No. 11 Alabama took management of the SEC West by rallying for a 26-20 win over Texas A&M with a dominant second-half efficiency on the highway in entrance of 108,101 followers at Kyle Discipline. Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe surpassed 300 yards passing for the primary time in his profession, repeatedly discovering vast receivers Jermaine Burton and Isaiah Bond for chunk features towards an Aggies protection that relapsed into among the points which plagued it in a Week 2 loss at Miami.
After shining defensively in SEC wins over Auburn and Arkansas the previous two weeks, the Aggies racked up six sacks towards Alabama and subdued the Crimson Tide’s working sport. Nonetheless, that they had no reply for Bond and Burton, each of whom set profession highs for yards receiving. Burton led the best way with 9 grabs for 197 yards and two touchdowns, together with a pair of third-quarter scores that flipped Alabama’s 17-10 halftime deficit right into a 24-17 lead getting into the fourth quarter.
The Aggies seemed prepared to increase their halftime edge early within the third quarter when Bryce Anderson intercepted Milroe, however Alabama freshman security Caleb Downs got here down with an interception of his personal two performs later to flip the momentum within the Tide’s favor. With the assistance of a blocked discipline purpose early within the fourth quarter, Alabama maintained the momentum till the Aggies scored their first factors of the second half on a discipline purpose with 2:11 remaining.
From there, Alabama recovered an onside kick and ran the clock out to carry on and enhance to 5-1 (3-0 SEC). The loss dropped Texas A&M to 4-2 (2-1 SEC), leaving the Aggies in a chase pack behind the Crimson Tide that additionally contains LSU and Ole Miss.
Jalen Milroe’s second
The much-maligned Milroe lastly bought a long-awaited second of glory after a tumultuous starting to his redshirt sophomore season. Whereas he’d been efficient in wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State the previous two weeks, he’d actually not been heroic after briefly dropping the beginning job in Week 3 towards South Florida.
His efficiency towards Texas A&M certified as heroic, particularly contemplating the hostile surroundings and adversity encountered alongside the best way. The Aggies racked up six sacks on Milroe, whereas Alabama totaled simply 54 yards on 18 makes an attempt within the conventional working sport with backs Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams. With the offensive line providing little assist, Milroe put the sport on his proper arm, discovering Burton for 2 features over 40 yards and touchdowns of 15 and 19 yards. He additionally hit Bond for a 52-yard landing on the primary play of the second quarter.
The efficiency marked a serious step ahead for the Crimson Tide’s passing sport towards a top quality opponent, however Alabama’s run sport and quick/intermediate passing sport stay works-in-progress. However Milroe’s newfound chemistry with Burton and Bond ought to proceed to pay dividends because the Alabama offense finds its approach.
Alabama’s go rush fuels the win
Alabama has had one of many SEC’s most ferocious go rushes all 12 months. The Crimson Tide entered Saturday with 17 sacks on the season, which ranked third within the convention. Even so, they took it to new heights towards Texas A&M. Alabama completed with 5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss.
The go rush all however secured the sport for Saban’s squad. Texas A&M bought the ball down seven with 6:41 left to play, beginning its drive by itself 16-yard line. On the primary play from scrimmage, defensive linemen Jaheim Oatis and Tim Keenan III mixed to sack Aggies quarterback Max Johnson for a lack of 9 yards.
Johnson took the subsequent snap from the shotgun, dropped again into the Aggies’ finish zone and instantly got here underneath stress. As Justin Eboigbe dragged him to the turf, Johnson tried to eliminate the ball and was referred to as for intentional grounding, leading to a security. That gave Alabama a two-score, 26-17 lead with lower than six minutes to play — a lead Texas A&M was unable to beat.
Crimson zone woes
After the security left Texas A&M two possessions behind with underneath six minutes to go, the Aggies pressured a fast three-and-out and promptly moved the soccer into Alabama territory. Max Johnson hit Ainias Smith for a 37-yard acquire that was initially dominated a landing with 3:16 remaining. It appeared as if the Aggies can be trailing 26-24 with loads of time and all three timeouts remaining, however a assessment confirmed that Smith stepped out of bounds on the 2-yard line. The Aggies then burned greater than a minute of valuable clock and a key timeout earlier than settling for a discipline purpose to make it 26-20.
The pricey sequence exemplified Texas A&M’s crimson zone struggles because the Aggies scored only one landing on 4 journeys contained in the Crimson Tide’s 20-yard line. A&M reached the Alabama 19 on its opening possession earlier than failing to transform a fourth-and-1. It reached Alabama’s 5 on its subsequent collection and settled for a discipline purpose. By sport’s finish, the Aggies had been to Alabama territory 9 instances with simply 20 factors to indicate for it.
