There was plenty of skepticism and criticism surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide after their trudge through the last two weeks. In a 23-17 loss to Ole Miss, the offense only put 10 points on the board despite nearly 400 yards of offense. Running up against Arkansas last weekend, the rushing attack only managed 2 yards per carry and the Tide barely escaped with a win over the Razorbacks.

Alabama put some of the concerns to rest by putting on a dominant show in the first half against Texas A&M, going into halftime with a 45-0 lead. They nearly topped their yardage total from the Arkansas game in the first quarter against the Aggies, and rolled up more yards in the first half than they did all game against Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide’s offensive line, which has struggled with injuries and inconsistency of late, made a statement with a crushing effort from their first drive.

Most impressive, the Tide got off 51 plays en route to their 449 yards in the first half without having to hurry at all. To put it in perspective: that number of plays equaled Texas A&M’s total yards. They lined up and simply took it to an Aggies defense that had no desire to tackle anyone, be it T.J. Yeldon, Amari Cooper or any of the team’s other weapons.

Yeldon went over 100 yards in the first half, Henry got rolling and the Crimson Tide ran for 226 yards in total in the half, scoring 4 TD on the ground. Meanwhile, Blake Sims rekindled his connection with Cooper, connecting with him seven times for 95 yards and touchdown, with 223 yards on 15-of-26 passing in total. Sims broke off one of the more impressive runs by a Crimson Tide player this season, juking multiple defenders and speeding his way to the pylon. Even Sims’ one big mistake, a pass behind his receiver at the goal line that should have been taken back for a pick six if it hadn’t been dropped, was forgotten with the way the Tide cranked out yards.

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All of that said, we didn’t forget about the defensive side of the ball, which refused to give A&M any room to breathe. Kenny Hill had a man breathing down his neck on every drop back, held the Aggies to 0-for-6 on third down attempts and snuffed out any attempts at running the ball.

In all, it was a historic half for the Crimson Tide that should send a statement to the rest of the SEC: don’t forget about us.