Even undefeated and No. 6, Texas A&M a big underdog to No. 1 Alabama
So this is it. The West likely comes down to Alabama-Texas A&M on Saturday. It’s the game of the year in the SEC.
The No. 1 Crimson Tide are fresh off a 49-10 demolition of then-No. 9 Tennessee in Knoxville. The No. 6 Aggies were probably enjoying their bye week until they turned on the TV and saw what happened to the poor Volunteers.
The only two undefeated teams left in the conference, ‘Bama and A&M are both in the mix for the College Football Playoff. Pretty much everybody expected the Tide to be in this position, as they are the defending national champions — for the fourth time in seven years — and the dominant program in the country.
As for the Aggies, they are a pleasant surprise to many coming off back-to-back 8-5 campaigns in College Station.
It’s impossible to underestimate just how much Alabama imposed its collective will on the Vols last Saturday. On offense, defense and special teams, the Crimson Tide manhandled UT from start to finish at Neyland Stadium.
True freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 143 yards and ran for 132 more — he scored 3 touchdowns on the ground, too. Ronnie Harrison returned an interception for a TD. Eddie Jackson took back a punt all the way to the house. Bo Scarbrough ended the scoring with an 85-yard gallop to the goal line.
Tennessee, the best team in the East, was outgained 594-163 and never got closer than 14 points beyond the middle of the second quarter.
From a pure talent perspective, no roster in America can compete with ‘Bama. Coach Nick Saban has simply been too successful on the recruiting trail, assembling the nation’s No. 1 class on signing day almost annually.
But the Tide are so much more than a collection of four- and five-star signees. Saban is a Hall of Fame coach. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has modernized the scheme — he deserves a lot of credit for Hurts’ immediate success. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt has made Kirby Smart’s defection an afterthought.
Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
When Harrison (above) scored his second defensive touchdown of the year, it was more about coaching than play-making.
“We knew that when they’re aligned like that, we knew what was going to happen,” Harrison told reporters after the game, according to AL.com, “so we just played it the right way.”
Suffice it to say, despite an unbeaten record and a lofty ranking, Texas A&M going into Tuscaloosa and winning Saturday would be considered a colossal upset. This has the potential to be Saban’s best club yet.
That being said, even if Alabama appears to be flawless in every phase of the game, no team is unbeatable. Hurts — still less than a year removed from a high school — has dealt with precious little adversity to this point. The pass defense has given up some yards here and there. Kicker Adam Griffith has been errant.
At least the Aggies are battle-tested. The Crimson Tide have won their seven games by an average of 30.4 points.
A&M’s run to 6-0 has been a bit rockier. Coach Kevin Sumlin and Co. blew a 15-point lead to UCLA in the season opener and wound up in overtime. Tennessee also pushed the Aggies to OT in Week 6 with a pair of late TDs.
Both times, Texas A&M recovered to win. Quarterback Trevor Knight — he’s played better than his raw numbers suggest — ended each of those contests by finding the end zone with his legs. While ‘Bama only defeated Ole Miss 48-43, it was 48-30 with three minutes left before the Rebels made a couple of desperation plays.
The biggest difference in the Aggies last year to this year is Knight, who is enjoying the second act of his collegiate career.
You have to look beyond the statistics to appreciate his influence. In terms of passer efficiency rating, Knight (below) is only ninth in the league with a mark of 121.3. His completion percentage of 53.5 ranks 11th.
Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
But he does average 250 yards passing per game, which is fourth, so the balls he does complete tend to go for long gains. Making short and intermediate throws, Knight has accuracy issues. However, he knows how to exploit one-on-one matchups — thanks in part to an excellent receiving corps — outside the numbers.
Despite being a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, he’s the unquestioned leader on offense and doesn’t worry about stats.
We all remember the show he put on in a Sugar Bowl defeat of ‘Bama back when he was a freshman with the Sooners. That was three years ago, though. Knight is a different player. He’s also facing a different Tide monster.
Knight managed to take down Tennessee in two separate uniforms — the first time in 2014 with OU, the second this season with A&M. But if he’s going to do the same to Alabama, then he needs to play better than he did against the Volunteers two Saturdays ago. He was only 17-of-34 and fired a pair of interceptions.
The Crimson Tide don’t just take the pigskin away. Well-coached assassins like Harrison have a nose for paydirt.
If Texas A&M players have one advantage before taking the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, it’s that they’re coming off a bye. ‘Bama, which has played seven consecutive weeks, will finally get its bye on Halloween weekend.
“You’ve got to recover at some point in time,” Aggies defensive coordinator John Chavis told the Bryan-College Station Eagle last week. “It’s been a physical six games. The body starts getting beat down a little bit. We’ve got to get them back up where they are going to continue to play fast.”
Nevertheless, well-rested or not, A&M will have to play near-perfect football to topple the Tide. The oddsmakers in Las Vegas don’t give the Aggies much of a chance. Rarely is the No. 6 team in the country — in both polls, by the way — a 16.5-point underdog, but that’s the case ahead of this one.
Again, it’s the game of the year in the SEC. Still, on paper, it might not be much of a game. We’ll find out Saturday.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
