No. 9 Texas A&M leaned on Le’Veon Moss and its dominant defense to hold off Auburn 16-10 on Saturday, moving to 4-0 for the first time in nearly a decade.

Moss powered the Aggies’ ground game with a career-best 139 rushing yards and a 1-yard touchdown run, averaging 6.6 yards per carry despite playing through a stomach bug that caused him to vomit for most of the first quarter.

“I heard people saying we really couldn’t run the ball,” Moss said. “It was a statement game for us, the offensive line and the running backs.”

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Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0 SEC) racked up 207 rushing yards against an Auburn defense that entered the game allowing just 58.2 per contest – fifth-best in the nation.

The Aggies’ offense was far from perfect, but their defense delivered a masterpiece, holding Auburn (3-2, 0-2) to just 176 total yards, 0-for-12 on third down, and 0-for-2 on fourth down. The Tigers punted nine times and managed only 10 rushing yards in the second half.

“We won two games without playing our best football,” head coach Mike Elko said. “That is a testament to character and culture and just grinding.”

Quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 207 yards but also had a costly interception in the fourth quarter that Auburn’s Xavier Atkins returned 73 yards to the 2-yard line. Jackson Arnold scored on a scramble one play later to bring the Tigers within 13-10.

The Aggies responded with a critical field goal drive, though a potential touchdown was wiped out by a penalty. Randy Bond nailed a 32-yarder to stretch the lead to 16-10 with under three minutes left. Auburn had two final chances, but came up empty—one possession ending with a punt, and the other with a fourth-down sack.

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Elko, clearly frustrated with questions about the team’s offensive struggles, reminded everyone of the bigger picture.

“Does anybody want to ask a question about us being 4-0 for the first time since 2016,” he said. “How did the defense bounce back? Or how about how you held them to 176 yards on offense and you had five sacks and they were 0 for 12 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down and you got the return game going again? I don’t mean to sound like someone else, but my gosh, will you guys stop being so dreadful and gloomy?”

Up Next, Texas A&M returns home to host Mississippi State next Saturday, while Auburn looks to bounce back against Georgia on Oct. 11 at Jordan-Hare.