With 0.6 seconds left, Auburn hit a miraculous shot to seemingly beat Texas A&M — but after a review, the game was reversed, and the Tigers fell 90-88.

Things started getting strange with 13 minutes to go in the Texas A&M at Auburn men’s basketball game. After a back-and-forth first half, Auburn had built up their largest lead of the game at 16.

Then Texas A&M and their “Bucky Ball” went on an 11-0 run in about 30 seconds. Takeaways, pressure, steals. That run then stretched to 33-6.

Suddenly the Aggies were ahead by 10. Auburn chipped away at that lead.

In the final two minutes, things got stranger. In the final ten seconds, things got strangest.

With .6 seconds left in the game, A&M led 90-88. Auburn was to inbound the ball from side court. They got it in to KeShawn Murphy, who flung a Hail Mary.

It miraculously went in with zero on the clock. Auburn wins 91-90. Or so the Auburn team and fans thought. So did the initial call and the play clock. So did the announcers.

With the game clock on 0.00, a review was going on. The refs took a look at the inbound pass and Auburn’s three-point shot from downtown Opelika. They reversed and called it no good. Texas A&M won 90-88. Final. Finally.

https://x.com/SECNetwork/status/2008764536573026655?s=20

That was how things ended. How they got there was a game of Auburn’s size and physicality vs. A&M’s “Bucky Ball.” A&M has a small but fast team.

“Bucky Ball” is the term invented by sportswriters to describe the style of basketball taught by Coach Bucky McMillan, Jr.

Bucky Ball had been a hit in McMillan’s 12 years as head coach at Mt. Brook High School, where he won five state championships. It transitioned with him into the college ranks with five years as head coach at Birmingham’s Samford University, which included the school’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Now, Bucky Ball is in its first year in the SEC, with McMillan as head coach of Texas A&M.

McMillan and his 12-3 Aggies came to Auburn (then 9-5) and Neville Arena (“the Jungle”) Tuesday night, a tough place to be the visiting team. There was a full house of Auburn fans with their 77^th consecutive sellout.

It was a battle of two first-year head coaches.

McMillan and his Aggies beat Steven Pearl and his Tigers.

A&M was coming off a 75-72 victory over LSU Saturday.

Auburn and Steven Pearl have just lost two SEC games in a row that they had an opportunity to win at the end. They now host #15 Arkansas Saturday at 5 p.m.

Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com

Another weekend is upon the college football nation, and here in Alabama, both the Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers are set for massive matchups that are arguably the two biggest games in the SEC this week.

As Alabama gets set for a major road test against the Missouri Tigers to keep their hot streak going – while Auburn prepares to host Georgia and tries to earn a signature win of the Hugh Freeze era – much attention in is going to be on the two teams from the Yellowhammer State.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t some terrific other games though. Here are three you need to have your eye on this week outside of Alabama:

#7 Indiana @ #3 Oregon

2:30 p.m. CST

The Ducks put the longest home winning streak in the country on the line this week against an Indiana team who is out to prove that last year’s College Football Playoff appearance was no fluke.

So far, the Hoosiers look even better than they did in 2024, while Oregon looks like a prime contender for the national title. Something will have to give in this Big 10 clash which has the Ducks favored by right around a touchdown.

#6 Oklahoma vs. Texas

2:30 p.m. CST

This game may have a bit more juice had Texas been the team everyone thought before the season they would be.

Arch Manning has been disappointing so far, but the Longhorn offensive line has been even worse. Dropping out of the top-25 after last week’s loss to Florida, Texas has a chance in a classic Red River Rivalry game to start to get their season back on track.

As for the Sooners, it remains a mystery whether quarterback John Mateer is healthy enough to play, but OU is sure to feel strongly about their chances even if he is not able to go.

It should be a great one in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl for one of the best rivalries in college football.

