Ainias Smith believes he has Alabama figured out and not just because of his 2-TD performance against the Crimson Tide 2 years ago.

Eleventh-ranked Alabama (4-1) will visit Texas A&M (4-1) for the first time since the Aggies upset the Tide 41-38 in 2021. Smith tallied 6 catches for 85 yards, and he delivered the game-tying score to aid the winning effort.

“I believe that definitely gives me a little bit more confidence,” Smith told reporters on Monday about his experience facing Alabama.

“I know exactly what it is that he wants from his defense and from his offense,” Smith said of Nick Saban. “And just being able to, I guess you could say, go into the game plan and …  just, like coach sometimes says, ‘knowing the answers before the test’, but it all starts today in practice. Just making sure we stay on par with our details and execution and really just making sure that we just do every little thing right.”

Smith still relishes his big game against the Tide from 2021, but he also remembers how tough the second half went. The Aggies saw a 24-10 halftime lead disappear, and Smith scored his second TD with 3 minutes left in the game for a 38-38 tie before Seth Small kicked the Aggies to victory.

“I remember that I was locked into the game,” Smith said.“I was locked in, ready for any moment. I knew coming out of halftime that Nick [Saban] has a history of making real good adjustments going into halftime. They did what they had to do. They took a little bit of momentum from us.”