BIRMINGHAM | If you were to look at the stat line and see Auburn gave up 409 yards and 20 points to Texas A&M, you would instantly think that the Tigers' defense was a problem in the loss to the Aggies. But, sometimes, stats don't show everything.

Derek Mason's group did give up yards. But when it came time to slam the door on the Aggies, just as they did a week prior against Ole Miss, punching it into the end zone proved difficult. It's a defense that has lived on the bend-but-not-break attitude for most of the season, and it worked against an explosive offense.

"I think that's something we kind of emphasize in practice," Chandler Wooten said. "They've got a lot of playmakers -- elite play-callers -- so the talent they have, we knew they were going to make some plays. So our ultimate goal was, when we got down in the red zone, kind of tighten up with them."

It started on the Aggies' first drive. Starting on its 16-yard line, Texas A&M quickly drove down to Auburn's five-yard line, looking as if Zach Calzada and company put seven points on the board. Two incomplete passes and a run by AiniasSmith stuffed for a yard made Jimbo Fisher settle for the field goal. It was a sign of things to come.

Twice in the second half, A&M entered Auburn's red zone. Like the first half, they came out with just a field goal both times, one of those drives starting at the Tigers' 46-yard line after Bo Nix and company failed to convert on a desperate fourth-down play. It was all part of a tremendous defensive effort that kept the game tight, with much of that due to Auburn's third-down stands.

Coming into the matchup in College Station, the Tigers' defense ranked 61st in the FBS on third-down conversions. On Saturday, Auburn held the Aggies to 3-of-13. It's not a stat that Bryan Harsin overlooked.

"I think we did well on third-down situations tonight for the most part," the Auburn coach said. "When they were able to move the ball down the field, we did swell up in the red zone."

It was all for naught as the Tigers' offense mustered only three total points and continually let down a defensive effort that should have won the game. Auburn's defense ended up giving up 12 total points, an impressive performance given that Texas A&M came in averaging 29.6 points per game.

"We've got to work as a team together," Harsin said. "We've got to create points from an offensive standpoint to keep ourselves in the game. It's just a matter of time before the score changes."

Auburn's defense did their job. It's a shame the offense couldn't complement that performance.