The AUperations Order: FRAGORD 9, Texas A&M Aggies

For any military Aggies who may read this, know that this is as simplified as I could get it and try to make sense. It's changed since the first OPORD of the season that I did as a rush job when I first had the idea. No, it's not a perfect OPORD, but hey, it's fun to do.

The base OPORD for the 2015 football season can be found here.

FRAGORD 1: Louisville

FRAGORD 2: Jacksonville State

FRAGORD 3: LSU

FRAGORD 4: Mississippi State

FRAGORD 5: San Jose State

FRAGORD 6: Kentucky Wildcats

FRAGORD 7: Arkansas Razorbacks

FRAGORD 8: Ole Miss Rebels

FRAGORD 9: Texas A&M Aggies

Time Zone Used Throughout: Central Daylight Time.

Light and Weather Data: Electric illumination will be necessary as this game will be played during hours of darkness. Currently there is a 24% chance of precipitation at the scheduled game time, with percent chance decreasing as the game progresses. Game time temperatures should be in the low 60s and high50s, with humidity in the 70% region, and winds NNE at 10-16mph.

Terrain: The natural grass field at Kyle Field.

1) SITUATION

a) Enemy -

Intelligence reports indicate the enemy is yet another troublesome SEC Western Division foe. They are led by an offensive minded head coach with a tendency to focus on passing attacks. However, they have recently put a new commander in charge on the field who is a highly mobile dual threat QB. In addition, they have numerous talented and fast wide receivers as weapons. On the defensive side of the ball they are anchored by one of the better defensive ends in the nation. The Most Likely Course of Action is that they will attempt to beat the Tigers' defense through the air with measured use of QB runs. The Most Dangerous Course of Action is that they are able to maintain a successful air attack while also utilizing their QBs mobility to a great extent while their defense stifles the Auburn running attack and forces the Tigers to rely on the catching abilities of our wide receivers and our injured QB.

b) Friendly -

(1) Higher Unit Mission Two Levels Up: No Change

(2) Higher Unit Mission One Level Up: No Change

c) Civil Considerations:

The local population will be hostile to the Auburn Tigers.

d) Attachments & Detachments:

Attachments: Auburn Cheerleaders, Aubie the Tiger. Unknown whether the Auburn University Marching Band will be traveling with the team.

Detachments: None.

2) MISSION

The Auburn Tigers Football Team competes against the Texas A&M Aggies on 5 November 2015 at 6:30pm CDT at Kyle Field in College Station, TX in order better the national perception of Auburn Football and to work towards post-season play.

3) EXECUTION

a) Concept of the Operation.

The football team will play four quarters of fast, physical football against the Texas A&M Aggies with each portion of the team performing special duties  assigned to them.

Scheme of Maneuver.

The operation will consist of multiple phases. Phase 1- the planning and preparation phase - began with practice following the Ole Miss game and will end with the Reverse Tiger Walk on Friday afternoon when the team departs for the Remain Over Night (RON) site. Phase 2 - the travel phase - begins upon departure for the RON site and ends with Tiger Walk. Phase 3 - the execution phase - begins upon arrival at Kyle Field and consists of pre-game warm-ups and game activity. It will end upon completion of the contest. Phase 4 - the recovery phase - begins with post-game locker-room activities, travel back to Auburn, and ends Sunday when the Tigers return to the practice field.

Offense, the main effort, will attack the Texas A&M defense using power-runs and play-action passes. Protection of Sean White by the offensive line will be essential, particularly given his injury situation. Assuming the wide receivers can catch the ball, Auburn should open up the passing game. A healthy dose of the Kerryon Johnson wildcat play will likely be utilized, as well. Explosive plays via deep passes to Ricardo Louis, Tony Stevens, Jason Smith, or other Auburn wide receivers should be attempted at least once per quarter. Jovon Robinson should be used early and often to open up the passing game. Peyton Barber should be given enough carries early on that by the 3rd and 4th quarter he's building up that late-game head of steam that has served him so well, this year. In addition, the offense should attempt to stay ahead of the chains, not beat itself with penalties, and take advantage of pace in order to confuse the defense.

Defense, a supporting effort, will employ fast/physical assaults on the opponent's offense. While Texas A&M's running game has not been anything spectacular this season, QB Kyler Murphy provides a true running threat that can be used to exploit the Auburn defense. They will also likely attempt to attack Auburn's suspect secondary through the air. The defensive line of Auburn should focus on getting to the quarterback on passing plays and to not let him break containment and gain a large amount of yards by way of his feet. Communication between defensive efforts is also key, and care should be taken with new or younger personnel who are still relatively inexperienced.

Special Teams, a supporting effort, will conduct all kicking and returning duties. Wind could play a minor part on the kicking game if the wind swirls in the newly renovated Kyle Field. The return team should provide holes for the return man. The return team should exercise caution, but definitely take advantages to use Auburn's speed on returns to set the offense up in good field position. All advantages should be taken if it is observed that the opposing team has "only fat guys" on the field.

b) Task to Subordinate Units

(1) Offense. Task: Conduct fast/physical hurry-up, no-huddle offensive maneuvers via ground and air attacks. Please. Fast. Go fast. Jovon Robinson should be used to gain chunks of yardage on the ground to facilitate the hurry-up aspect. Purpose: Move the ball into scoring position in order to score more points than the opponent.

(2) Defense. Task: Generate a pass rush to attack an inexperience quarterback while not allowing him to break containment. Purpose: Keep Texas A&M from scoring points. Duh.

(3) Special Teams. No change

c) Coordinating Instructions

(1) Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR): No change

(2) Commander's Critical Information Requirements (CCIR): No change

(3) Friendly Force Intelligence Requirements (FFIR): No change

(4) Essential Elements of Friendly Information (EEFI): No change

(2) Timeline

More to Follow

4) SUSTAINMENT

a) Logistics

(1) Supply: No change

(2) Transportation: Charter aircraft will take the team from Auburn to the RON site and return the team to Auburn for the game

b) Personnel

No change

c) Medical

SEC Medical Observers will monitor each game for possible concussion issues. MEDEVAC is available upon request

5) COMMAND & SIGNAL

a) Command - No Change

b) Signal

1) Call Signs - No Change

2) Challenge / Password - No Change

3) Running Password - No Change

4) Frequencies

TV: SEC Network

Stream: Watch ESPN

Internet Audio: Auburn IMG Network

The time is now FOOTBALL. What are your questions?