Game Preview: #15 Texas A&M vs. #1 Alabama

Alabama players to watch

QB AJ McCarron
The junior has already won a national championship and is now working on a repeat. He's also a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender. McCarron is coming off an intensely emotional victory over LSU in Baton Rouge, a game in which he went just 14-of-27 for 165 yards but led a dramatic last-minute drive for the game-winning score. AJ went 4-of-5 on the 72-yard drive, including the 27-yard game-winner to T.J. Yeldon on a screen pass, so he’ll roll into Saturday’s game brimming with confidence.

As the Tigers can attest, when McCarron has it going, he’s as good as there is in the college game. Last fall, AJ helped lead ‘Bama to a 12-1 record and the BCS title, going 219-of-328 for 2,634 yards and 16 TDs against only five interceptions. He was 23-of-34 for 234 yards in the championship game win over LSU. So far this season, McCarron is one of only two quarterbacks to have not thrown an interception and he’s thrown for 1,849 yards and 19 scores on 136-of-204 (67%) accuracy.

The 6-4, 210-pounder’s numbers rarely jump off the page at you but he’s much, much more than simply a “game manager.” McCarron has beaten many teams with his arm and can deliver all of the throws accurately, oftentimes carving up opposing secondaries via the play-action passing game.

RBs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon
I don’t care about statistics. I’ve watched plenty of Alabama football this season — including seeing the Tide run all over Michigan in person in Dallas — and Alabama’s 1-2 running back punch is the best in college football. They’re also the most lethal tailback tandem when it comes to running with power on the inside and breaking tackles in the second level of a defense.

The duo has combined to produce 1,404 yards and 15 TDs through nine games, with Yeldon leading the way with 725 yards and seven scores on 104 carries. The 6-2, 216-pound true freshman is averaging an even seven yards per carry in his first run through the SEC and has posted 100-yard games against Michigan (11 carries for 111 yards), Tennessee (15 for 129) and Missouri (18 for a season-high 144).

Lacy is a bruising 6-0, 220-pound junior who is capable of running through tackles in the trenches and then flashing true breakaway speed. His 2012 totals include 679 yards and eight TDs on 120 carries, including an 18-carry, 177-yard, 3 TD effort at Missouri.

Yeldon caught the game-winner last weekend against LSU but Lacy also carried a very heavy load, pounding out 83 yard yards on just 11 totes.
 
C Barrett Jones
Arguably college football’s best offensive lineman, Jones passed up on a first round NFL Draft grade and certain riches to return for his senior season and then made the incredibly unselfish move of sliding inside from tackle to center. The 6-5, 302-pounder captured the Outland Trophy last year while starting every game at left tackle … the first time in his Alabama career he’d started at the position.

As a freshman and sophomore, Barrett started 25 games at right guard. As a freshman, he started every game on the Tide’s National Championship squad. In 2010, the soon-to-be three-time First Team All-SEC pick and two-time All-American helped pave the way for tailback Trent Richardson’s Heisman Trophy-winning run. Last fall, Jones actually saw time at four different positions up front, proving to be the most versatile blocker in the game.

As a senior, Barrett has a chance to win any of the major O-lineman awards, including the Rimington, Outland and Lombardi. The veteran leader of an experienced offensive line considered the No. 1 unit in the country, Jones has started 45 career games at the Capstone.
 
LB C.J. Mosley
Though he oftentimes leaves the field against the power offenses of the SEC, the 6-2, 232-pound WILL linebacker is one of the field generals of a loaded Alabama defense and should play a key role in the Tide’s game plan on Saturday. Mosley excels in coverage, runs like a safety and is an outstanding tackler in space.

His three career interception returns for touchdowns (including a 16-yarder in the season-opening rout of Michigan) is tied with former ‘Bama great Antonio Langham for the school record. The junior has picked off five passes in his career, grabbing one of those picks in last year’s BCS title game victory over LSU.

Despite occasionally leaving the field in favor of Nico Johnson as the Tide looks for a little more size to stop the run, Mosley leads the Alabama defense with 69 tackles and has added four tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Last fall, C.J. played in eleven games, totaling 37 stops, 4.5 TFLs, two sacks and an interception. As a freshman, he ranked third on the team with 67 stops, picked off two passes (returning one for a score against Florida) and led Bama with 10 pass breakups.
 
