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Texas A&M Trevor Knight is no stranger to playing against Alabama.
He’s no stranger to winning against the Crimson Tide, either.
Knight guided Oklahoma to a win against massively favored Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl, completing 32 of 44 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns en route to being named the game’s MVP. First-year offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone had an interesting comment when asked about Knight’s performance in that game.
A&M OC Noel Mazzone on Trevor Knight beating Alabama back when in Sugar Bowl: Hopefully he’s got some warm-fuzzies about it.
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) October 18, 2016
The Sooners were a 17-point underdog in that game, the exact same line oddsmakers are giving Alabama to beat the Aggies this weekend. But the Crimson Tide has been susceptible to big plays, which Texas A&M isn’t lacking — Mazzone’s offense ranks 8th nationally in yards (532.8 per game) and is tied for 16th in scoring (40.2 points per game).
This year’s matchup between the No. 1 Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0) and No. 6 Aggies (6-0, 4-0) looms even larger than last year’s, when Alabama rolled into College Station to knock off undefeated Texas A&M. Quarterback Kyle Allen threw thee pick-sixes in a 41-23 loss where the Aggies managed only 316 total yards.
The loss completely derailed Texas A&M’s season, leading to the departure of offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and the eventual transfers of Allen and fellow quarterback Kyler Murray.
But with new blood at both positions, the latter of which has beaten Alabama, the Aggies are eyeing a huge upset at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.