Post Game Review: No. 1 Alabama 47, No. 24 Texas A&M 28
The Aggies faced an uphill battle trying to slow the dynamic Alabama offense, and they came up short, falling to the Crimson Tide, 47-28, at Kyle Field on Saturday afternoon. Heisman-candidate Tua Tagovailoa racked up 293 yards and four touchdowns in the winning effort.
The No. 24 Aggies pieced together an impressive first drive, relying on their running game to march 75 yards down the field. Kellen Mond finished the drive with a one-yard quarterback keep for a touchdown.
The A&M defense forced the Tide into a third-and-long situation on their first drive. However, Tagovailoa then connected with Jaylen Waddle, who dodged three Aggie defenders and found the end zone. The Tide forced a three-and-out and quickly got the ball back. The A&M defense again forced a third-and-long, however, an Aaron Hansford blitz allowed Tagovailoa to dump the ball to DeVonta Smith on a slant route for a 47-yard touchdown.
The two teams then traded field goals, and the Tide held a 17-10 lead with 8:49 remaining in the second quarter. Freshman running back Isaiah Spiller suffered a big hit and coughed up the ball at the 19-yard line with 5:16 remaining in the half. On the ensuing drive, Tagovalia rolled to his left and found an open Najee Harris to increase the Alabama lead to 24-10. A&M safety Demani Richardson picked off Tua Tagovailoa in the end zone. The Aggies responded with a 69-yard drive capped off by a Seth Small field goal as time expired. The Tide led the Aggies 24-13 at the intermission.
The Tide scored on their first two drives of the second half via a 27-yard Bulovas field goal and a Tagovailoa-Ruggs III connection for a 33-yard touchdown. Kellen Mond capped the Aggies’ next drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Jalen Wydermyer. The Tide held a 34-20 lead through three-quarters of action.
Alabama power back Brian Robinson Jr. punched in a two-yard touchdown, ending a 33-yard drive. After a quick three-and-out deep in their own territory, Braden Mann’s punt was blocked for an Alabama touchdown. The Tide took a commanding 47-20 lead with 11:30 remaining in the game.
The Aggies responded with an up-tempo drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Mond to Jalen Wydermyer. However, it was too little too late as the Tide finished the Aggies off, 47-28.
RUMBLED: With little rushing game besides himself, Kellen Mond made some excellent plays under pressure with both his feet and through the air. It appeared as if there was more of an emphasis on running against Alabama as the quarterback tallied 16 runs, some of which were designed. Mond finished the game with 264 passing yards, 90 rushing yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. The signal-caller made some good throws, namely to Quartney Davis, who had a strong performance in his own right. In a game where his defense allowed 40 points and his running backs combined for just 35 yards, Mond was asked to do a lot, and though he wasn’t perfect, he made some strong plays to keep the Aggies in the game going into the second half.
STUMBLED: The A&M secondary had their work cut out for them pitted against the most dynamic passing offense in the country. The unit struggled to slow down the Tide as Tua Tagovailoa passed for 293 yards and four touchdowns. The Aggie cover men struggled in coverage as the Alabama receivers used their blazing speed to create separation on the deep ball and short slant routes.
The A&M special team coverage units had a disastrous day as well, as the Tide returners found ample success fielding punts and kicks. The punt team also had a punt blocked, which essentially gifted Alabama a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
UNSUNG HERO: Buddy Johnson is quietly putting together a very impressive junior season. The outside linebacker was the anchor of an A&M run defense that was able to slow down the Alabama running game for the majority of the game. With his 11 tackles on Saturday, Johnson has already surpassed his tackle total from last season through just six games.
Punter Braden Mann logged two key tackles on special teams. Had he not been there, the kicks could have been taken all the way back. The former high school linebacker’s tackling ability is definitely an asset on punt and kick return coverages.
KEY STAT: Average field position: Alabama OWN 47, Texas A&M OWN 22. When you’re playing the No. 1 team in the country, you have to win the field position battle - or at least keep it close. The Aggies did neither on Saturday, and the electric Alabama offense’s average drive started near the 50-yard line. The large disparity in the field position was due to the Alabama return game, which averaged 30 yards a punt return and 32 yards a kick return. No matter what team you are, you just can’t repeatedly give Alabama a short field and expect your defense to hold up.
Scoring summary
First quarter:
A&M: 6:57 — Kellen Mond 1-yard designed QB run to punch it in (Small kick good). TOP: 8:03. A&M 7, UA 0.
UA: 2:41 — Jaylen Waddle 31-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa (Bulovas kick good). TOP: 4:16. UA 7, A&M 7.
UA: 0:24 — DeVonta Smith 47-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa (Bulovas kick good). TOP: 0:45. UA 14, A&M 7.
Second Quarter:
A&M: 12:12 — Seth Small 31-yard FG good. TOP: 3:12. UA 14, A&M 10.
UA: 8:49 — 35-yard field goal by Joseph Bulovas is good. TOP: 3:23. UA 17, A&M 10.
UA: 5:28 — Najee Harris 16-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa (Bulovas kick good). TOP: 0:49. UA 24, A&M 10.
Third Quarter:
UA: 10:58 — Joseph Bulovas 27-yard field goal. TOP: 4:07. UA 27, A&M 13.
UA: 7:35 — Henry Ruggs III 33-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa (Bulovas kick good). TOP: 1:44. UA 34, A&M 13.
A&M: 5:06 — Jalen Wydermyer 25-yard pass from Kellen Mond (Small kick good). TOP: 2:29. UA 34, A&M 20.
Fourth Quarter:
UA: Robinson Jr. two-yard rush (Buvolas kick blocked, no good). TOP: 2:03. UA 40, A&M 20.
UA: Tyrell Shavers two-yard punt return after Braden Mann’s punt blocked. UA 47, A&M 20.
A&M: Jalen Wydermyer 18-yard pass from Kellen Mond (Two-PT good - rush by Mond) UA 47, A&M 28.