Florida @ #5 Texas A&M

6:00 p.m. CST

The Gators are coming off a massive victory over Texas last week, and now they hit the road to try to take on the Longhorns hated rival in an Aggies team which is on absolute fire as of late.

This is an excellent measuring stick to see if Texas A&M is for real this season going up against a Florida team who is much better than their record would indicate.

If Mike Elko’s group really is the playoff contender they’re being billed up as right now, taking care of business at home against the Gators is going to be an excellent start towards proving it.

It should be another tremendous week of college football across the country.

The Auburn Tigers knew they were going into College Station to face a huge challenge this weekend against a top-ten Texas A&M Aggies team in front of one of the loudest crowds in the country at Kyle Field.

While it was a fight until the end, Auburn ultimately did not do even close to enough on the offensive side of the ball to have a real chance in a 16-10 loss. The Tigers found the end zone once, but it was on a two-yard score after a long interception return set them up 1st and goal from inside the five.

A three and out for Auburn on the opening drive was a common theme of the afternoon before the Aggies went right down the field on their first drive to answer with a lead.

https://x.com/SEC/status/1972027063843672142

From there, the first half was largely a slog as the offense for Auburn struggled to get going, suffering four three and outs in their first six possessions but playing well enough defensively to stay in the game. At halftime, Texas A&M led 13-3, and the Aggies would miss field goals on their first two possessions of the second half to keep the Tigers in it.

Early in the fourth quarter, Auburn got their biggest play of the game right when it looked like Texas A&M was on the cusp of putting things away, returning the tipped interception all the way down to the two before Jackson Arnold ran it in.

https://x.com/SEC/status/1972067311139062268

It was still ultimately too little too late though, as Auburn for the rest of the day would go three and out twice and have Jackson Arnold sacked for the seventh time on fourth down to end the game.

https://x.com/AggieFootball/status/1972075210905211222

Most concerning for the Tigers in the loss was their complete ineptitude on third down, finishing 0 for 13 and now over the last two weeks going 3 for 27. Auburn had a total of just 177 yards on offense on a day where the defense was phenomenal to hold a red hot Aggies offense to 16.

They handed the ball off to running backs just nine times even though Texas A&M has struggled to defend the run in another puzzling game plan from Hugh Freeze. Arnold finished 18 of 33 with 125 yards while they rushed collectively for just 52 yards as a team as well.

Up next is a bye for Auburn before they host the Georgia Bulldogs two weeks from now at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It’s nearly the weekend and another glorious slate of college football is upon us.

After what was an ugly grouping of games last week filled with cupcakes, week three presents some extremely intriguing matchups.

While the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on Wisconsin and the Auburn Tigers get set to host South Alabama in that first time slot, fans in the Yellowhammer State will have plenty to pay attention to after their games’ end.

Here are four games you need to have your eye on during week three:

#6 Georgia @ #15 Tennessee

2:30 p.m. CST

The marquee matchup in the SEC of the week — and it’s an absolutely tremendous one.

The Bulldogs have not lost to the Vols in nearly a decade, and it took a wild last second Hail Mary to make it happen back in 2016 in Athens.

This time around may be Tennessee’s best chance to beat Georgia in a very long time, with the Bulldogs only favored by a little over a field goal.

The Bulldogs have looked vulnerable here in the early portion of the year, and the Vols have looked downright scary led by new quarterback Joey Aguilar.

Head coach Josh Heupel can earn an early signature win in what surely would see a stormed field at Neyland Stadium, and it should be a classic in Knoxville.

#18 South Florida @ #5 Miami

3:30 p.m. CST

The South Florida Bulls are very quickly becoming one of the premiere Group of 5 programs in the nation led by fast rising head Alex Golesh, former offensive coordinator at Tennessee.

Golesh’s team has of course given Alabama trouble in each of the last two years and is fresh off one of their best wins in history in Gainesville last week over the Florida Gators.

This is a new beast in Miami though, who handled Notre Dame in week one behind an elite pass rush and great showing from former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.

