Texas A&M had enough offense in Tuscaloosa to make this one feel live for stretches, but the Aggies never put together the full four quarters they needed and walked out of Alabama with a 31-20 loss, their second straight conference defeat.
The most encouraging part for Mike Elko’s team came on offense, where the Aggies looked sharper than they did against LSU and Missouri. Marcel Reed connected with Mario Craver for a nine-yard touchdown, then added a four-yard scoring run early in the second quarter. Texas A&M also piled up 115 rushing yards, nearly matching what it produced in the past two road conference games combined, and finished with 18 first downs.
Craver showed signs of getting back to his usual level, too, finishing with six catches for 45 yards and the touchdown.
Still, the numbers that matter in the hidden parts of a game tilted the wrong way. Texas A&M converted just four of 11 third downs and came away empty on its only fourth-down try.
That fourth-down miss was part of a rough night for Reed. On the Aggies’ first offensive possession, he threw a pick-six to Dijon Lee Jr. to put Alabama on the board first. Later, that failed fourth-down sequence ended with Reed losing a fumble.
The most costly mistake came late in the third quarter, when a bad snap to Reed created another loose ball. Alabama recovered, then turned that into two touchdowns to open the fourth quarter and pull away.
Texas A&M now gets a bye week before heading to Columbia, South Carolina, to face Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks, who just upset No. 11 Tennessee.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Collapse Turns On One Snap That Shouldn't Have Happened
Texas A&M had Alabama where it wanted heading into the fourth quarter, but the game turned sharply in the final period and the Aggies were left with an 11-point loss. For much of the night, the kind of result that can reshape an SEC race seemed within reach, before one sequence changed the feel of everything.
Mike Elko said afterward the snap on a fourth-and-one should not have happened because no play was called, a breakdown that turned into a turnover and handed momentum to Alabama. For a team that had controlled the game into the fourth quarter, the frustration is obvious, and the bigger question now is how a miscommunication like that surfaced in such a pivotal moment. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Let A Winnable Game Slip When One Matchup Broke Down
Texas A&M had enough going early to make this one feel very much within reach. The Aggies picked off Alabama to open the door, and for much of the night their defense did a good job of taking away the Crimson Tides running game and keeping them out of the end zone.
By the fourth quarter, though, Alabama found a way to change the shape of the game. Different sets and personnel helped the Tide break through twice, and Keelon Russell finished 19 of 30 for three touchdown passes in a 31-20 Alabama win, including a late stretch in which he was perfect on seven throws for 106 yards and two scores. For Texas A&M, it was the kind of loss that stings because the answer was there for a while, until it wasnt. [Read more 🡒]
KJ Edwards Injury Suddenly Looms Large For Texas A&M's Offense
KJ Edwards workload changed sharply in the second half against Alabama, when the Texas A&M running back was limited after taking a deep contusion earlier in the game. Mike Elko confirmed the injury afterward, and while the diagnosis was encouraging in the sense that it was not a break or muscle tear, it still left the Aggies juggling their backfield in a game where Edwards had become a key part of the offense.
Now the focus shifts to the bye week, which gives Edwards a chance to recover before Texas A&M returns to action against South Carolina. For an offense that has leaned on his presence, the extra time matters, but it also leaves one question hanging over the Aggies: how ready will Edwards be when the team comes back from the break? [Read more 🡒]