Texas A&M's run defense continues to degenerate and answers aren't within immediate sight. Improvement will come for the Aggie D, but it may not be complete until 2016 — and by that point, will A&M be ready to challenge the SEC West's elite?

The breakdowns by Texas A&M's offense are no longer isolated incidents — they're indicative of something systemic. Heading down the stretch in Kevin Sumlin's fourth year at the helm of the Aggies, that's a sad fact that requires immediate attention.

There was a beautiful irony in Johnny Manziel's presence at Saturday's game, a bittersweet reminder of the bygone days of Texas A&M's offensive dominance with him at the helm. Following the woeful showing against Auburn, the Aggies have serious questions to ask in search of direction.

Why do fans of the 'Tigers' say 'War Eagle'? Let the visitors from Auburn explain it. Aggie and Tiger tailgaters alike covered that, the quality of defensive coordinator nicknames, vet school competition and more during the lead-up to Saturday's game.

Appearances by Speedy Noil and Jake Hubenak highlighted an otherwise disappointing night at Kyle Field as the Aggies kicked off the season's stretch run. TexAgs presents the game's story from a field-level angle as seen on CW-8 Aggieland.

No, it wasn't pretty on film — and no, the numbers don't look any better. The story of Texas A&M's tilt with Auburn: the offense struggled mightily, the defense struggled mightily and the results, well, aren't surprising.

On Saturday the Aggies welcomed the Auburn Tigers for their last marquee home matchup of the season ... and it could have gone better. Nonetheless, TexAgs presents the story of the game and the pageantry of Kyle Field with an extensive gallery of images.

As quickly as the ship appeared righted, it veered violently off course. Offensive ineptitude against one of the nation's worst defenses led to a loss against one of the SEC West's bottom-rung teams and the Aggies now find themselves asking some familiar questions.

Where do we go from here? It's the question floating around Aggieland after a dismal showing against Auburn sent a once-promising season further off the rails. Former Texas A&M players Jordan Pugh and Brandon Leone join the conversation on what to make of it.

In what seemed like its last roadblock to arriving in Baton Rouge on a long winning streak, Texas A&M fell painfully flat. During Saturday's aftermath, Kevin Sumlin and his players spoke with the media about what went wrong.

On a cold, rainy night at Kyle Field on Saturday the Aggies played uninspired, falling behind early and never mounting much of a threat. A&M allowed 311 rushing yards in a disappointing loss that dropped it further back in the SEC West.

True, Texas A&M has had its problems stopping the run. But so, too, has Auburn — against a slew of rushing attacks ranked outside the nation's top 50. With the changes to A&M's own rushing game after Kyler Murray was inserted into the lineup, is success on the ground in the cards Saturday?

Last season a struggling Texas A&M team pulled off a stunning upset in Jordan-Hare; this time around, the Aggies are firmly in the rankings and the Tigers are middling — but the A&M coaches and players are aware of the threat Auburn poses.

The Aggies and Tigers are largely different teams than they were in last season's meeting, but one statistic connects them — and it may be the difference in Saturday's game. Meanwhile, the battles on the edge must tilt in favor of Texas A&M.

Let's see some wholesale defensive improvement (and regression). Let's put Kyler in context. Let's find some common ground, check in with the sips, stop the nicknames and lower expectations...for Auburn. Let's RUN THE NUMBERS.

Two teams in the SEC West looked very similar before the season's start. One was picked to win the division, the other a lowly sixth; the results have been closer to the opposite. With Kyler Murray, Myles Garrett and Kyle Field on horizon, the Tigers could use some help.

The (likely) biggest challenge on Texas A&M's road to arriving in Baton Rouge at 9-2 will walk into Kyle Field on Saturday in the form of the Auburn Tigers. Freshman quarterbacks, star defensive ends and playmakers out wide on both sides ... but who will make the difference?

By almost every conceivable metric, the Texas A&M defense has improved by leaps and bounds in Year 1 under John Chavis. The one area where it hasn't: run defense. With Auburn's power run game on the horizon, the Aggies are seeking a solution.