Film Room: Why did Auburn collapse late against Texas A&M?

Gus Malzahn's Tigers had been solid in the fourth quarter all season. But a lot went wrong in the home finale. Here's how it happened.

QB Bo Nix (Shanna Lockwood/Auburn Athletics)

With 6:23 left in the third quarter, Tank Bigsby broke a 42-yard run down the left side of the Texas A&M defense to put Auburn 11 yards away from a crucial touchdown.

The Tigers were up by three points on the No. 5 Aggies and had taken control of the game after a slow start on both sides of the ball. Auburn opened the second half with a go-ahead touchdown, forced a Texas A&M punt and was closing in on a two-score lead.

But here’s what happened in the remaining 21 minutes and change of game time:

• Auburn: 16 plays for 25 yards (1.56 yards per play) and 3 points

• Texas A&M: 30 plays for 220 yards (7.33 yards per play) and 17 points

For a team that had either won or tied every fourth quarter it had played this season, Auburn had a complete collapse Saturday inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. A winnable — and much-needed — upset bid against a ranked opponent turned into an 11-point loss.

It was a miserable final quarter and a half for Auburn on both sides of t…