The spread here is more than two touchdowns, but the Bulls have proven to not back down when they are big underdogs. The Hurricanes likely win, but it is worth keeping a close eye on.

Florida @ #3 LSU

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers both have huge games this week during what, in their own ways, has been a disappointing last few weeks for both programs.

But outside of the Tide and Tigers, there are two huge SEC games on the Saturday slate that fans must have their eyes on as well:

3:15 p.m. CST: No. 5 Texas @ No. 25 Vanderbilt:

Just as everyone suspected, a ranked Vanderbilt Commodores team getting ready to host the top-five Texas Longhorns. To this point, Vandy’s only SEC loss came on the road in an overtime heartbreaker against Missouri where nobody expected them to be close. Of course, that same narrative was held going into the Alabama game, and we all know how that went.

For Texas, they are coming off last week’s dominating loss at the hands of Georgia at home. But what looked at the beginning of the season like a get right game the Longhorns could sleep walk through is no more, and Texas will have to be on their game if they are to avoid the same fate as Alabama.

6:30 p.m. CST No. 8 LSU @ No. 14 Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies have been one of the pleasant surprises of the conference under first-year head coach Mike Elko. While a matchup between two huge brands is always going to be marquee, this showdown is especially meaningful with both teams still undefeated in conference play and vying for a spot in the SEC Championship.

After both teams lost in week one to non-conference opponents, neither has been beaten since and both the Tigers and the Aggies seem to be hitting their stride. This is the biggest game of the weekend in college football and we could be in for a classic.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.

This week, Alabama native and Thorsby High School alum Tanner Jones was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Jones, who wrapped up his collegiate career at Texas A&M as a junior, was the third Aggie pitcher to be taken this year. By the end of the draft seven Aggies has been selected.

“I have been dreaming of this since I was four years old, so this is a longtime dream come true, but now the work has just begun,” Jones told The Clanton Advertiser. He called it a “no brainer” to sign with the Royals.

“I accepted it, and I saw my name on TV. I am extremely grateful for it.”

When Jimbo Fisher was lured away from Florida State to College Station to take over the Aggies program in 2018, expectations were high. You could make the argument that they were way too high, with the administration even taking the ridiculous step of handing him a national championship plaque with a blank year on it.

In the same breath, expectations to compete for national championships at a school that has as many resources, as passionate a fanbase, as big of a recruiting hotbed, and yearly opportunities against some of the biggest programs in the nation maybe aren’t too high at all. The simple fact is that Texas A&M should be competing for championships, and at the very least, relevant on the national scene.

But for Jimbo Fisher, while he did stack together great recruiting classes (and become the first Nick Saban former assistant to beat him), that’s about all you can say about his tenure. It wasn’t enough. With that being said, let’s break down some of the potential candidates to replace him:

Dan Lanning (Oregon)

Let’s acknowledge that Lanning is probably a pipe dream. Lanning himself yesterday said that he is not going anywhere and that he is happy with what he is building at Oregon. But it wouldn’t be the first time a coach has said something like this only to depart shortly after. If Texas A&M wants to hire the best young name in coaching right now, Lanning is the guy. He just might not be a realistic option.

Urban Meyer (Ohio State and Florida formerly)

This would be something, wouldn’t it? Say what you want about him, but for my money, Urban Meyer is the best man for the job. All he has done at every school he’s been to is win, and win big.

Nobody is arguing for his character. But Texas A&M lost their chance at moral superiority when they brought in Bobby Petrino to run the offense this year. If Texas A&M wants to compete on a national level, Meyer is the guy.

Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)

This one feels like a natural fit in the sense that Lane Kiffin needs Texas A&M just as badly as Texas A&M needs Lane Kiffin. After the Rebels’ beatdown in Athens this past weekend, Kiffin was asked what the program needs to do in order to be competitive in these types of games, and he centered his answer around recruiting.

