Texas A&M another victim for increasingly unbeatable Alabama
Instead of cutting-and-pasting last week’s column, I’ll simply repeat myself: When No. 1 Alabama plays like that, it can’t be beaten.
While the Crimson Tide dealt with a little bit of adversity Saturday, surrendering a lead for the first time this season, they got up off the mat and looked terrifying once again in a 33-14 win over No. 6 Texas A&M.
‘Bama moves to 8-0 ahead of its bye week, meaning coach Nick Saban and Co. get an extra seven days rest to prepare for their next test — it so happens to be rival LSU on Nov. 5 at Death Valley. Now the lone unbeaten team left in the SEC, the Tide have solidified their grasp on the West and the nation’s top ranking.
As for the Aggies, their season is far from over. However, dreams of the conference championship game have likely been dashed.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, the true freshman with more poise than most fifth-year seniors, continues to be a dual-threat monster. He threw for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding another 91 yards and 1 TD rushing.
Yes, Hurts was intercepted twice in the same game for the first time all season, but the second one came on a harmless Hail Mary on the final play of the first half. Once A&M took a 14-13 with 12:59 left in the third quarter, he played mistake-free football the rest of the way. In particular, he runs the read-option beautifully.
As a result, the Crimson Tide ran for 287 yards, averaged an even 5 yards per carry and dominated time of possession 35:50 to 24:10.
Texas A&M’s Trevor Knight (below), one of only two active QBs in the country with a win over ‘Bama, completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and managed just 24 yards rushing. He was sacked five times by the Tide’s ferocious pass rush.
Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Continuing arguably the craziest streak in college football, Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen returned a Knight fumble 30 yards for a touchdown near the end of the third quarter to turn a one-score game into two scores — it was his second of the year. The Crimson Tide now have a non-offensive TD in 10 consecutive games.
It was another suffocating effort from the ‘Bama defense. The Aggies rushed for only 114 yards on 34 attempts.
Keep in mind that A&M arrived in Tuscaloosa with the top rushing offense in the league at 274.3 yards per game. Averaging 6.8 yards per carry as a team in its first six games, the Tide cut that number in half to 3.4.
The Aggies are all but eliminated from the division. Since head-to-head results are the first tiebreaker, they would need Alabama to lose at least two of its three remaining SEC games — not to mention win their final three — in order to make it to Atlanta. The best they can likely hope for is a New Year’s Six bowl.
The Crimson Tide still triumphed in convincing fashion despite letting Texas A&M hang around in the first half.
In control everywhere but the scoreboard, ‘Bama bogged down in the red zone prior to intermission and kept settling for field goals. Tide kicker Adam Griffith made his first two but eventually yanked a 29-yard chip shot.
Texas A&M responded with its most impressive drive of the contest, marching 80 yards in 1:42 on only eight plays. Knight found receiver Josh Reynolds for a 9-yard score — he throws the back-shoulder fade well — to make it 13-7 Alabama after 30 minutes of action. The game didn’t feel that close, though.
Getting the ball to begin the second half, Knight put the Aggies ahead with a beauty of a 25-yard TD to receiver Christian Kirk.
However, that was essentially the final highlight of the afternoon for A&M. Hurts (below) didn’t have any more unforced errors on offense, plus the Tide got back to playing their particular brand of relentless D.
Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
If Texas A&M — or any team, for the matter — was going to defeat Alabama in 2016, then it needed to basically play a perfect game. But Knight was up and down throwing the ball. Leading rusher Trayveon Williams was a non-factor. The offensive line couldn’t open enough holes or give Knight enough time.
The Crimson Tide didn’t contribute to the Aggies’ cause, either. When they lose, they tend to beat themselves.
This ‘Bama ballclub is too talented, too loaded and too well-coached to go down unless it throws up on itself to some degree. Four or five turnovers. A dozen or so penalties. Giving up big plays on special teams.
A&M got practically none of that at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The turnover battle was even at two. Flags weren’t really an issue. Even if Alabama surrendered four passing plays of 20-plus yards — an odd bugaboo for this squad coming into the matchup — none was longer than 33. Even the savvy Knight only had one run of note.
The Crimson Tide are rolling perhaps like never before, although their momentum will be stopped due to a scheduled bye.
I’ve been asking the question all week, and I’m yet to get an answer that caught my attention: Where does ‘Bama have a weakness? The Tide can run the ball and throw the ball, stop the run and stop the pass.
Can we be picky? Sure. Hurts hasn’t necessarily put up huge numbers as a passer. The secondary is prone to giving up some long gains — granted, usually while protecting a big lead with soft coverage — here and there. Losing Eddie Jackson certainly will hurt. Griffith, now just 10-of-15 on field goals, is far from automatic on special teams.
Texas A&M was the Tide’s biggest test to date. Nonetheless, oddsmakers predicted a blowout. Alabama proved them right, too.
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.
