Texas A&M Football: Auburn Statistical Postmortem

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Nov 12, 2022; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) looks for a receiver during the third quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports /

The offensive debacle put forth by this Texas A&M football team last Saturday was one of their poorest outings of the season on that side of the ball. That much was obvious without even glancing at the numbers. However, when you really dig into what we saw out there on the Plains, the full picture of just how abysmal things were starts to set in. Here’s a cursory glance (numbers reflect FBS vs FBS competition only):

3.4 yards per attempt – worst of the season
38.9% completion rate – worst of the season
76.29 passer rating – worst of the season
121 passing yards – second worst of the season (97 – App St.)
3.92 yards per carry – third worst of the season (2.8 – Bama; 3.88 – Miami)
94 rushing yards – third worst of the season (70 – Bama; 89 – App St.)

Ugly! Very ugly!

These are especially disappointing given the spark that Weigman showed against Ole Miss. Somewhat encouraging, though, was the fact that he didn’t throw any interceptions, or really have any turnover-worthy plays at all. Of course, there was the one fumble on the blindside hit, but that’s not totally Weigman’s fault.

You could still see the promise he showed with his arm strength and accuracy (especially on his final pass, the TD to Jalen Preston), but without any semblance of a running game to lean on outside of a few explosive Amari Daniels carries in the final few minutes, and in an extremely hostile environment, playing against a jazzed-up defense, it was tough sledding for the future star.

The advanced offensive numbers paint no rosier a picture. A&M, for the game, averaged only 0.154 adjusted points per play (calculation my own)— their lowest mark of the season in that regard. Their unadjusted number— 0.167— was good for a mere 43% of what Auburn averages giving up in that department. This Texas A&M football team hit season lows in percentage of YPA and YPC gained, 54% and 83% respectively. They had a season low in success rate (via collegefootballdata.com), at 29%, good for a lowly 69% of what Auburn averages allowing. This is all a lot of words to say that this was the worst offensive showing of the year.

But how about the defense? Let’s take a look at them next.