The hard pill to swallow may be that Kiffin has maxed out what he can do in Oxford and needs to go somewhere he can bring in unlimited elite talent. Jimbo brought it in, he just didn’t do enough with the talent. Maybe Kiffin would be different.

Mike Elko (Duke)

Elko is going to be a popular name thrown around in this discussion, and for good reason. For one, in his two years as Duke head coach, he has had the Blue Devils relevant on the national scene, winning nine games in year one and sitting at 6-4 this season even through injuries to his starting QB.

He also had a successful stint as the defensive coordinator already at A&M from 2018-2021 before taking the Duke job, guiding the Aggies to a top-10 defense in the nation in 2020. If Elko wants to upgrade from Duke, College Station is the place.

Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

Why not? Okay fine, this one is a complete long shot. But was Swinney’s rant on Clemson fans “expectations outweighing appreciation” a sign of growing tired of his post as Tigers head coach? Probably not, and if he is looking for less expectations, this job and this conference isn’t for him, not to mention his resistance to NIL not exactly being fit for a place that has used it better than anyone.

But hey, it’s at least fun to consider the possibility.

Jeff Traylor (UTSA)

While Traylor is probably the most “boring” name on the list of potential candidates, he knows Texas football and has won a ton of ball games in his time at UTSA, going 37-13 so far as well as winning three state titles during his 14-year run as head coach at Gilmer High School. Traylor’s name has been thrown around to move up to a power-five job for a long time, so we’ll see if this is the year he makes the jump.

Lance Leipold (Kansas)

Leipold’s turning around of a Kansas program that was a complete and utter mess before he arrived is incredibly impressive. After a 2-10 first season, Leipold has the Jayhawks bowl eligible in back to back seasons for the first time in over 15 years. He has been a hot name to take a bigger job for a while and will continue to be thrown around every time an opening comes up.

Kalen DeBoer (Washington)

DeBoer took over the Huskies’ program last season after the mess that was the Jimmy Lake tenure and right away got Washington back to winning ways. He has only lost two games so far and is off to a 10-0 start this year.

With Washington moving to the Big-10 and the expansion of the College Football Playoff, there is no real reason for him to want to leave, so Texas A&M would have to make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Alabama earned a massive win in Aggieland on Saturday that puts them squarely in control of the SEC West. But the Crimson Tide were anything but perfect on the afternoon, taking frustrating penalty after penalty and nearly costing itself a win.

In total, Alabama took 14 penalties, and a staggering nine of them were in pre-snap. At one point in the 4th quarter, the line took three straight illegal motion/false start penalties.

These are not the kinds of things that Alabama can afford to do if it wants to accomplish the goals that are still very much in front of them with just one loss still.

Coach Saban addressed the issues in his presser after the game:

"This may be the record game for me in terms of messing up and still winning." – Nick Saban after Alabama's 26-20 win at Texas A&M. #RollTide #CFB pic.twitter.com/StJkg8ReDl

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 8, 2023

It’s a fascinating lighter side from coach, asking the media whether they want to address the “good news or bad news first.”

He was also able to see the good in being able to win while overcoming all of the mistakes Alabama made.

“This may be the record game for me in terms of messing up and still winning…But then you look at the other side of that and what kind of resiliency and ability to overcome adversity does somebody have when you’re talking about the kind of competitive spirit you have on your team? Which I’d take that any day, because we can fix the other stuff,” Saban said.

The Tide’s first opportunity to “fix the other stuff” will be next week at home against Arkansas.

The Auburn Tigers began SEC play this afternoon with a road trip to College Station.

It was the first real test for Auburn, who began the season 3-0 with two easy games at home and a concerning road victory at California where major red flags with the offense were evident.

These red flags were on full display this afternoon. The first three weeks of the season were all pointing to this moment. There were a couple of decent showings at home against vastly inferior opponents.

Excuses were made in the first road game at Cal Berkeley.  It was a long trip. It was a late start. But Saturday in College Station proved that this Auburn team still has a very long way to go.

