Ahead of Auburn's matchup with Texas A&M, our Christian Clemente chatted with Mark Passwaters of AggieYell.com. Dive in for his assessment of the Tigers-Aggies matchup and how he sees things shaking out Saturday.

CC: How have you seen the Texas A&M team evolve throughout the course of the season? They started a little slow, but have been rolling the past weeks obviously with the big win over Alabama.

MP: The evolution has been total. They were awful after Haynes King got hurt in the first half against Colorado. Nothing worked; the offensive line couldn't block, the wideouts and tight end Jalen Wydermyer couldn't get open and Zach Calzada couldn't hit them when they were because he was hearing footsteps and running for his life. On defense, they were making massive mental mistakes, giving up way too many yards on the ground and not applying any pressure. Since Alabama, they've run at will, Calzada has only been sacked once, Wydermyer and Ainias Smith have been monsters in the passing game and the defense has dominated. They don't even look like the same team.

CC: Where does this A&M team excel? Where do they struggle?

MP: They excel at running the football and stopping the run. Isaiah Spiller is well on his way to a 1,000-yard season and is averaging 6.2 yards a carry; his fellow back, Devon Achane, is averaging 7.1 yards a carry. Spiller is probably the best and most complete back in the SEC, but Achane has world-class speed and can go the distance any time he touches the ball.

On defense, the Aggies don't give up points. Against anyone not named Alabama, they haven't allowed more than 24 points in a game (Mississippi State got 2 more on a safety). Regardless, they're fourth in the nation at 16.1 points per game allowed. They've definitely improved against the run of late, something that they'll have to continue this weekend.

Their weaknesses are consistency in the passing game and pass defense. Calzada had a great game against Alabama, but has just ok otherwise. He's made some huge passes in every game, but still is only completing 55% of his passes. He's got a huge arm, but accuracy issues are a continuing problem. On the other side of the ball, if the Aggies don't get pressure on the quarterback, they've got a very inexperienced group of corners who have been picked on.

CC: Auburn is 4-0 at Kyle Field all time, do you think that creates any added motivation for this game?

MP: If a chance to win out and potentially win the SEC West isn't enough for both teams, they should be somewhere else. But sure, the idea that A&M has had great success at Jordan-Hare and hasn't beaten Auburn at home has to be an annoyance.

CC: Who are some X-Factors for A&M on Saturday that can swing the game in their favor?

MP: I want to get all exotic and mention players like wideouts Caleb Chapman and Demond Demas, but keeping it simple is the best approach. Wydermyer and Smith have to keep producing. These are the guys who get the ball quickly and if Auburn's defense attacks like they have most of the year, they could see a lot of passes heading their way. The defensive line will be important, but linebackers Aaron Hansford and Edgerrin Cooper will be vital. They need to stay in their lanes, get Tank Bigsby to the ground and, maybe most importantly, keep Bo Nix in the pocket. They can't get out of position like they did repeatedly early in the season.

CC: Game prediction? Who wins and why?

MP: I think this is going to be a close one and a classic SEC slugfest. But A&M's running game has gotten better week by week and Auburn's giving up more yards as the season wears on. They've also improved majorly against the run. The Aggies also get the benefit of coming off a bye week and 102,000 fans in the stands -- the game is sold out -- so I'll go with the Aggies to finally break the trend of the visitors winning.

NOT A MEMBER?

JOIN AUBURNSPORTS.COM TODAY to enjoy around-the-clock content including stories, analysis, videos, podcasts, call-in shows and The Greatest Message Board In The History of The Internet.

Also check out our Texas A&M site at AggieYell.com

You can follow Mark Passwaters on Twitter for all your Aggies coverage needs at @mbpRivals