Learned, Loved, Loathed: Alabama 24, Texas A&M 20

Looking back on what was learned, loved and loathed in Texas A&M’s thrilling 24-20 college football loss to Alabama on Saturday night:

Learned

This team is resilient. Entering the game with two losses and coming off a blowout defeat at Mississippi State, how the Aggies would respond on the road against the No. 1 team in the nation was definitely in question. There was no need to. The Aggies squared off against the top-ranked Crimson Tide and literally came two yards from pulling off the upset. The Aggies gave a spirited and intense performance.

A&M needs to stick with a four-man front. A&M had managed just six sacks in their five previous games while primarily using a three-man defensive line and frequently just rushing three. They used four linemen most of the time against Alabama, and it paid off. They recorded four sacks and were credited with two more quarterback pressures.

The Aggies could finish 9-3. Don’t take any win for granted, but if the Aggies can play at this level in the second half of the season, they can definitely run the table. No doubt, there are still areas in which improvement is needed. But the Aggies are getting better. If they continue to make strides and play with the same intensity, they’ll have a realistic chance of winning their final six games.

Loved

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Diggs played a fantastic game on Saturday night, forcing a pair of fumbles. He also recorded six tackles and was credited with two sacks.

Forcing turnovers. The Aggies created four turnovers, and none were cheap. They were all a result of physical and athletic plays. Defensive end Fadil Diggs forced two fumbles. Defensive tackle Walter Nolen forced another. Shemar Stewart, Jaylon Jones and Edgerrin Cooper secured the recoveries. All three fumbles led directly to scores. Also, safety Jardin Gilbert made an excellent play to reel in an interception just over a minute before halftime.

Fadil Diggs was hyped throughout the offseason for his development at defensive end. He showed why. As mentioned, Diggs forced two fumbles. He also posted six tackles, with three resulting in lost yardage. That included two sacks. He also was credited with a quarterback hurry.

Emergence of receivers. Freshman Evan Stewart had the best outing of his brief career. Stewart caught eight passes for 106 yards. He had a 43-yard catch to set up a touchdown. He also had an acrobatic catch for a first down on A&M’s last series. Also, sophomore Moose Muhammad followed up on a strong showing from a week ago. Muhammad had six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. He almost had a second score but lost his footing after making a tough catch. Freshman receiver Chris Marshall had three catches for 40 yards, and freshman tight end Donovan Green had two catches for eight yards and a touchdown.

Loathed

The final play call was too low-percentage. It was the right read but still feels like the wrong play. Needing two yards to win, the Aggies relied on backup quarterback Haynes King to make a perfect throw and Stewart to run a perfect route. Neither occurred. Not meaning to be critical of them, but with one play to win or lose, the football should go to Devon Achane in some form.

Missed chances and mistakes. Muhammad was wide-open for an easy touchdown. The throw was inaccurate, and he lost balance after making a difficult grab. Instead of a touchdown, the Aggies settled for a field goal. Later, consecutive false start penalties prevented A&M from attempting to pick up a key first down on fourth-and-2. Again, they were forced to settle for a field goal. King threw an interception just before halftime that led to an Alabama field goal. Defensively, An offsides penalty on third-and-goal gave Alabama a key first down on a drive for its first touchdown. Denver Harris failed to intercept a pass that hit him in the chest. That enabled Alabama to keep the ball and drive for a touchdown and take a 24-14 lead. The Aggies also picked up a penalty for having 12 men on the field on a punt. Alabama was able to regain possession.

* SEC officiating. Go ahead and watch the replay. On Alabama’s second touchdown — a 35-yard pass — offensive tackle Tyler Steen (No. 54) was five yards downfield. No flag. The officials did call an obvious pass interference penalty on Alabama in the end zone with six seconds remaining in the game. But they inexplicably allowed three seconds to tick off when the play was dead. That left A&M with time for just one play instead of two. Also, on the final play, Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold made contact with Stewart before the football arrived. But you’re just not going to get back-to-back pass interference calls on a Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.