CB Dee Milliner
The junior is putting together an All-American caliber season at cornerback. Standing 6-1, 200 pounds, Milliner is a long, lean and athletic cover man who has blanketed opposing receivers all season and is capable of making big plays in coverage and when blitzing from the edge. So far this season, Dee has totaled 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble while also blocking a kick.

In coverage, he’s picked off two passes and leads the Alabama defense by a wide, wide margin with 13 pass breakups.

Playing as the Tide's primary nickel back and third corner last fall, Milliner was a key figure on the nation’s most intimidating and dominant defense, breaking up nine passes and intercepting three. He took one of the picks 35 yards to the house against Auburn. As a freshman in 2010, he started 11 games, finishing the season with 55 tackles, 7 PBUs and an interception.
 
NG Jesse Williams
A native Australian from Brisbane, Williams is easily the best interior defender that Texas A&M will face this season. At 6-4, 320, Williams is not only a load on the inside, he’s as strong as any player in college football (with a 600-plus pound bench press) and is quicker with his hands and feet than most 280-pounders. So far this season, the senior has been in on 21 stops and 1.5 tackles in the backfield.

He’s also forced a fumble and has three QB hurries. While those numbers aren’t impressive on their own, if you’ve watched the Alabama defense at all this season, you’ve backed up the DVR while asking, “Who the heck is #54 and where did that guy come from?” He’s the anchor of the Crimson Tide defense and arguably Nick Saban’s best defensive player. Williams sets up so much because he’s essentially a one-man wrecking ball in the middle and frees up the ‘Bama linebackers to make plays.
 

Texas A&M players to watch

QB Johnny Manziel
The ultimate test awaits the Ags’ sensational freshman quarterback in Tuscaloosa. If Manziel can maintain his torrid, record-setting pace and engineer what would stand as the greatest upset in A&M history, he can make plans to be in New York City in early December … and perhaps even pick up some hardware while he’s there.

Since throwing three interceptions in the Ags’ loss to LSU, Manziel has totaled 790 yards of offense and seven touchdowns versus just one (alleged) turnover in two lopsided SEC West wins. Against Alabama’s fearsome D, however, Manziel must realize that he’s not going to “win” every snap while also not being afraid to be himself and take chances. It’s going to be a four-quarter balancing act for the first-year quarterback but, after learning experiences against both Florida and LSU — games in which he enjoyed a ton of first half success but was shut down after halftime — Johnny appears poised to rise to the occasion.

If he and the Aggies protect the football and don’t press during dry stretches of the game, Manziel can produce enough big plays of his own while also distributing the ball to his talented supporting cast. That combination is enough to give even the nation’s No. 1-ranked defense some real problems on Saturday.

The opponent does not get any better, but tell me you don’t get the feeling that Johnny Football’s entire football life has building to this point. He may only be a freshman, but Manziel is a special football player who has something in him that few athletes possess. He’s the best player that the Alabama defense will attempt to stop this season. If anyone is going to knock off the Tide during the 2012 regular-season, this is the guy who will get it done.
 
WRs Ryan Swope and Mike Evans
Then again, no matter how many plays Manziel makes or extends with his scrambling and running ability, it’s going to take a total team effort for the Ags to score the stunning upset. If the Alabama defense even has a weakness, many feel that it may be in the secondary. Then again, no one has really thrown the ball on the Crimson Tide this season … until Zach Mettenberger nearly cracked 300 against ‘Bama last weekend.

The bottom line here is that Manziel and the A&M receivers are going to have to do something against Alabama that they were unable to do against either LSU or Florida in the second half — connect down the field for big plays and drive-extending completions.

In order to do so, the Ags’ two best receivers will have to be at their very best. Swope has been carving up SEC defenses of late (including LSU) and is playing the best football of his record-setting career, while Evans is putting together one of the most productive seasons in A&M history.

They’ll have to provide more of the same, and then some, if the Ags intend to push the score into the mid- to upper-20s and give A&M a puncher’s chance.
 
DE Damontre Moore
Few realize that Damontre was playing through a couple of painful, nagging injuries since prior to the Louisiana Tech game a month ago. I thought it was interesting when Kevin Sumlin said on Tuesday that the All-American candidate was finally getting back to playing at full speed last week against Mississippi State. Why? Because Moore still managed to play outstanding football in each of the past four games.

