AUBURN | Auburn is 4-0, up to No. 7 in the polls and has two wins over ranked teams away from home. That’s an impressive early resume the Tigers are building.

But still on the horizon are matchups against four top 10 teams, including three in the top five. This is no time for Auburn’s coaches and players to start patting themselves on the back.

“I really felt like we kind of took the next step and we played our best game,” said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn a day after beating No. 17 Texas A&M 28-20 in College Station. “Of course, from a coaches’ standpoint you get home and turn the film on and we’ve got a lot of areas to improve on.

“I told our guys today there’s opportunity for growth. We’ve got to keep improving. Each week it gets tougher. Our guys understand that.”

On the offensive side of the ball, Malzahn is pushing for better execution. He identified 20 of Auburn’s 67 plays on offense as deficient against the Aggies.

“You have to execute right,” Malzahn said. “I’m talking about whether it’s a bad snap or a protection breakdown or a carry out your fake type deal, those are things that are critical to the success of a play. There weren’t a whole of what I would say were assignment busts, but we’re getting to the point now where it’s game four. We just have to continue to improve.”

Senior safety Jeremiah Dinson, one of four team captains, identified three key areas on defense where the Tigers can improve. A couple were factors in the Texas A&M game.

“Get off the field on third down, start faster,” Dinson said. “I feel like we’ve been starting slow, these long drives, and just finishing too. I feel like we didn’t finish as well, but like I said, you can’t complain. We got the win; that’s the ultimate goal, is to win. But those are the things I see: get off on third down, start faster and just finish in the fourth quarter.”

Auburn gave up points on opponent's opening drives in the first three games before holding TAMU scoreless on its first two possessions. The Aggies were able to convert three third downs of eight yards or more and scored 10 points late in the fourth quarter to pull within a score.

Auburn returns to action next Saturday against Mississippi State. Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

HELMET STICKERS

Malzahn handed out the following helmet stickers for the Texas A&M game: Anthony Schwartz (offense), Derrick Brown (defense) and Matthew Hill (special teams).