Jarrett Stidham threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns as No. 16 Auburn pulled away in the second half and cruised to a 42-27 win over Texas A&M on Saturday.Kerryon Johnson added 145 yards rushing and a touchdown and provided a highlight-reel play with a nifty one-handed catch for an 11-yard gain on third down in the fourth to keep a drive going. Eli Stove capped that possession with a 4-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 42-20 to put the game out of reach. Auburn (7-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) led by 8 at halftime and made it 28-13 when Stidham connected with Ryan Davis on a 4-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter. The Aggies (5-4, 3-3) were forced to punt on their next drive and Shane Tripucka, who had a punt blocked for a touchdown in the first half, didn't get this one off cleanly either and it went just 16 yards to give Auburn good field position. Darius Slayton beat A&M's defenders for the second time soon after that, and Stidham found him for a 46-yard reception to set up a 2-yard TD run by Johnson to extend the lead to 35-13. Coach Kevin Sumlin benched freshman quarterback Kellen Mond in the second quarter after went 5 for 11 for 16 yards. Nick Starkel, who opened the season as the starter before breaking his ankle in the opener, took over and threw for 184 yards and two scores. Starkel found Damion Ratley for a 62-yard catch and run with about six minutes left in the third to cut the lead to 35-20. Armani Watts blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt to give the Aggies the ball back late in the third quarter. Ratley finished with 82 yards receiving and two touchdowns. The Aggies got down to the 4-yard line on the ensuing drive, but Auburn got the ball back when Starkel's pass on fourth down bounced incomplete well short of Christian Kirk. THE TAKEAWAY AUBURN: The Tigers handled business against unranked Texas A&M, but will need to improve and limit big plays if they hope to compete against No. 2 Georgia next week and top-ranked Alabama later this month. TEXAS A&M: The Aggies could have a quarterback controversy after Starkel's performance on Saturday. He made some mistakes, but moved offense much better than Mond did in his limited action. But Mond has performed well in several games this season and it's unclear if Sumlin will stick with Starkel for the team's last three games or give the 18-year-old Mond another chance. UP NEXT AUBURN: The Tigers host Georgia next Saturday. TEXAS A&M: The Aggies take a break from SEC play when they host New Mexico next Saturday before traveling to Mississippi on Nov. 18.