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The Alabama Crimson Tide heads into College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Whichever team wins the game will sit at a 5-1 record atop the SEC West rankings, making the stakes that much higher.
Ebbing Tide
The No. 11 Crimson Tide look to reestablish themselves as one of college football’s unquestioned top teams. So far this season, though they sit at 4-1, they’ve been challenged in a way unfamiliar to them in recent history. After a win in the opening week, Nick Saban’s dynasty lost at home to the Texas Longhorns 34-24. Following the loss, starting quarterback Jalen Milroe was benched, making way for backup Tyler Buchner. Buchner opened the game against South Florida, but was pulled in favor of third-string quarterback Ty Simpson. Alabama won 17-3, but didn’t feel dominant.
After a good win against Ole Miss, Bama had a performance reminiscent of the past with a 40-17 beatdown of Mississippi State. Milroe, who won the starting job back after the South Florida game, completed 10 of his 12 passes for 164 yards. He had another 69 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground. Though efficient, Saban believes there are improvements to make in the passing game.
Fans of the Tide should hope those improvements happen quick, especially if the Aggies are as good as Saban believes. The legendary coach talked about what he’s seen from their SEC foe five weeks into the season.
Aggies Moment
Texas A&M comes into Saturday’s matchup riding a three-game win streak. The start of the season featured a big win against New Mexico and a tough loss to Miami. Since then, they’ve blasted Louisiana-Monroe, overpowered Auburn and took care of Arkansas to get to a 4-1 record.
Unfortunately for Jimbo Fisher’s team, starting quarterback Conner Weigman injured his foot during the Auburn game and will likely miss the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Max Johnson has since stepped in and performed well considering the circumstances. Johnson, who is in his second season with the Aggies after transferring from LSU, completed 17 of 28 passes for 210 yards in his start against Arkansas. He added two scores with his arm, but threw an interception as well.
If Texas A&M are to win, Johnson will have to show up against what Fisher believes to be a classic Alabama defense.
Jimbo Fisher on Alabama's defense: "It looks like all of them. They're always, always good."
"They can affect you on all three levels… They're as good as there is, and they play great football."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) October 4, 2023
Johnson’s role could be eased if the Aggies run game shows up the way it did against Arkansas. The team had 204 yards rushing total, with running back Le’Veon Moss leading the way. Moss had 107 yards on 17 carries individually. Fisher will need the defense to step up as well, as they face a dynamic athlete in Milroe on the other side.
Jimbo Fisher on Jalen Milroe: "This guy, when he takes off, you may never catch him."
"The whole thing is you have to keep him in the pocket when you rush him and not give him outlets."
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) October 4, 2023
Series History
The history between these two teams is overwhelmingly one-sided, thus far. They’ve played each other 15 total times, 11 in the 21st century. Of those 11 games, Alabama has won nine. Texas A&M’s most recent win came in 2021 when they won 41-38. Their more famous win, however, was in 2012 when Johnny Manziel had a Heisman moment in Tuscaloosa.
Though the Aggies get to play in their home Kyle Field instead of Bryant-Denny Stadium this time, they hope for a similar moment of magic. Saban, on the other hand, hopes to keep those memories of glory even further in the past.
