Micheal Clemons scored the game's only touchdown on a 24-yard fumble return early in the fourth quarter, and No. 13 Texas A&M beat No. 12 Auburn 20-3 on Saturday.
Clemons' scoop-and-score came after defensive tackle Jayden Peevy poked the ball away from scrambling Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. Clemons, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end, picked up the ball and sprinted to the end zone, diving to the ground after he crossed the goal line.
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WATCH HEREZach Calzada finished 15 of 29 for 192 yards for Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference), shaking off an apparent injury to his non-throwing shoulder in the third quarter. His performance was was good enough for the Aggies to survive a defensive battle between the two highest-ranked two-loss teams in the country.
Auburn (6-3, 3-2) had its four-game winning streak in College Station snapped.
Calzada woke up the crowd of 109,835 -- the second-largest in Kyle Field history -- with a 49-yard completion to Caleb Chapman late in the third quarter, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Seth Small that gave the Aggies a 6-3 lead.
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SIGN UP Small put the Aggies up 9-3 with a 47-yard field goal with 13:40 remaining before the Aggies' defense finally found the end zone. Small connected again from 37 yards with 3:15 remaining.
Small opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a 21-yard kick, and Auburn answered with Anders Carlson's 32-yard field goal late in the quarter.
Both Small and Carlson missed midrange field-goal attempts that would have broken the 3-3 tie.
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THE TAKEAWAY
Auburn: The Tigers finished with 73 yards rushing on 29 attempts, led by Tank Bigsby, who had 69 yards. … Nix complete 20 of 41 passes for 153 yards, with the fumble and an interception. … Auburn was 4 of 16 on third-down conversions.
Texas A&M: The Aggies had solid rushing performances from Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane, who had 112 and 98 yards, respectively. … The Aggies struggled to move the chains at times due to untimely dropped passes.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Texas A&M could move up a couple spots but may not crack the top 10. Auburn will fall at least a few spots but will likely remain ranked.
UP NEXT
Auburn: Hosts Mississippi State on Saturday.
Texas A&M: At Ole Miss on Saturday.
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