When Texas A&M walks into Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Alabama will see a couple of familiar faces across the field. The Aggies’ offense includes two players who were starters for the Crimson Tide last season: offensive lineman Wilkin Formby and wide receiver Isaiah Horton.
But inside Alabama’s locker room, there’s not much appetite for turning this into a reunion story. Tight end Marshall Pritchett made it clear the Tide is more interested in getting back on track after back-to-back losses.
“They were good teammates, good players here,” Pritchett said. “They are both having successful seasons.
It’s part of the nature of the game,- people moving around. No hard feelings with those guys.
Just excited to play Texas A&M as a whole.”
Horton arrived at Alabama via transfer from Miami and spent one season in Tuscaloosa. He became an important piece of the offense, developing a strong connection with quarterback Ty Simpson and hauling in the game-winning touchdown in last season’s Iron Bowl win over Auburn.
This season, Horton has 20 catches for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He hasn’t topped 100 receiving yards in a game yet, and he hasn’t found the end zone since Texas A&M’s Sept. 12 victory over Arizona State.
Formby’s path was different. He started for Alabama last season after spending most of the previous two years in a reserve role. Midway through the year, he shifted from tackle to guard, opening the door for Michael Carroll to move into the right tackle spot.
When Formby first transferred to Texas A&M, the expectation was that he would move back outside to tackle. More recently, though, he has been back on the interior for the Aggies.
He’s started all seven games for Texas A&M this season, and the Aggies sit at 4-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, a start that hasn’t matched expectations.
Alabama safety Ivan Taylor gave the same kind of answer when asked about facing former teammates.
“We’re just focusing on us,” Taylor said. “We’re not focusing on anything but us.”
The bigger picture for Alabama is plain enough. After losses to Georgia and Tennessee over the last two weeks, the Crimson Tide’s margin for error is thin. Another defeat would be a major blow to its College Football Playoff hopes.
Texas A&M is also searching for something meaningful. Its only SEC win has come against Arkansas, while conference losses have piled up against Kentucky, LSU and Missouri.
Alabama and Texas A&M are set for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will air on ABC.
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