For all the build-up around a supposed Alabama rebound, the first half in Tuscaloosa delivered a completely different script. No. 13 Alabama and Texas A&M went to the locker room tied 17-17, with the Crimson Tide unable to turn an early advantage into control.
It started like the kind of afternoon Alabama needed. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed came out shaky, and the Aggies’ first two possessions both ended with Reed interceptions. One of them went all the way back for a pick-6, giving Alabama a 7-0 lead with 11:24 left in the first quarter.
But Texas A&M steadied itself after that rough opening, and Mike Elko’s team spent the rest of the half hanging around. The 7-0 lead was the biggest gap of the first half, and the six scores before halftime - four touchdowns and two field goals - kept alternating between the teams until the game settled into a deadlock.
That is not the result Alabama expected at home. The Crimson Tide came in as more than a two-touchdown favorite, trying to protect its College Football Playoff hopes after back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee. Texas A&M arrived with a 4-3 record overall and a 1-3 mark in SEC play, including 0-2 on the road in conference games at LSU and at Mizzou.
The quarterbacks have both put together uneven halves. Keelon Russell is 10-of-19 for 161 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Reed has gone 9-of-13 for 109 yards, one touchdown and the two picks.
Neither run game has taken command. Texas A&M has 65 rushing yards on 20 carries, while Alabama has managed just 25 yards on 11 attempts.
The Crimson Tide have also struggled to stay ahead of the sticks, going 1-of-6 on third down. Texas A&M is 2-of-4 in that category, and the Aggies have held a slight edge in time of possession at 16:46 to 13:14.
The game is being shown on ABC.
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