As the game went on and Aggie Quarterback Connor Weigman went down with an apparent ankle injury, one thing became clear. The Aggies have at least two quarterbacks far superior to anything the Tigers are rolling out there right now.

Redshirt sophomore backup, Max Johnson, started the second half and immediately led A&M to two scoring drives. The first culminated in a touchdown pass to his brother Jake, who caught his first college touchdown.

On the positive side of things for Auburn, their defense looked like the real deal in the first half. The last three drives of the first half, A&M was held to just 17 yards on 9 plays. 

However, whether it was Bobby Petrino and Jimbo Fisher making the right half time adjustments, or the defense tiring in the 95 degree Texas heat, they could not sustain the same level of play. 

Eugene Asante narrowed the gap to 20-10. At the time of the touchdown, Asante’s 67 yard return represented 2/3 of the total offensive output for the Tigers and then for a brief moment, there was hope for the Auburn faithful.

After a quick stop of the Aggies, Auburn used some creative runs against an A&M prevent defense to get into field goal range with a chance to make it into a one score game. 

However, the 7th sack by the Aggies and a costly holding penalty knocked the Tigers out.  A 79-yard run and subsequent touchdown for the Aggies was the final blow.

And what does Auburn get as a reward for their middling offense next week? A date with the two time defending national champs… the Georgia Bulldogs.

You can follow Michael Brauner on Twitter @MBraunerWSNP

Alabama head coach Nick Saban provided a comprehensive breakdown of his defense’s goal-line stand against Texas A&M. And, his in-depth analysis of the play is sure to delight football lovers.

On the previous play, Alabama was called for pass interference in a what appeared to be a game-winning interception in the end zone. After this, it all came down to one play with three seconds remaining.

Down four points, the Aggies needed just three yards to defeat No. 1 Alabama on its home turf. Bama freshman cornerback Terrion Arnold’s awareness of Texas A&M’s sideline saved the day.

In a post-game interview, Arnold said he read Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher’s lips. Fisher, Arnold said, was calling for the ball to be thrown to wide receiver Evan Stewart.

“I’m actually looking at Jimbo before the play, just going through,” Arnold said, “and he’s like, ‘Evan, Evan, Evan, Evan.’ I was like, ‘OK, I’m ready.'”

The rest is history.

For your viewing pleasure, watch Saban detail the defensive call that saved Alabama’s undefeated season.

Watch:

Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

Yes, you read that title correctly, Alabama has won eight straight games in football against the Texas A&M Aggies.

It’s been nine years since Johnny Manziel had a circus-like performance to beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa 29-24. However, since then it has been all Alabama, and the team in crimson will be looking to keep that up this year.

Alabama comes into today’s matchup ranked first in the nation, while Texas A&M is unranked for the first time this season. At one point, this was thought to be the matchup of the season in the SEC, but after the Aggies’ loss to Arkansas and a struggling Mississippi State team, this looks less and less like a marquee matchup.

This segues nicely into the first key of Bama getting their ninth-straight W over the Aggies, and what it will take to avoid any kind of upset by a former Saban assistant.

Taking an unranked TAMU team seriously

A massive preseason talking point was whether or not Jimbo Fisher was going to be able to be the first assistant to defeat Nick Saban and the mighty Tide.

However, that narrative holds very little water now that Texas A&M has struggled and lost the number before their name.

As usual, Saban doesn’t feel that way. He wants his players to avoid the “rat poison” about Texas A&M being an easy win for them. Saban even discussed the matter on his weekly “Hey Coach Show” this Thursday.

On the upcoming game Saban said, “I think this is a dangerous team. I think this is a little bit of a trap game for us.”

He may be using “coach speak,” or he may know that this team is not experienced enough to let down against a good team. Sure, the Tide will be able to easily handle the Aggies if they can play up to their standard. Yet, if they come out flat and unprepared, then they will be in for a dogfight in College Station.