The Ags need all of #94 on Saturday, as getting penetration when Bama runs the football and putting real pressure on A.J. McCarron are two musts when it comes to stopping a potent and deadly efficient Alabama offense. Moore will line up against a pair of future NFL tackles in 6-6, 335-pound junior D.J. Fluker and 6-6, 311-pound sophomore Cyrus Kouandjio so he’ll have to use his quickness and wide array of first-round pass-rushing skills if the Ags intend to make McCarron uncomfortable in the pocket or move him from the spot altogether.

This is the kind of game in which your best players must step up as difference-makers. Moore has done that all season and can officially earn his All-American stripes with a big game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
 
DT Spencer Nealy
Grown man football. Aggie defensive tackles Nealy and Kirby Ennis more than held their own against both LSU and Florida when challenged by what you’d call traditional, smash-mouth SEC offenses and they’ve been sensational against almost everyone else. On Saturday, the Ags' overachieving inside duo will spend four quarters fighting in close quarters against college football’s best interior line and most powerful ground game.

The bottom line is that Texas A&M does not beat Alabama unless the Ags’ front is able to consistently keep the Crimson Tide running backs from hitting the second level of the defense. In other words, Nealy and Ennis must play out of their minds, with big Spencer leading four quarters of emotional defense by the Maroon & White.
 
CB Deshazor Everett
Just like they were asked to do three weeks ago against LSU, the A&M secondary is going to have play physical football on the perimeter. Deshazor Everett is the Ags’ most aggressive corner in run support and you’ll probably see more of Howard Matthews at safety, as well. The Aggies have also forced just one turnover in the past four games, a number that probably has to change if A&M is to knock off No. 1.

I’ve seen enough of Deshazor dating back to last spring, throughout fall camp and in flashes this season to know that he has a couple of more big plays in him this season. Keep an eye on #29 on Saturday because he is one of the Aggie defenders capable of making a game-changing defensive play.
 
C Patrick Lewis
Make no mistake, Nick Saban and Kirby Smart fear Manziel and what he’s capable of doing even to a defense loaded with elite-level talent. Because of that, the Tide coaching staff will do everything they can to pressure Manziel into bad decisions for as long as he’s not hurting them with his scrambling ability. In other words, ‘Bama is likely to dial up pressure from a wide variety of angles and looks.

Lewis will not only be in charge of helping the Ags play at the breakneck pace that Saban admittedly loathes but he’ll also be making the pre-snap calls for the offensive front. Sound like a lot on Pat’s plate? He’ll also have the best player he’s faced this season — 6-4, 320-pound nose guard Jesse Williams — lined up inches in front of his facemask for most of the night.

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Key Matchups

Texas A&M CB Dustin Harris vs. Alabama WR Amari Cooper
Alabama lives off its power running game, but the Aggies will pay dearly if they sleep on the freshman Cooper. The 6-1, 198-pounder has emerged as a game-changer on the outside. He leads the nation’s top-ranked team in receptions (32), yards (472) and touchdowns (five). A steady contributor, Cooper lit up the Tennessee secondary a couple of weeks ago with seven catches for 162 yards and two scores. He also caught eight balls for 84 yards and a pair of TDs against Ole Miss.

The A&M cornerbacks and safeties must respect play-action and not get caught looking in the backfield. Even a single false step against a guy as talented as Cooper (and, for that matter, fellow ‘Bama wideout Kenny Bell), is enough to get you beat. If Cooper is able to stretch the field, it’s lights out for the A&M defense because the Alabama ground game is difficult enough to stop as it is.

Harris may very well be the guy who draws the majority of coverage reps against Cooper. He and fellow corners De’Vante Harris and Deshazor Everett must do a better job of sticking with Cooper downfield than they did with LSU’s Odell Beckham because unlike LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, McCarron will deliver the football accurately. Cooper has proven he’s a very dangerous deep threat.

Texas A&M middle defense vs. Alabama interior offensive line
I interviewed Nealy this week and it was clear that he fully embraces the fact that he, Ennis and Jonathan Mathis are going to be under fire for four quarters on Saturday. The big men in the middle understand two things: First, no one is giving them much of a shot to even hold their own against 6-6, 302-pound All-American Jones, All-American candidate and likely first round draft pick Chance Warmack (6-3, 320) and Anthony Steen at guard.

