Texas A&M left Tuscaloosa with a loss, but the afternoon was not a complete offensive blank. The Aggies finally found the end zone away from home and spent much of the game in position to make things interesting before Alabama pulled away late for a 31-20 victory.
That finish stung because Texas A&M carried a 20-17 lead into the fourth quarter. From there, No.
13 Alabama scored 14 straight points and closed the door. Mike Elko’s team had enough encouraging moments to stay around, but not enough to land the statement win it was chasing.
Marcel Reed’s day was a roller coaster from the start. He threw two interceptions early, one of them taken back for a touchdown, and it looked like the game might get away from Texas A&M quickly.
Instead, he regrouped and finished 14 of 21 for 163 yards and a touchdown, while also running for another score. The turnovers were damaging, but he was clearly more settled than he had been in recent weeks.
The run game never truly took over. KJ Edwards gave Texas A&M 43 yards on eight carries, and Jamarion Morrow added 22 yards on 10 rushes, but the Aggies never found the steady ground production they needed. As a team, they finished with 116 rushing yards on 39 attempts, good for three yards per carry.
Reed had more help through the air than he’s had lately. Mario Craver returned and gave the offense a lift, catching six passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Isaiah Horton added 34 receiving yards, and Aaron Gregory chipped in with a 31-yard catch. It wasn’t a fireworks show, but the passing game had enough life to keep Alabama honest.
Even as the offense showed some signs of progress, the fourth quarter turned into a grind. Reed dealt with heavy pressure, and Alabama’s pass rush helped shut down any real hope of a comeback.
Texas A&M’s defense gave the offense a chance. The Aggies held Alabama to 65 rushing yards and got to the quarterback for two sacks.
Landon Rink had a sack and a tackle for loss, while Marco Jones added half a sack. That front did enough to keep the game within reach.
Daymion Sanford led the team with eight tackles, and Noah Mikhail finished with five. Alabama never got comfortable running the ball, and the linebackers did their part to make life difficult.
But the secondary had a rough time containing Alabama’s passing game. Keelon Russell threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns, and Rico Scott piled up 156 receiving yards. Dezz Ricks did come away with an interception, but it wasn’t enough to stop Alabama from seizing control when it mattered most.
Special teams held up well. David Olano knocked through field goals from 32 and 25 yards and made both extra points, while Tyler White averaged 47.2 yards per punt. For Texas A&M, that was one of the few areas that didn’t leave much to criticize.
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DeBoer had already given his players a simple condition for the day: celebrate however they wanted, just make sure they left with a victory. Alabama handled the first part on the field and the second part in the locker room, where the coach got his fitting reward for a birthday that doubled as another sign of how much buy-in he has from his team. [Read more 🡒]