Alabama heads into Saturday’s game against Texas A&M in a spot it can’t afford to mishandle. The Crimson Tide are trying to stop a slide after back-to-back losses, and now they get an Aggies team that has had trouble on the road and hasn’t beaten Alabama often since joining the SEC in 2012.
The history between these two leans heavily toward Alabama. The Tide are 10-2 against Texas A&M in the series, including 5-1 in Tuscaloosa.
The one home loss came in 2012 against the Aggie team led by Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel. This year’s Texas A&M team enters at 4-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, with losses at home to Kentucky and on the road to LSU and Missouri.
Alabama is 5-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Roll Tide Wire’s staff sees the Tide taking care of business at home, with each prediction pointing to an Alabama win.
Matt Melton has Alabama pulling away 38-20. He pointed to the Tide’s long run of avoiding three straight losses and said he doesn’t think that changes against Texas A&M. He also expects Alabama to get going quickly in Tuscaloosa, with the offense doing damage on the ground and the defense creating problems for Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed, who has had interception issues at times.
Steve Holley went with Alabama 30-15, noting Texas A&M’s two road losses this season were both lopsided. He also acknowledged Alabama’s injury situation and the urgency of the upcoming bye week, while referencing what Kalen DeBoer said after the Tennessee loss when he described things as about to get "really uncomfortable."
Elliot Reeder’s pick is Alabama 27-10. He said the Tide need a win to keep their CFP hopes alive, while also pointing to Texas A&M’s struggles on offense.
The Aggies rank 12th in the SEC in scoring at 29.4 points per game, and that number drops to just 16.8 in SEC games. Reeder expects Alabama’s defense to force a couple of turnovers and the offense to begin sorting things out.
In Other News...
Alabama's New Rotation Already Has A Few Names Fans Need To Watch
The first look at Alabamas preseason rotation came in a familiar setting, with the Tide meeting Auburn in an exhibition game in Birmingham as part of the build-up to the regular season. Even without the result carrying any record-book weight, the game offered an early peek at how Nate Oats may sort through his roster, and the opening stretches were heavy on the kind of minute-by-minute clues fans tend to track this time of year.
What stood out most was how quickly some names began to separate themselves in the box score, with the first-half numbers showing who was getting touches, who was defending well and who was already earning extended run. There is still plenty of time for roles to shift before the games start counting, but this was exactly the sort of preseason test that can shape the conversation around Alabamas rotation for weeks to come. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Offensive Concerns Just Got More Personal Around Keelon Russell
Alabamas offensive unease took a more pointed turn after the loss to Tennessee, when former Crimson Tide quarterback Jake Coker weighed in on the current state of the unit and, specifically, Keelon Russells grasp of the offense. The comments added another layer to a conversation that has already centered on Alabamas inconsistency, with the run game lagging and the run-pass option package not clicking the way it needs to for this attack to function smoothly.
Texas A&M is the next chance to steady things, and the Tide will need more than just a cleaner overall script to get there. For Alabama, the concern is not simply whether the offense can execute better on Saturday, but whether the quarterback room can show enough command of the system to quiet the criticism that followed last week. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Showed Something Tide Fans Will Love In Auburn Clash
Alabama got a useful early test in Birmingham and passed it with a narrow 87-85 win over Auburn in an exhibition game at Legacy Arena. The Tide showed a balanced scoring punch, with four players reaching double figures and Amari Allen leading the way with 23 points, a sign of depth that should catch the attention of Alabama fans as the season approaches.
Auburn made it plenty uncomfortable, with Kevin Overton pouring in 26 points and the game turning chippy at times as the physicality ramped up. Tahaad Pettiford and Bukky Oboye both fouled out in the scuffle-filled matchup, leaving plenty to sort through for both sides, but Alabamas ability to answer in a game like this is exactly the kind of takeaway Tide supporters will like. [Read more 🡒]