3 takeaways from Auburn’s stunning upset of Texas A&M in 4OT

Texas A&M and Auburn met in a wild affair Saturday night in a game that ultimately needed multiple overtime periods to decide a winner. The Aggies entered in search of maintaining their SEC Championship and College Football Playoff aspirations alive while the Tigers were clawing for a bowl game.

It started off all aces for Auburn with Hugh Freeze’s team blitzing out to a 21-0 lead in the first half. That led to the appearance of a rare rout heating up, but Texas A&M would shake off the rust and get rolling ahead of halftime.

In the third quarter, the Aggies would complete the comeback all the way to tie it at 21-all, but the drama was just getting started. The two teams would trade late scoring drives in the fourth to force overtime, and a third overtime would be needed.

Ultimately, Auburn outlasted A&M with a final score of 43-41 after four total overtime periods. Here are the key takeaways from that game:

Signature win for Freeze keeps bowl hopes alive

It hasn’t been a pretty season for the Tigers, even with some close calls against ranked opponents and SEC teams earlier in the year. For a while, it looked like this one would slip past the Tigers, but they rallied every time.

Now, Freeze can put a top-15 win on his resume at Auburn, and that is not insignificant. At 5-6 on the season, Auburn now has a shot (long as it may be) at getting to a bowl game if the Tigers can upset Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

Beating the Crimson Tide, in Tuscaloosa, is never easy. But crazier things have happened in rivalry games.

Texas A&M’s postseason picture gets cloudy

Entering Week 13, the message for the Aggies was simple. “Win and in.” Winning out against Auburn and Texas would have sent A&M to Atlanta for the SEC Championship, and winning the league title would have guaranteed the Aggies a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Now, A&M’s best hope is setting a chaotic scene that requires tie-breaking procedures by upsetting the Longhorns.

If the Aggies were to win against Texas (and other results hold firm), the SEC would end the season with 4 teams tied at 6-2. Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and A&M would be those teams in this scenario waiting to see who would advance to Atlanta.

And, for all intents and purposes, A&M’s only path to the Playoff is now through Atlanta. With 3 losses, the Aggies are all but out of consideration for an at-large bid, so landing in the SEC Championship — and winning — is the only avenue for Mike Elko to get into the Playoff.

Cam Coleman continues ascension

Auburn’s true freshman wide receiver has been overshadowed by Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams this season for understandable reasons. But Coleman is hitting his stride late in the season, and he delivered his best game of the season against an SEC opponent in Week 13.

In the first half, Coleman recorded 2 touchdowns as Auburn raced out to a 21-0 lead. That stretch included a 63-yard touchdown, the longest play so far in his Tiger career.

When it was all said and done, Coleman finished with a new career-high of 128 yards. That eclipses his previous high of 100 set in last week’s game against Louisiana Monroe and goes down as back-to-back games with 100+ receiving yards and multiple touchdowns.