When Texas A&M football kicked off its 2025 campaign by allowing UTSA and Utah State to score a combined 46 points, questions arose around whether or not this defense could hold up against Southeastern Conference foes.
That narrative was quickly shut down by the Aggie defensive unit when the program opened league play against the Auburn Tigers on Sep. 27, in which the Maroon and White held quarterback Jackson Arnold to a season-low 125 passing yards. Texas A&M also recorded five sacks and six tackles-for-loss, while also forcing Auburn to go 0-of-13 on third down.
It was a defensive outing to remember for the Aggies, but one that head coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers wish they could forget.
“It was one of my worst experiences of my coaching career, offensively,” Freeze said.
Texas A&M’s success continued against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Week 6, as the Aggies held another prolific SEC offense to just 219 total yards and only one touchdown in a dominant performance under the lights at Kyle Field. For the majority of the contest, the black jerseys lived in the backfield — sacking MSU quarterback Shapen four times. Three of those plays came from EDGE Cashius Howell, who became the first Aggie player since Von Miller to record multiple games in a season with three sacks or more in a single game.
With the Florida Gators coming to Bryan-College Station, Texas, on Saturday for another conference showdown, contributions from rising defensive stars like Howell will be integral, as signal-caller DJ Lagway looks to lead his unit to more success after upsetting the Texas Longhorns in The Swamp last weekend.
This Aggie defense, especially the pass rush, has displayed continuous improvement from the season opener, however. Texas A&M ranks fifth in the SEC in total defensive production, with 289.6 yards allowed per game so far in 2025. The team is also tied at second in the league with 18.0 sacks through five games, while ranking third with 3.60 sacks per game.
If head coach Mike Elko and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman want to keep this trend of defensive success on the rise, the Aggies will need to come prepared to get after Lagway and keep him from gaining confidence by applying pressure on the gunslinger in College Station on Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Facing Texas A&M’s stout defense was one of Auburn HC’s ‘worst experiences’ as a coach
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
