It was early in the fourth quarter and Texas A&M had just scored a touchdown to cut Auburn’s lead to 21-10.

The Tigers, which had rushed for just 124 yards through the first three quarters, needed a long, time-consuming drive. JaTarvious Whitlow and the offensive line delivered.

Auburn started at its own 31-yard line and went 69 yards in 12 plays, taking a crucial 6:01 off the clock to go up 28-10 on Whitlow’s 8-yard touchdown run.

“That was the type of drive that wins the game on the road,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “That was the best drive we’ve had the whole season, I felt like, because they knew we were probably running. We were able to just methodically run the ball.”

The Tigers ran the ball on 11 of the 12 plays, totaling 62 yards on the ground.

Whitlow, the SEC’s second-leading rusher, came into the fourth quarter with just six carries for 12 yards. He had eight rushes for 47 yards on the drive including five consecutive carries to get it started.

On his final carry of the drive, Whitlow took the handoff up the middle at the 8-yard line broke through two tackles and dived into the end zone for his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

"You saw Boobee Whitlow fresh in the second half and that one touchdown run, he really imposed his will,” Malzahn said.

The drive also included two Bo Nix carries for 10 yards, a nix to Seth Williams pass for seven yards and a five-yard run by Shaun Shivers.

"We ran the ball at will. We kind of did whatever we wanted," Nix said. "To finish a game like that, those kind of drives are huge, especially for a confidence-booster. Now we know, against a good team, we can do stuff like that."

The 8th-ranked Tigers beat No. 17 Texas A&M 28-20 win at Kyle Field to open SEC play with a win and remain undefeated at 4-0. Auburn will host Mississippi State next Saturday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Bulldogs are 3-1 after beating Kentucky 28-13 earlier Saturday.