The Auburn Tigers (5-6, 2-5 SEC) upset the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies (8-3, 5-2 SEC) 43-41 in a quadruple-overtime thriller.
Some called for the upset heading into Saturday. It turns out they were onto something.
With their backs against the wall, Auburn’s hopes to play in a bowl game will live to see another the final week of the regular season.
The Tigers shot out of the gate, putting the ball in the endzone in their first three possessions to jump out to a 21-0 lead. Jarquez Hunter punched in the first one from the two-yard line, and Payton Thorne connected with Cam Coleman for the second two, one from 63 yards out and the other from 15.
Thorne finished the game 19-of-31Â through the air for 301 yards and two touchdowns, a solid performance despite his interception-free stretch coming to an end.
On the other sideline, Texas A&M stumbled to start the game. Randy Bond missed a 53-yard field goal attempt on the Aggies’ first drive and Marcel Reed threw a pass that was intercepted by Auburn’s Jerrin Thompson on their second.
Texas A&M figured things out on its third possession; however, scoring a touchdown led to 21 unanswered points being put on the board, seemingly shifting all the momentum the Aggies’ way.
Auburn would answer back a few drives later. Thorne connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 44-yard gain that set the Tigers up with a first-and-goal opportunity. Hunter ran for his second touchdown of the night four plays later to put Auburn back in front.
The Tigers’ first possession of the fourth quarter saw Thorne throw an interception that set Texas A&M up at Auburn’s 15-yard line. The Tigers’ defense held Texas A&M to a field goal, helping them avoid total disaster.
The Aggies jumped out in front with 4:04 left on the clock when Amari Daniels put the ball in the endzone from eight yards out to cap off a drive that covered 80 yards in nine plays.
The Tigers refused to go down there, driving down the field to set up Ian Vachon for a game-tying field goal to force overtime with the score knotted up at 31 apiece.
Both teams exchanged touchdowns in their first overtime drives. They then exchanged field goals in double and triple overtime.
In quadruple overtime, Thorne completed a pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith to take the lead 43-41.
Reed failed to connect with Daniels on the Aggies’ two-point conversion attempt, securing the win for Auburn and keeping its bowl hopes alive. Fans stormed the field as they celebrated their fifth win overall and their second in SEC play this season.
Auburn has one last battle with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl. Win the Iron Bowl, and Auburn gets a bowl game. Alabama is coming off a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma. Kick-off is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and the television broadcast will be carried by ABC.
