Alabama rode the momentum of three defensive touchdowns to a 41-23 win against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday.

Here’s a breakdown of what transpired:

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • Alabama is “officially” back as a SEC West favorite: Some would argue that they never left in spite of an early-season loss to Ole Miss, but knocking off previously unbeaten Texas A&M on the road was a huge step toward making the Crimson Tide a top contender once again. While the Crimson Tide still doesn’t quite control its own destiny due to a tiebreaker with Ole Miss, but a win at Kyle Field was a big hurdle to climb. An upcoming meeting with LSU looms large.
  • The secondary turned in a record-setting performance: Facing one of the league’s top passing attacks, the Crimson Tide defensive backs picked a great time to turn in a historic performance. Eddie Jackson intercepted two passes, returning them for a combined 119 yards, which is a new Alabama record. Meanwhile, Minkah Fitzpatrick returned both of his interceptions for a touchdown, which is just the fourth time that has happened in the SEC.
  • The front seven was really good, too: Much of the headlines about this game are likely to highlight the big plays from the secondary, but there is credit to be given the the Crimson Tide’s imposing front seven as well. Jonathan Allen starred with four tackles for loss and two of Alabama’s six sacks on the afternoon. Reggie Ragland led the Crimson Tide with nine tackles, as the Aggies mustered just 32 yards on 25 rushing attempts.
  • Jake Coker was steady, unspectacular: Aside from a few hard-nosed runs that extended drives, there really wasn’t much reason to talk about the Alabama quarterback on Saturday. And that’s OK. He didn’t turn the ball over, only took one sack and completed 19 of 25 pass attempts.
  • Derrick Henry is special: He doesn’t get nearly the amount of publicity of a Leonard Fournette or a pre-injury Nick Chubb, but Henry showed on Saturday that he’s capable of turning in All-America-type performance with 236 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 32 carries.

REPORT CARD

Offense: B+ — It is hard to complain about this effort. While 396 yards of total offense is not an overwhelming total, the 258 yards the Crimson Tide was able to grind out on the ground is a good indication that Alabama was able to accomplish what it set out to do. Also, bonus points for not turning the ball over.

Defense: A — This was a great effort against a very good offense. The Crimson Tide recorded six sacks, four interceptions, scored three defensive touchdowns and allowed a little more than a yard per rushing attempt.

Special Teams: D — This was a unit that will be getting an ear full in the film room in spite of the win. The Crimson Tide allowed a punt to be returned for a touchdown, allowed a punt to be blocked, and fumbled a return.

Coaching: A — It is hard to complain about the performance of Nick Saban’s staff in a tough road environment. As this staff has been known to do, it got the job done.

Overall: A — Again, any complaining done about this win is simply nitpicking. The offense ran the ball effectively and protected the ball well. The defense created turnovers and made the Aggies one-dimensional. Mission accomplished.

GAME PLAN

As was expected, the Crimson Tide began this game intent on running the football. And junior RB Derrick Henry was up to the task, running through large holes cleared by the offensive line early and often. Defensively, the Crimson Tide seemed to be content to rely on their front seven to shut down Tra Carson and the Aggies run game, which put Texas A&M into predictable passing scenarios. The secondary gave up some yardage through the air, but ultimately made this a winning game plan by cashing in on big-play opportunities.

GAME BALLS

  • RB Derrick Henry: Had 32 carries for 236 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns.
  • CB Minkah Fitzpatrick: The freshman returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
  • S Eddie Jackson: Jackson had two interceptions of his own, including one returned for a 93-yard touchdown.