Saban clearly just wants to let his team know that if they play around this week during practice they could be in line for an upset. Keeping up with the trend of this season, Saban is still a bit worried about his players’ focus during the early season.

Fourth quarter focus

Speaking of focus, Bama has had it every game so far this season for the beginning of their games. However, when they have gone up big on a team, they seem to want to coast through the rest of the game.

Any other team can get away with this, but Saban isn’t going to have it on his team. That is why he and Alabama are the best to have ever done it.

In most games this year other than Florida, finishing the fourth quarter hasn’t put the Tide at any risk of losing the game. However, if Alabama doesn’t follow the first key to this game, the game could come down to the fourth quarter against a capable opponent.

The second to last thing Alabama wants to do is dominate 12th-ranked Ole Miss one week just to get in a boxing match with an unranked Texas A&M. The last thing is getting into that boxing match and not being able to finish in the fourth quarter.

Will Alabama even be put in this predicament? Probably not, but if they do, their focus and intensity have to kick up several notches in the fourth quarter compared to the first five games of the season.

Run defense

This sounds like an obvious one, but in an increasingly more pass-heavy league, teams aren’t focusing on the run as they did in the past.

SEC defenses are now riddled with fast and fit defensive linemen who can rush the passer as well as stop perimeter runs on the outside such as sweeps. The less time a quarterback has to throw, the better protection downfield can play.

Imagine a linebacker that can cover a wide receiver man-to-man if need be but still stop the run. Most teams do not have two of those guys. So, you are slowly getting away from strictly run-stopping defenses.

It should be mentioned that Alabama is one of the few teams that does have the talent for a player like that, but nobody is there at this point in the season.

Aggies running back Isaiah Spiller was projected to be the best back in the SEC this year and has now transitioned into one of the most underrated backs instead. Spiller is averaging 6.5 yards-per-carry this season and is almost halfway to a thousand-yard season.

Tide defensive coordinator Pete Goulding has improved the his defense so much this season that it is hard to be worried about anything on that side of the ball. However, it is worth mentioning that just one or two big breakout runs could shift momentum in a hostile environment.

Spiller could be the guy that gets the 12th Man rocking this weekend, and Alabama will need to do everything in their power to reduce his opportunities.

With Haynes King still out for TAMU, Zach Calzada will start again at quarterback. Nicely put, Bama shouldn’t have to worry about any air-raid magic this year.

Alabama kicks off at Texas A&M Saturday at 7:00 p.m. on CBS.

Hayden Crigler is a contributing college football and college basketball writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him through email: Hayden@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter: @hayden_crigler.

Big oil is under attack. So it is doing what any other group would do to protect itself from regulators and turn a huge profit: it’s trying to play football in the SEC.

The University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma want to join college football’s one sure thing and true power conference.

College football realignment rumors whip the sport’s fans into a frenzy, without fail.

The grass in the new yard is always greener for the schools looking to make the move. For the conference taking in the new schools, it’s like adding a pool in the backyard. They think of how much more enjoyable Saturdays are going to be and the added value to the house. Once the novelty wears off, people usually find out what a pain it is to take care of a pool. Remember when the SEC was excited about having South Carolina as a new member?

These are very different programs, though. Maybe it has reached the point where the oil money at Texas and Oklahoma has just about had enough. It could be they are tired of taking a back seat to schools in the SEC they once viewed as nothing more than roughnecks.

While the decision-makers inside these institutions are really the only people who know what will happen, there are still a few things we can say for certain from the outside looking in.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide has won its last four games by a combined score of 201-33.

Yesterday it dismantled the defending national champion LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge 55-17 while putting up 650 total yards of offense. The Tide’s multiple Heisman-worthy offensive players show no signs of letting up.

Nick Saban’s team appears unstoppable and naturally sit atop this week’s Yellowhammer Power Rankings.

