Fighting through an inefficient offense and underperforming special forces, No. 1 Alabama narrowly beat Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to keep its flawless season alive And to avenge last year’s loss to the Aggies. Leading 24-20 late in the fourth quarter, Crimson Tide defended the goal line in the final seconds of the game as Aggies quarterback Haynes King’s pass from the 2-yard line went unfinished as time passed.
King, who replaced injured QB Max Johnson, led the Texas A&M for a 69-yard 10-game drive all the way to the final whistle. However, Alabama’s defense held on until the final game as the Tides survived the biggest scare of the season.
Alabama running back Jameer Gibbs was the star of the show, racking up 167 total yards for a team struggling on offense following QB Jalen Miro. Fills in place for 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who missed the game with a sprained shoulder. At Arkansas, Miro completed just 12 of 19 passes for 111 yards with one interception and two turnovers; both turnovers led directly to Texas A&M touchdowns. However, Milo also ran for 83 key yards on 17 possessions and threw for three touchdowns to help spur the Bama’s offense in crunch time.
King was on the run for much of the game as the Tides’ top seven was relentless. He was fired 3 times and rushed 14 times with CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year Alabama star linebacker Will Anderson Jr., eight under pressure. King ended up completing 25 of 46 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.
This defensive play by the Tides is necessary given how sloppy they are with football. In addition to Milroe’s turnover, RB Jase McClellan also lost a turnover. In total, the ball hit the ground three times for 17 points for the Aggies. Add to that an unbalanced performance from Bama kicker Will Reichard — he had a 50-yard field goal before halftime, but missed for 47 yards late in the third and 35 yards midway through the fourth. – Tide keeps the Aggies in the game until the bitter end.
“It’s a great win for our team,” Saban said on the post-match broadcast. “We had a lot of adversity to overcome, especially when Bryce couldn’t play. Jaylen played some good shots, but we didn’t have consistency on offense.”
It was the biggest takeaway from the SEC’s primetime thriller on CBS on Saturday night.
Gibbs saved the day
Young’s absence likely means he won’t become the second two-time Heisman champion in history. It might be unfair, but it’s a reality given the talent that exists in college football. Gibbs can be defended, though.
The move from Georgia Tech was the focal point of Alabama’s offense, and there was little Texas A&M’s top seven could do about it. The Dalton, Georgia, teenager averaged 7.3 yards per carry and swooped through Aggie’s defensive center like a hot knife through butter. It’s that kind of performance that’s going to get the tentacles of voters who don’t pay much attention to Gibbs this season.
This game is one of the most anticipated games of the year. Given Tide’s offense limitations, Gibbs’ performance is exactly what the running back needs to consider.
Tides heading for trouble
Every team — even a national title contender like Alabama — can have a dispatch. That’s what Tide’s Week 2 win over Texas was all about. Saturday’s game was a golf version of a right stick that hit a tree, bounced off the wagon trail, and somehow landed on the green. Bama wins, but don’t get me wrong, it’s entering the danger zone. More problematically, it could have been done with Milroe, who didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Alabama, heading to Rockytop next weekend for the Tennessee offense, just dropped 40 points on the way to LSU. The Volunteers scored in Death Valley’s first four games, scoring in just one game after a full 60 minutes without a kick. Florida. It’s one thing for Alabama to hand over every possible game-winning opportunity to Texas A&M. After all, the Aggies aren’t one of the strongest offenses in the country. Tennessee did, and it played so fast that it could have the game sideways in minutes.
Whether it’s Milo or Young, even if he plays it may not be 100 percent, and the last thing Alabama needs is a situation on the road where it has to find the end zone to stay in the game. That seems to be the case unless a miracle happens between now and Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee.
King does his best
King has been named the Aggies’ starting quarterback in fall training camp each of the past two years, but his career hasn’t quite gone according to plan. He suffered a season-ending injury in the first quarter of last year’s Week 2 game and was off the bench for multiple turnovers after Texas A&M’s second game of the year.
Against Alabama, King played well enough on a porous offensive line. He limped noticeably on the final blow of the game, but still managed to go 5-for-9 for 46 yards (excluding spikes) without a timeout in his back pocket. This performance will make Jonathan Moxon of “Varsity Blues” smile. His performance doesn’t have the same Hollywood finale, but he deserves credit for keeping it all on the field on the biggest stage of his career.
Play Bama
The explosive game had a huge impact on college football, and it was the biggest reason why Alabama won over Texas A&M. Tide ripped off 13 runs of 10 or more yards — including four of 25 or more — for 212 of their 288 rushing yards. That softened the Aggies defense enough to give Milroe at least a little wiggle room in the passing game and helped him open some windows to throw his three touchdown passes.
Would Alabama have won without these dramas? maybe not. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien deserves a lot of credit for keeping Aggie’s defense honest through the multi-dimensional rushing offense.
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