AUBURN | Texas A&M’s defense is led by a big and athletic defensive line that’s known for making plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Auburn’s offensive line has struggled to protect quarterback Payton Thorne and keep defenders out of the backfield.

It’s one of Hugh Freeze’s biggest concerns going into Saturday night’s game against the 15th-ranked Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“A&M is loaded, loaded with NFL talent on defense,” said Freeze. “Really, really a problem for you unless you have just the mobility to escape them because they’re constantly putting you under pressure. It’s an issue for us.”

The TAMU defensive line is led by Purdue defensive end transfer Nic Scourton, who is second in SEC with 14.0 tackles-for-loss and has 5.0 sacks.

The talented group also includes junior defensive end Shemar Stewart, senior defensive tackle Shemar Turner and junior noseguard Albert Regis.

“They've got NFL guys all across the board,” said tight end Luke Deal. “You see those front four defensive linemen, that's going to be a big emphasis for us this week. Can we put a hat on these guys? Can we dominate them in the run game and hold up in the pass game and give our quarterback some time to take some shots downfield?

“All the great things you say you want to do at the beginning of the week, can we actually do it? I think we've done it at times against dominant players, done it at times against really good players. And we also haven't. So I think it's a huge challenge for us to be able to lock into the plan, stay focused, stay intense the entire game and just out-grit them. That's what we're gonna try to do.”

Texas A&M comes into the matchup tied for third in the SEC with 73.0 tackles-for-loss and 13th with 21.0 sacks.

Auburn eighth in the SEC allowing 53 tackles-for-loss and 11th allowing 24 sacks. It’ll definitely be a challenge for offensive line coach Jake Thornton and his unit.

“We were talking about early down passes,” said Freeze Monday. “Jake is sweating with some of the things that were on the board. We were just going through how we can maybe change a few of those things.

“He wants that ball to come out pretty quick because they are dynamic. Those are two first-rounders on the edge, and inside they're really good, too. So we better win first down and keep it in third-and-manageable.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.