Second, the Aggies won’t win unless they manage to contain ‘Bama’s potent ground game led by bruising, explosive 220-pounders Lacy and Yeldon. On just about every Saturday over the past four seasons, the Crimson Tide O-line has almost without fail dominated the trenches. It’s up to Nealy and his interior line mates to find a way to keep that from happening.

They’ve risen to the occasion in every game this fall, even in tough losses to LSU and Florida, so there’s reason to believe that maybe they can do it once again.

Texas A&M linebackers vs. Alabama running backs
This is pretty self-explanatory. Sean Porter, Jonathan Stewart, Steven Jenkins, Donnie Baggs and even safety Howard Matthews must step up, wrap up and tackle Lacy and Yeldon before they get in the open field. If the Ags cannot accomplish this difficult task, ‘Bama’s backfield numbers will resemble last month’s win over Missouri when the tandem went for over 300 yards.

Again, the key here is to prevent the 220-pound running backs from getting past the traffic around the line of scrimmage. Lacy and Yeldon are going to get their yards. The key for the Aggie linebackers is to keep Alabama’s big running plays to a bare minimum.

Texas A&M C Patrick Lewis vs. Alabama NG Jesse Williams
As noted in this week’s ‘Players to Watch’ feature, Williams is the best interior defender that the Ags will face this season. Williams, who started at end last season before sliding inside, is a projected first- or second-round draft pick and the very definition of a nose guard. His goal is simple: To occupy multiple offensive linemen on every snap, freeing up the ‘Bama linebackers to fly to the football unabated and make plays.

Lewis hasn’t lined up for the majority of a game against a player bigger than himself so far this year. I’d say the last time it happened was in the second half against LSU, where Lewis was trying to get onto the block so quickly that a few of his snaps were low and threw off the timing of a few zone read handoffs and pass plays. The Ags know they won’t have the offensive success necessary to win if Manziel has to drop back and throw on every down.

With Williams leading the charge, Bama gives up just 66 yards per game on the ground. Nonetheless, the Ags must run with a decent degree of success to move the ball consistently, especially in the red zone. Therefore, Lewis, and guards Jarvis Harrison and Cedric Ogbuehi must not only keep Williams from clogging up the middle, but also do an excellent job picking up blitzing linebackers on the inside. That won’t be easy to do if the 6-4 Aussie routinely occupies multiple blockers.

Texas A&M OC Kliff Kingsbury vs. Alabama DC Kirby Smart
Two of the game’s most respected and upwardly-mobile coordinators match wits in what should be a fascinating chess match. Smart has a couple of significant advantages. For starters, he’s been Alabama’s DC for the past six seasons and is a longtime Saban protégé. Smart also happens to have more size, speed and talent at his disposal than perhaps any coordinator in the college game.

Kingsbury has plenty of talent to work with as well, but he’s playing with a gifted yet inexperienced quarterback and the Aggies are in their first year in the one-back, spread system. That said, A&M has put up jaw-dropping yardage and point totals against three of the last four opponents. Kingsbury seems to have fallen into a real zone when it comes to game-planning, play-calling and tempo. The first-year OC clearly has a real feel for the Ags’ offensive talent, which is why he’s been pushing all of the right buttons of late.

In addition to finding a way to move the ball and score points against Alabama, which ranks near the top of all major defensive categories, Kingsbury also faces another hurdle of adjusting to his counterpart’s adjustments. The Ags carved up both Florida and LSU in the first half of A&M’s two losses, but managed just one touchdown total in the second half against those elite defenses.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Kingsbury deserves a tremendous amount of credit for coming up with game-opening plans that led to A&M scoring on six separate possessions against the Gators and Tigers in the first half. But once Will Muschamp and John Chavis made their adjustments, superior defensive talent asserted itself.

Since the LSU loss, it appears the Aggies have turned the corner and gained a much stronger understanding of the offense. That means Kingsbury may really open up the playbook this week.

One of the pivotal matchups will be Kingsbury anticipating the blitz and capitalizing when the Tide defense leaves itself vulnerable. Keep an eye on the second half. If the Ags once again start strong and play strong for four quarters, Kingsbury may earn himself the title of top young coordinator in the college game, ripping the crown right out of Smart’s hands.

