The Auburn Tigers failed to capitalize on opportunities to generate momentum and were plagued by miscues in their contest against No. 9 Texas A&M, and fell 16-10 as a result.

After falling to 3-2 on the season and 0-2 in conference play, the Tigers' stuggles to take down a ranked opponent away from the friendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium continue.

What are the three biggest takeaways from Auburn football's 16-10 loss against No. 9 Texas A&M?

Offensive penalties persist 

Similar to its loss against Oklahoma last week, Auburn, particularly its offensive line, failed to stay out of trouble, causing numerous drives to stall out as a result.

There were eight penalties committed by Auburn's offense that were accepted throughout the course of the game, amounting to 55 total yards. All but three of them were called on the offensive line.

Shooting itself in the foot with untimely penalties took enough potential points off the board for the Tigers to play a role in the end result.

The defense was let down

Auburn played well enough to win the game on the defensive side of the ball, despite what is shown on the stat sheet.

Despite Texas A&M finishing the game with 414 yards of total offense, the Tigers' defense prevented the Aggies from running away with the game. Xavier Atkins was directly responsible for Auburn's lone touchdown of the contest with his 73-yard interception return in the fourth quarter, despite it belonging to Jackson Arnold on the stat sheet.

This defense is good enough to put Auburn in a position to win games this season. The offense needs to carry at least a little bit of the weight, however.

Blown opportunities 

Auburn's offense failed to rise to the occasion throughout the game. After sleep walking for the majority of the day, it still had an opportunity to take the lead late.

The Tigers' defense gifted the Tigers three such opportunities. How did the offense use them? It went three-and-out twice and put itself away with a failed fourth-down conversion attempt.

The defense can only do so much. At some point, Auburn has to step up offensively.

Next game

The Tigers don't play next week. They will have an opportunity to rest and evaluate themselves during a timely bye week before what will arguably be the biggest challenge of the season. Auburn hosts No. 5 Georgia on Oct. 11, with kickoff set for 6 or 8 p.m. ET.