Mike Elko’s glowing review of Auburn Tigers on both sides of the ball reveals exactly how Hugh Freeze will have to beat Texas A&M
If Jackson Arnold struggles, Auburn must lean on two key stars to beat Aggies
The Auburn Tigers are still likely sore and disappointed following their loss to the Oklahoma Sooners last Saturday, but their Week 5 opponent might be even tougher.
The Texas A&M Aggies are 3-0, fresh off a huge win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They have an electric mobile quarterback in Marcel Reed, explosive wide receivers, and a strong bend-don’t-break defense.
However, Aggies head coach Mike Elko just highlighted exactly how and who Auburn needs to defeat Texas A&M this week when speaking with SEC media on Wednesday. The answers really aren’t some major secret, but Hugh Freeze and his staff need to focus on two key players making all the difference if they’re going to win.
Auburn Tigers’ defense needs Keldric Faulk to contain Marcel Reed
When Mike Elko was asked about Auburn’s tough defense, he didn’t hesitate to talk up what is obviously one of the more athletic defensive units in the country. And of course, he didn’t even need to mention defensive end Keldric Faulk by name for everyone to know exactly who he was talking about:
“Obviously, [Auburn’s defense has] a tremendous amount of athleticism and twitch on the front line. They’ve got probably one of, if not the best, defensive end in the country. They’re really athletic at linebacker, and I think they’ve really gone out and made some some really good additions and development in their secondary. And so I think it’s a really, really talented group. DJ Durkin is obviously a phenomenal defensive coordinator and does a great job with those guys.”
Keldric Faulk entered the 2025 college football season considered by many experts to be an automatic first round pick for next year’s NFL Draft, and he’s done nothing but confirm that hype. He’s already racked up 15 pass rush pressures, two sacks, several key run stops and tackles for loss, and just wreaked havoc on Oklahoma this past weekend–including unfortunately breaking the hand of their quarterback.
Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin needs to make sure he puts Faulk in position to get after and contain the mobility of A&M QB Marcel Reed. That will be priority number one for Auburn’s defense holding up this week.
Hugh Freeze needs to call as many plays to Cam Coleman as possible
Priority number two for Auburn has to be leaning on the talents of wide receiver Cam Coleman. Jackson Arnold was an absolute embarrassment against pass rush pressure this past weekend. He missed a wide open Coleman multiple times on what could have been big touchdown plays. That doesn’t mean that Auburn needs to stop targeting him. Coleman was constantly creating space with impressive sped and route-running at his impressive 6’3″, 200-pound size. All three catches against Oklahoma were absolutely ridiculous plays. When asked about the young stud wide receiver, A&M’s head coach Mike Elko couldn’t help but give a glowing review:
“I thought we saw [the incredible talent] last year too. Yeah. I just think he’s gotten more and more comfortable with SEC play. He’s now another year in. His body looks a little bit more mature. Not that it didn’t last year, but I think you could just see that natural year of evolution. And he’s obviously an extremely talented wide receiver, and certainly one of the best in the country.”
Cam Coleman posted 600 yards and eight touchdowns as a true freshman in the SEC and is on pace for even more impressive production this season. However, he could be having an even more ridiculous season if Jackson Arnold wasn’t underthrowing or missing him completely quite often. Even on the good plays, Coleman typically has to make a wild adjustment to haul in the ball (as you can see in the post below).
Even when the targets aren’t landing in the bread basket for Cam Coleman it’s clear that he is the best player on the entire offense almost every single play. He’s averaging more than five targets per game so far this season, but that’s not near enough given his talent. Hugh Freeze needs to make sure as many plays go Coleman’s way as possible if the Tigers want to keep up with A&M on the scoreboard–the Aggies have score 40+ points in every single game.
Eric Singleton can still be the underneath chain-mover at receiver. Running back Jeremiah Cobb deserves far more than the six carries that he got last week–a major error in the ground game last week. Still, Cam Coleman is different. He’s a future first round selection in the NFL Draft. Get him the ball and watch Auburn’s offense flourish. Even Texas A&M’s head coach knows that’s the right play.
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