Texas A&M opened SEC play against a desperate Auburn team on Saturday afternoon. In a game where the penalty flags basically buried the field from start to finish, the Aggie defense stood tall, shutting down the Tigers for just 115 yards and escaping Week 5 with a 16-10 win, reaching 4-0 for the first time since the 2016 season.
While it’s our job to discuss the negative aspects of the game, coach Mike Elko was adamant during the post-game press conference that he’d like to avoid discussing what went wrong, and, instead, praise his defense, which, outside of limiting Auburn‘s offense, sacked quarterback Jackson Arnold five times, including defensive end Dayon Hayes ending the game after his 4th down down sack.
Texas A&M has plenty to clean up heading into Week 6, ready to take on a 4-1 Mississippi State team that is playing much, much better than any of us expected, including my staff writer, Dylan Flippo, who is a Mississippi State graduate. Offensively, the Aggies racked up 414 yards, including 207 rushing yards, which should have resulted in at least 30 points.
However, 13 penalties for 119 yards are always going to hinder any team’s offensive momentum, and outside of several ticky-tack calls, holding, and personal fouls can and need to be avoided moving forward, knowing that this type of elite defensive performance can’t be counted on every week.
Around the rest of the SEC, Ole Miss defeated LSU at home, while Alabama went into Athens (GA) and pulled off the 24-21 victory against No. 5 Georgia, just weeks after being blown out on the road against Florida State. Vanderbilt continues to look the part, while Tennessee took care of Mississippi State in OT, 41-34.
However, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was reportedly fired after the Razorbacks’ 56-13 blowout home loss to Notre Dame, which was revealed on Sunday afternoon.
After defeating Auburn, Texas A&M rose four spots to No. 5 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, which is the highest ranking the Aggies have received since 2021. Here is the rest of the Top 25 after Week 5.
US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 5
| 1 | Ohio State | 4-0 | 1617 | 58 | 1 | – | 1/2 |
| 2 | Oregon | 5-0 | 1559 | 6 | 5 | +3 | 2/7 |
| 3 | Miami (FL) | 4-0 | 1484 | 1 | 6 | +3 | 3/10 |
| 4 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 1319 | 0 | 11 | +7 | 4/15 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 4-0 | 1223 | 0 | 9 | +4 | 5/22 |
| 6 | Penn State | 3-1 | 1192 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 2/6 |
| 7 | Texas | 3-1 | 1165 | 0 | 7 | – | 1/7 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 4-0 | 1123 | 0 | 10 | +2 | 8/NR |
| 9 | Indiana | 5-0 | 1059 | 0 | 12 | +3 | 9/21 |
| 10 | Georgia | 3-1 | 1006 | 0 | 3 | -7 | 3/10 |
| 11 | Alabama | 3-1 | 975 | 0 | 16 | +5 | 8/20 |
| 12 | Iowa State | 5-0 | 919 | 0 | 13 | +1 | 12/21 |
| 13 | LSU | 4-1 | 918 | 0 | 4 | -9 | 4/13 |
| 14 | Texas Tech | 4-0 | 856 | 0 | 14 | – | 14/24 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 4-1 | 728 | 0 | 15 | – | 15/18 |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | 5-0 | 604 | 0 | 17 | +1 | 16/NR |
| 17 | Vanderbilt | 5-0 | 502 | 0 | 20 | +3 | 17/NR |
| 18 | Missouri | 5-0 | 498 | 0 | 19 | +1 | 18/NR |
| 19 | Florida State | 3-1 | 483 | 0 | 8 | -11 | 8/NR |
| 20 | Michigan | 3-1 | 453 | 0 | 18 | -2 | 13/22 |
| 21 | Notre Dame | 2-2 | 316 | 0 | 21 | – | 5/21 |
| 22 | Illinois | 4-1 | 287 | 0 | 23 | +1 | 8/23 |
| 23 | BYU | 4-0 | 221 | 0 | 24 | +1 | 23/NR |
| 24 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 136 | 0 | NR | +2 | 10/NR |
| 25 | Utah | 4-1 | 104 | 0 | NR | +2 | 18/NR |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 22 USC; No. 25 TCU;
Others Receiving Votes
Memphis 88; Louisville 83; Virginia 63; South Florida 29; USC 17; Maryland 17; Auburn 12; UNLV 11; Navy 9; Mississippi State 9; Tulane 8; Washington 7; North Texas 7; TCU 6; Nebraska 4; Duke 4; Iowa 3; Houston 1;
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