featured at quarterback for the Aggies this season, but Reed seems to have taken the job full time since leading a comeback win over LSU.

Daniels will likely be the feature back alongside Reed in the backfield against Auburn. While not being the leading rusher, he has put together an impressive 2024 season, rushing for 550 yards and seven touchdowns through 10 games.

With the offense focused more on the run game, no Texas A&M wide receiver has more than 27 catches this season, but Noah Thomas and Jabre Barber lead the way for the Aggies in the receiver core.

Whenever Freeze was asked about Texas A&M’s defense leading up to the game, one of the first things he’d often mention was the length in the secondary.

With corners Will Lee III and BJ Mayes and safeties Marcus Ratcliffe and Bryce Anderson all over six feet, they have the ability to cause problems and make plays in the secondary.

Up front, Nic Scourton is the standout player, leading the team with five sacks and 30 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m