No. 15 Texas A&M still angling for playoff, must avoid Auburn trip hazard

You could almost feel the bulletin-board material being pinned up in the Auburn meeting room once the slip-up came off Mike Elko’s tongue.No. 15 Texas A&M closes the regular season on Nov. 30 with an epic battle with No. 3 Texas that may decide whether the Aggies land a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.But first the Aggies visit Auburn this Saturday in a Southeastern Conference battle.”When you’re in the situation we’re in, it’s easy to focus on the task at hand,” Elko said, promising Texas A&M wouldn’t look past downtrodden Auburn. “You know, I think those big games earlier in the year, maybe you look ahead, and if we didn’t have what’s at stake, maybe you would worry about it.”Our focus is single-handedly on Texas. I mean, Auburn right now and locked in on what needs to get done.”Oops, the split-second of tripping over his words will be a huge postgame talking point if the Aggies (8-2, 5-1 SEC) stumble against the Tigers (4-6, 1-5).Texas A&M badly needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive. SMU (9-1), BYU (9-1) and the Aggies are the first three teams on the outside of the playoff field after Tuesday’s latest projection.Freshman quarterback Marcel Reed is very aware of what’s at stake entering the pivotal stretch.”Obviously, we’re going to go into practice and prepare for this team like it’s the biggest game of the year,” Reed said of Auburn. “And we got to win out. And this is just another step in the way we want to go.”Reed passed for a season-high 268 yards along with two touchdowns as the Aggies rolled to a 38-3 home win over New Mexico State last weekend.Defensive end Nic Scourton continues to have a big year on the defensive side with 14 tackles for loss, including five sacks.Auburn (4-6, 1-5) doesn’t have any playoff scenarios to ponder as the program tries to avoid a fourth consecutive losing season. After the clash with the Aggies, the Tigers close the regular season at Alabama on Nov. 30.But first, Auburn has to beat Texas A&M or the losing season goes into the books.

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