Five keys to the Aggies shocking the nation today in Tuscaloosa

Coming off of a 48-10 win against ULM last week, Texas A&M opens up SEC play by heading into Tuscaloosa to take on the No. 1 Crimson Tide. The Aggies are no strangers to tough competition, as this will be the second top-2 program that they have played in this young season. A&M fell 28-26 in a dogfight to No. 2 Clemson in week two, and they are hoping for a different outcome as they take on the defending national champions today.

Here are five keys to the Aggies surprising the nation and leaving Alabama with a victory. 

1. Play Four Quarters – Hit them in the mouth early and often. For whatever reason, the Aggies started off sluggish against ULM before dominating them in the second half. If they are to come out of Tuscaloosa with a win this weekend they can't afford to repeat last week’s mistakes; great programs like Alabama will make you pay for it. Ole Miss started off fast against the Crimson Tide last week, scoring on the first play of the game, but lost all offensive production following that play and didn't touch the end zone again for the duration of the game. The key to victory this week will be not only starting fast but competing hard for the entire game. 

Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

Former A&M defender Justin Dunning knows a bit about pressuring the QB and performing in hostile road environments.

2. Heat up Tagovailoa – Tua Tagovailoa is an extremely talented player, however, we must not forget that he is a young quarterback. So far this season he has breezed through competition, not even having to play a full game yet. This afternoon will likely be the first time he will be challenged this season. Defensive Coordinator Mike Elko must find a way to force Tua into making poor decisions by dialing up pressure on him. The Alabama offensive line has performed brilliantly when it comes to protecting Tagovailoa this season, only allowing him to be sacked twice. The Aggies, on the other hand, are coming off of a four-sack performance versus ULM. The big challenge for their defense this week is finding creative ways to put pressure on Alabama, resulting in either sacks or forcing the young quarterback into making bad throws.

3. Get takeaways – This is an area where the Aggies have struggled so far this season. Through three games they have only been able to come up with a single turnover, which was an interception by Larry Pryor late in the game last week. The turnover margin is traditionally a very good indicator as to which team will win the football game. Whether it's because of his inexperience,or just the overwhelming trust in his receivers, Tagovailoa will throw 50-50 balls up. Our defensive backs have to capitalize on some of these and come down with an interception. The Aggies will need to find ways to take the ball away from the Alabama offense and get it back in the hands of Kellen Mond in order to win this game. 

4. Control the flow of the game through time of possession – The change in offensive philosophy this year has been evident through three games as the Aggies are currently sixth in the nation in time of possession. This is an underrated statistic that not only becomes evident late in games but is also absolutely crucial when it comes to facing elite offenses. If this A&M program wants to have a chance of winning today, they must dominate this area by doing what they have been doing all season and keeping Alabama’s high octane offense on the sideline. The key to not taking a step back in this category will be to run the ball well, not commit turnovers and get third down conversions on offense.

5.  Get off the field on third down – If the Aggies are to pull off an upset, this might be the most essential area of the game: THE MONEY DOWN. On offense, the Crimson Tide have played remarkably on third down. They have converted 60 percent of all third downs this season, which ranks fourth in the country. Tua Tagovailoa has been perfect, completing every third down ball that has left his fingers. He's an unblemished 13 of 13 passing for 298 yards and 6 touchdowns. On defense, Mike Elko and the Aggies also have been pretty dominant on third down, allowing only seven conversions out of the 35 third downs they've faced. That also places them fourth in the country in conversion percentage. What happens when an unstoppable object meets an immovable force? We shall see this afternoon. This is an area that Aggie defense has to win if they want to come out victorious. 

Prediction: Aggies win, 28-20