Here is how are experts cast their ballots.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide proved once again that it is the best team in the country with a dominant win over Auburn.

A rescheduled game against LSU is up next. The trip to Baton Rouge presents the Tide with another opportunity to build its case that it is in the midst of putting together the greatest season in college football history.

Meanwhile, the Auburn Tigers look to rebound against Texas A&M at Jordan-Hare, a game for which the Aggies may very well end up on upset alert.

Here are our experts’ ballots.
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With no matchups between top-25 teams this past Saturday, not a lot was learned about the teams at the top of the college football food chain.

The COVID-19 postponements and cancellations have taught us that the teams most able to adapt and maintain an organizational structure will rise to the top. So it is no surprise that the Alabama Crimson Tide remain at the top of our power rankings.

Here is how our experts filled out their ballots this week.

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A smart guy said something silly this week.

ESPN’s David Pollack used his network’s college football podcast to announce his belief that Jaylen Waddle’s season-ending injury was fatal to the Crimson Tide’s national championship run.

“I think it’s over for Bama,” Pollack said. “I think if you’re just talking about winning a national title, I don’t think they can win a national title without [Waddle].”

While it is a bit early to dip into specific matchups, a quick roster comparison — by position group — with Alabama’s perceived closest competitor may be in order. ESPN’s playoff predictor slots the Tide as the No. 1 seed in the playoff followed by Clemson at No. 2.

Alabama versus Clemson. Let’s see how the two compare.
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SEC programs invest heavily in their coaches, and this Saturday, fans get to enjoy the payoff when Nick Saban takes his Crimson Tide to Oxford to take on Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels.

They are but two of the many coaches in the conference who contribute to its rich character.

There is no shortage of coaching storylines this week.

The $75 million game in College Station

It has been nearly three years since Jimbo Fisher put his Christmas tree to the curb in Tallahassee and subsequently signed a guaranteed 10-year, $75 million deal to coach the Texas A&M Aggies.

Coming off of a 52-24 drubbing in Tuscaloosa, murmurs of unrest are beginning to rumble through the SEC.

The Aggies are 18-10 under Fisher in a little more than two full seasons, with a 10-8 conference record. In its most recent meetings against SEC West foes Alabama, LSU and Auburn, Texas A&M has lost three times by a combined score of 130-51.

Not exactly the record the Aggies were hoping for with $60 million remaining on Fisher’s deal.
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The Alabama Crimson Tide have been at the top of the SEC for the better part of the last decade, and they seem to be on track to spend the 20’s on top of the SEC again. This afternoon, Texas A&M will travel to Tuscaloosa in a top-15 matchup.

Let’s look at three keys in this game, plus one final thought.

Maintaining offensive momentum

Tide quarterback Mac Jones played a great game against Missouri a week ago. Jones completed 75% of his passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in Bama’s 38-19 win. Both of those touchdowns, and more than half of those yards, were thrown to Jaylen Waddle, Alabama’s breakout receiver.

Against the 13th-ranked Aggies, these two will be looking to duplicate their week one production in a much more important matchup. However, don’t forget about Devonta Smith and Najee Harris, who are maybe the biggest weapons for the No. 2 Crimson Tide.

The offense out of Alabama is explosive and wonderful, but this game will come down to defense and stopping Texas A&M. Let’s talk about how they can do that. (more…)

Alabama looked dominant in their 38-19 win over Missouri last weekend, but everyone expected dominance against a weak Missouri team with a first-year head coach. On the flip side of that, Texas A&M looked worse than they have in years.

If you didn’t see the headlines, Texas A&M narrowly defeated Vanderbilt 17-12 on Saturday. That is right, the same Vandy you are thinking of.

However, this game will be much more entertaining, and much closer than the majority of people are expecting. To be clear, this is not predicting an Aggie win, or even a nail-biter, but A&M will play much better versus the Crimson Tide. (more…)

John Doxakis carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and Texas A&M beat Auburn 4-2 on Thursday night in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The Aggies (39-19) move into the semifinals while Auburn (39-20) faces Mississippi on Friday in an elimination game.

