Top plays from Auburn’s 27-10 loss to Texas A&M

The Auburn Tigers dropped their first game of the season on Saturday in embarrassing fashion, losing to conference rival Texas A&M 27-10.

The Tigers offense sputtered, as starting quarterback Payton Thorne threw for only 44 yards before being benched in the third quarter in favor of Robby Ashford.

The running game was adequate, but no one could really get anything going besides Junior running back Brian Battie, who accounted for over 25% of Auburn’s total offensive output.

The defense continued their solid play however, as they not only scored the Tiger’s lone touchdown but also held A&M to 193 pass yards and 27 points.

Both of those numbers are well below the Aggies season averages of 301 and 40, respectively.

Despite the ugly effort Auburn did have some plays that are worth mentioning.

Here are the top four.

Jarquez Hunter and the offensive line move the ball

The Auburn Tigers had to run the ball well this week if they were going to upset the Aggies on the road.

For one drive in the first quarter, they did just that.

On the first play in this sequence, Jarquez Hunter shows the burst and improvisation that made many believe he would have a big season for the Tigers.

The Tigers follow it up with a beautifully run counter for another big gain.

The misdirection causes the A&M edge rushers to push to far up field, creating an easy seal block for tight end Brandon Frazier. The hole is further opened up by a well-executed double by Gunner Britton and Dillon Wade.

Even after all that, this play could have been blown up in the backfield if not for a great play by Britton to come off the double and chip the free man coming up the middle.

Alex McPherson drills a 53 yarder

Auburn’s only offensive points came from their kicker on Saturday.

Before making a late extra point, McPherson made a huge 53-yard field goal to cut an early 6-0 A&M lead in half going into the break.

McPherson is clearly a weapon for the Tigers, who may be becoming “Kicker U”.

With as anemic of an offense as Auburn has, having a kicker who can make NFL level field goals is going to be extremely important as the season progresses.

Kayin Lee, Elijah McAllister, and Eugene Asante create a defensive touchdown

The Auburn defense has been great through four games. They’ve created turnovers, confused opposing quarterbacks, and have now scored two defensive touchdowns.

This play was phenomenal on a variety of fronts. JACK linebacker Elijah McAllister not only sets the edge, but draws a holding penalty, causing the A&M running back Rueben Owens to bounce outside.

From there, cornerback Kayin Lee flies in to make a play on the ball, stripping it out of Owens’ hands.

Eugene Asante is once again in the right place at the right time, as he collects the loose ball and eludes Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher on his way to paydirt.

Jay Fair's beautiful route creates should-have-been touchdown

Jay Fair has far and away been Auburn’s best reciever this year. After this week, the sophomore has 184 yards and 2 touchdowns through four games.

Those numbers should be higher.

Fair has shown a knack for running crisp, clean, routes that have gotten him separation despite his small frame. He ran a great route on this play, and it should have led to 6 points if not for an errant throw by Payton Thorne.

While plays like this are disheartening, they show Auburn has a chance to do some damage on offense with good execution

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire