AUBURN | All week, I’ve searched the interwebs for which musician or band to use that hails from Texas. Since the Lone Star State is so humongous, there was plenty to choose from. My first choice was to go with the great George Strait, but none of his song titles exactly fit into my theme. Neither did Beyonce, which is unfortunate considering I have always wanted to put “Bootylicious” in a piece.

The names go on and on: Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings and Roy Orbison, to mention a few. Sure, I could have gone with a variation, but this is too big of a game for the Tigers for me to mess around with half-witty references. So, therefore, I’m staying away from them and getting right to the point.

Using the College Football Playoff rankings, it is No. 13 Auburn at No. 14 Texas A&M in a matchup that will go a long way in determining the SEC West winner. Here are six ways that Bryan Harsin and the Tigers can leave Kyle Field with a win.

1. Force Calzada into mistakes

When Haynes King went down, Texas A&M seemed to have a quarterback problem on its hands. Well, that didn’t last too long as Zach Calzada has filled in nicely, having his best game in the win against Alabama.

The sophomore is still susceptible to mistakes, though, throwing an interception in six straight games and failing to pass for more than 200 yards in the last two outings. The offensive line has been able to keep Calzada upright for the most part, but forcing him into pressure situations would only turn out well for the Tigers’ defense.

2. Give the ball to the hot hand (aka Tank Bigsby)

My good friend Brian Walker has a man behind him at games in Jordan-Hare Stadium that, according to him, will not stop yelling, “Run Tank!” Well, Mike Bobo should probably listen to that fan this week and feed Bigsby after his impressive performance against Ole Miss.

Besides probably the visiting team taking a huge lead, nothing quiets a stadium down more than the opposing offense continually picking up first downs by running the ball and taking time off the clock. So get Bigsby going, a little sprinkle of Jarquez Hunter and Bo Nix in there, control possession and the 12th Man.

3. Don’t settle for field goals

The Tigers have been excellent in the red zone in the last two games, converting eight trips into six touchdowns while settling for just two field goals. However, the nation’s 13th-ranked red zone defense will test that. Opponents have reached the red zone 22 times against the Aggies, but those have resulted in just 10 touchdowns.

A powerful running game plus the ability of Nix to use his legs, as we saw against Arkansas and Ole Miss, will be crucial here. Put six points on the board instead of three, and Auburn likely wins.

4. Contain the Aggies’ dynamic duo

That duo of Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane resides in the Texas A&M backfield, providing a healthy double punch at running back for the Aggies. Spiller came into the season with all the hype and has lived up to it, rushing for 761 yards and five touchdowns in eight games. Yet it is the sophomore Achane that has had a breakout campaign, going for 608 yards and five scores on the ground.

If that isn’t enough, both can catch the ball, combining for 39 catches so far. So limit them and make other players beat you. Well, except …

5. Cover the tight end

Ainias Smith might lead the Aggies in touchdown receptions with six, but Jalen Wydermyer has created mismatch problems for opponents. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end has 25 catches for a team-leading 353 yards and four scores. Given that Auburn has had problems defending that position this season, Derek Mason must dial something up to try and slow Wydermyer down. Otherwise, it could be a long day for the Tigers’ secondary.

6. Let Nix do his thing

A Bo Nix on the loose is a good Bo Nix, and the junior quarterback is playing his best football in an Auburn uniform. It seems that Harsin and Bobo have found the keys to utilizing him in the best ways, especially when it comes to using him in the running game.

His accuracy has been on point in the past two games, completing 76.8 percent of his passes. As a result, teams no longer want to sit back and let Nix beat them. That’s an excellent sign for Auburn.