After the thrashing Alabama put on Ole Miss last week, they are heading into their third consecutive SEC game. This week they will travel to College Station, as they try to put together another dominating performance against the Texas A&M Aggies.
There has been bad blood between these two teams since the Aggies, being led by Johnny Manziel, beat the Tide in 2012. They were relative newcomers to the SEC then, and since that defeat, a “low key” rivalry has developed.
Alabama comes into the game undefeated and with everything to lose. Texas A&M is still trying to recover from the monstrous lead they blew against UCLA earlier this season. If the Tide can roll through the Aggies, it will further validate its juggernaut status. If A&M can create the upset, then they will have an almost clear path to the SEC Championship (assuming they can beat Auburn).
With so much on the line for both teams, it’s time to break down our weekly keys to success.
The Aggie Offense: If you’ve been keeping up with college football this season, then you know what kind of offense has been built in College Station. Despite their embarrassing defeat against UCLA (and yes, I do mean embarrassing), Kevin Sumlin has put together a pretty good offense. Don’t forget, they did score over 40 points against UCLA. What might come as a surprise to most, however, is the Aggie stat sheet. This season they are right behind Bama’ in passing yards and rushing yards per game. They have a decent quarterback, and they can run the ball efficiently.
However, unlike Alabama, their offense depends on yards after the catch. While Bama’ has talented enough players to break weak tackles, the Aggies struggle when they don’t have an open field to make plays. If they can create space in the backfield, they thrive.
If A&M wants to upset the Tide, then they’re going to have to deploy schemes that create separation from the Alabama D. If not, they will be reduced to taking shots downfield. And that type of one-dimensional offense never does well against Nick Saban teams.
The Bama’ Defense: There were serious questions about the state of Alabama’s defense at the beginning of the season, but after the last two games, those questions have mostly been answered. While the competition has been less than stellar, Alabama has held SEC opponents to just three points, COMBINED.
If Alabama wants to continue that type of success on Saturday, then look for punishment at the line of scrimmage. After watching film, you can bet Nick Saban knows that A&M needs separation to be successful. Last week was all about punishing the quarterback, this week is about killing the receivers before they ever leave the line.
If the corners and linebackers can make the Aggie offense suffer before they get into open field, it’s going to be a long day at College Station.
Alabama is coming in as a 24 point favorite, four points less than last week (probably because the game is on A&M’s turf). It should be an exciting game at first, but I wouldn’t look for A&M to stand up to the toughness Alabama brings.
Alabama vs. Texas A&M Prediction
Alabama – 45
Texas A&M- 13