Aggie playmakers vs. Crimson Tide defense
Long, sustained drives are going to be hard to come by against the Alabama defense. That’s been the case since the second year of the Saban era and it won’t change on Saturday. But unlike many teams, A&M has legitimate game-changers at quarterback, wide receiver and running back. Manziel, WRs Swope and Evans and RBs Christine Michael and Ben Malena are all capable of producing field-position changing plays on any given snap.

Yes, even against the mighty Alabama defense.

To reach the high-20’s or even low 30’s on the scoreboard — which is probably what is needed to win what would be Alabama’s version of a wild shootout — the Ags need a big afternoon from more than one of their skill-position stars. In A&M’s last two games, the offense has produced 20 plays covering 20 yards or more (10 each against Auburn and Mississippi State).

Against LSU, that number was just four. A&M had a fair amount of 10-to-20-yard gains, which is probably more than any opponent produced against LSU. But the Ags were unable to convert nearly as many game-changers. Alabama’s defense is pretty comparable to LSU’s, but the Tide offense is much, much better. Moral of the story? The Aggie playmakers must step up in a big, big way.

The kicking game
Freshman K Taylor Bertolet has struggled and has missed five of his last eight field goal attempts. Conversely, Alabama senior Jeremy Shelley is the only kicker in the nation yet to miss an extra point or field goal. He’s hit 43 PATs and nine field goals.

Points are very hard to come by against the Crimson Tide defense, so the Aggies are likely to have at least one or two drives stall somewhere inside the scoring zone. Getting three points in those situations will be vital to staying in contention into the fourth quarter setting the stage for a dramatic victory. It’s worth noting Bertolet has nailed a couple of field goals longer than 50 yards, while Shelley’s longest field goal is just 38 yards.

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Trent Hunter's keys to an A&M victory...

Blitz recognition: If there is any weakness within Alabama’s defense, it has to be the coverage when blitzing. LSU’s quarterback Zach Mettenberger successfully threw for a season high 300 yards last week against the Crimson Tide. It wouldn’t be out of line to say the A&M run game could potentially be non-existent against Alabama. Therefore much of this football game rests on the back of Johnny Manziel and his ability to decipher schemes and execute passes against a great Nick Saban / Kirby Smart defense.

Physical play: There is no question what type of game that Alabama intends on playing in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Nick Saban intends to have two tight ends, a fullback and Eddie Lacy line up in the “I-formation” and run the ball downhill between the tackles. The Alabama defense speaks for itself, being ranked in the top five in the nation for almost two straight years.

With that said, if A&M can match Alabama’s physical play while continuing its explosiveness, then the Aggies will have a great chance of pulling off an upset of the No. 1 team in the country.

Quarterback pressure: AJ McCarron successfully pulled off a fourth quarter comeback victory against the third-ranked LSU defense last week. But prior to that series, McCarron struggled to even complete a pass.

McCarron hasn’t thrown an interception this season, mostly because he is willing to take a sack, go three-and-out and let his defense get him the ball back. This mindset could play heavily against the Tide because it has yet to face an offense with the ability of Texas A&M.

You put the ball in Manziel’s hands too many times and I would take it to Vegas that he will put up 300-plus yards on you.

...And what the Aggies must avoid

Third & long: A&M will need to win on first and second downs to keep the game manageable on third downs. Alabama does a great job on lengthy third downs of sitting in coverage and getting adequate pressure with four down linemen. Once A&M wins on initial downs, Alabama will have to dial up pressure and expose their weaknesses within the secondary.

Slow start: Much of the Aggies’ success against its best opponents started from the beginning of the game. Scoring points on the first two drives put the Aggies in a position to manage the pace of the game. Turnovers, for the most part, caused the loss against LSU and the close game with Ole Miss. Jumping out on Alabama and using that momentum the rest of the game will be a key factor in an upset in Tuscaloosa.

Adjusting to adjustments: Florida and LSU each did a great job of adjusting their defenses in the second half to stop the explosiveness of Kingsbury’s offense. Much of this success has to do with teams underestimating Manziel's speed. Once players adjust to the speed of the offense and coaches figure out a way to stop it, Kingsbury will have to go back to the drawing board himself to counter these adjustments.

I’m thankful that all I have to do is type the importance of finding a way to move the ball against Alabama and I don’t have to actually do Kingsbury’s job this week.

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Alabama depth chart

Texas A&M depth chart