Doxakis (7-5) didn’t allow a hit until Jay Estes’ infield single to lead off the eighth. He struck out 10 and didn’t walk anybody but did hit two batters.
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Following their somewhat narrow victory over Texas A&M this weekend, coach Nick Saban made it abundantly clear that it takes a lot more than just winning football games to make him satisfied.

Not to take anything away from A&M, but it was apparent Alabama didn’t come with the same type of focus we’ve seen the last two weeks. They looked sluggish at times, and Robert Foster committed the Tide’s first turnover in 38 quarters of play.

After the game, Saban had a pretty good idea of what caused his team to miss a step this week.

See the video below to see what Coach Saban had to say:

.@AlabamaFTBL coach #NickSaban with a classic response after 27-19 win over @TAMU
Is @espn really like rat poison? … lol#SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/6p3CJ0Ng0v

— Rick Karle (@RickKarle) October 8, 2017

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

As reported by WKRG News, Former Alabama coach Gene Stallings suffered a mild stroke on Monday while awaiting a flight from Texas to Alabama.

Stallings is a legend amongst Alabama fans. He played football for coach Bryant at Texas A&M University in the 50’s and later joined his staff as a defensive assistant at Alabama. In 1992, after becoming Alabama’s head coach, he led the Tide to their 12th national championship.

According to a Tweets from Pat Dye, Coach Stallings was traveling to Alabama for their Legendary Coaching Tour Event, ‘An Evening with Gene Stallings & Pat Dye.’

This is the second stroke Stallings has had this year. The other came in May while he was attending the Jimmy Rane Foundation banquet in Montgomery, where Coach was introducing his former Alabama player and assistant coach, Clemson Head Coach, Dabo Swinney.

Related: The Jimmy Rane Foundation Gives 34 College Scholarships in 2017

Currently, Stallings is recovering in a hospital and is “in good spirits.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Stallings and his family as we wish him a speedy recovery.

By Wayne Hester

Verne Lundquist will be four days shy of 53 years in broadcasting on Sept. 3 when CBS televises the UCLA at Texas A&M game.

“Verne is a legend in this business,” said his partner Gary Danielson. “I am thankful to have had the opportunity to sit next to him calling SEC games.”

CBS has had the highest ratings for college football for the past 10 years, and Lundquist plans to make his last year all about the game.

“Verne has never wanted to be the story of any broadcast,” said CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus. “He has always wanted the game, the players and the coaches to be the story.”

Lundquist, Danielson, McManus and studio host Rick Neuheisel were on a conference call with the media Thursday as CBS approaches its 16th year of covering the SEC.

Lundquist remembered the year 2000, when coach Mike Dubose’s Alabama team finished 3-8.

“We’re light years removed from that Alabama team,” Lundquist said.

“When they got Nick Saban, the world changed.”

McManus let the media in on a change coming to CBS broadcasts this season. He said viewers should be prepared for graphics having a “slick new modern look.”

And Garth Brooks “is going to customize a song for us,” McManus added.

Danielson was asked about Lundquist, and he answered with high praise.

“I think he has been as important to the SEC as Bear Bryant,” Danielson said.

“Verne always finds the goodness in the game with the players and coaches he interviews.”

Other takeaways from the conference call:

• Lundquist on preparing for a game: “You can’t shortcut it. If you do, you’ll be found out.”

• Danielson: “I’ve had what I consider four, five, six dear friends in my life. People come up in the booth and hug Verne and call him their dear friend – hundreds of them.”

• Verne on his successor, Brad Nessler: “I’ve known Brad for more than 30 years and have always admired his work ethic and his on-air presence. He shares the same passion for college football that I do.”

• Neuheisel’s four picks for the College Football Playoff: Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Clemson.