Happy Friday, everyone. As you well know, Alabama plays at Texas A&M tomorrow night. As of this writing, the consensus line stood at Alabama -18.5 per Vegas Insider. Your previews:
34:27 a game. That’s the average time the 2018 Aggies were able to keep the ball – they were 3rd in the nation in time of possession.
The 2019 team finished 11th, keeping control for 33:06 a game. Last year? No. 3, holding it for almost 35 minutes a game.
That’s it. That’s what A&M can do when things are working.
This season?
30:22 a game. That’s not bad, but it had control for fewer than 25 minutes in the loss to Mississippi State. This year’s team just can’t pound away with the ground attack like it needs to, and it certainly won’t find it again against Alabama.
By the way, Alabama is third in the SEC in time of possession, keeping the ball for close to 32 minutes a game.
Alabama 31, Texas A&M 13
Not many people expected a spread this big before the season started. Now that the game is here and we’ve seen what these two teams are made of, it’s clear that it isn’t big enough. Texas A&M can’t run the football which has made its passing game as painful as a toothache. Alabama is going to exploit that for a full four quarters and win this one by at least 20. Pick: Alabama (-17.5)
So much is dependent on Isaiah Spiller and the ground game for Texas A&M to be successful in this matchup. That’s a problem considering all of the holes the team has on the offensive front. Alabama will bully them in the trenches by shutting down the run game and forcing Calzada to win with his arm. It’s a recipe for disaster for an Aggies team already coming off back-to-back losses.
Sure, the Aggies’ defense is actually a solid unit, but they haven’t faced an offense anywhere near the talent level as this Alabama team they’ll see on Saturday. Bryce Young is slippery in the pocket and he’s hitting receivers in stride downfield like he’s been starting at this level for years. If you’re not an Alabama fan, it’s your worst nightmare.
It’ll be Fisher’s worst nightmare on Saturday when the Tide rolls to another blowout. I’m laying the points.
Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide (-17.5)
The Aggies are quickly becoming the most disappointing team in the country; Tide has won eight straight meetings since being Manziel’ed in 2012 ... ALABAMA 34-13.
As a BAS sufferer so eloquently stated in last week’s meltdown, this offense couldn’t score in a whorehouse with Jimbo’s paycheck. The defense is game enough to piss off Alabama fans who think the team should never punt at some point during the festivities, but in the end this thing isn’t going to be close. Take the under as one team isn’t capable of scoring and the other will be content to grind it out. Call it Alabama 34, Texas A&M 10.
Of course, that is merely my opinion. Vote and give us yours in the comments.
Poll
What will be the result of Alabama at Texas A&M?
This poll is closed
-
70%
Jimbo’s fishin’ for answers, Alabama covers 18.5
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20%
Aggies keep it somewhat close, Alabama by 10-18
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2%
Too close for comfort, Alabama by 1-9
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5%
Aggies pull the upset (LOL)
Alabama is mostly playing against itself this season, and according to Saban they unfortunately aren’t always winning.
— Nick Saban, asked by media guest Lauren Sisler from AL.com about how he’s doing: “I think we’re doing OK.” He said Alabama plays well when motivated but seems to have trouble maintaining intensity, whether it’s in games or practices. He told players this week they need to have a “cue” when they lose intensity and “then you got to pick yourself up.” He said snipers are trained by staying awake for 24 hours before they need to perform their tasks, and need to have a “cue” to bring themselves back in focus.
— Saban on Texas A&M: “I think this is a dangerous team. I think this is a little bit of a trap game for us.” He said Alabama played an “emotional” game against Ole Miss and Texas A&M is coming off two losses. Saban added the Aggies’ QB Zach Calzada is trying to get up to speed after an injury to starter Haynes King but the rest of the team is as good as anyone in the country.
Hopefully the message gets through and they play to their full potential.
Even Cecil is looking ahead.
Tennessee is improving but has to come to Tuscaloosa. Who knows what is happening at LSU? Anything’s possible, but the note is about to come due on Ed Orgeron’s wild-man rant after LSU’s 2019 win.
Then there is Arkansas, exposed by Georgia, and Auburn, the Magical Mystery Team of the moment.
Lying beyond that, though, is a topic that is already getting national attention. So far, no test pilot has been brave enough to fly the package into Saban’s airspace – and none will be for some time, Which noble Zoom-call hero will that be? Will he or she be prepared for the harvest when asking the question that many people are already thinking?
“Coach, how would you feel about playing Georgia twice?”
Yes, please someone ask that with cameras rolling. Please.
Good Bull Hunting, SB Nation’s Aggies site, has a hilarious ten keys post for you.
Let the grass grow long at Kyle
You’ve probably heard of teams not cutting the grass to try and negate the other team’s speed advantage. That’s not what I’m talking about. What I have in mind is much more extreme. I want African savannah length grass. I want grass like where the Raptors took everyone out in Jurassic Park: The Lost World. Bama players won’t just get slowed by it, they’ll get lost in it. They’ll run right into DeMarvin Leal wearing a ghillie suit. Some of them won’t even be accounted for until early Sunday morning.
Last, yesterday was just a random Thursday but the world of professional sports managed to produce two extraordinarily rare plays.
First, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena did this.
RANDY STOLE HOME!! pic.twitter.com/W9AlOBolps
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 8, 2021
Awesome.
Then, I thought I knew the football rule book pretty well but learned something last night: double punts exist, and they are legal.
Michael Dickson’s punt is blocked, so he picks it up and punts it again pic.twitter.com/bgOAcud1Yx
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) October 8, 2021
Even longtime official Mike Pereira, who was on the broadcast, thought it was illegal. I don’t understand the logic behind this. You can’t pass the ball again when it is batted down. Why should you be able to kick it again? It seems kind of bizarre, but since possession doesn’t change until the scrimmage kick crosses the line of scrimmage, another kick is allowable in this instance.
That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.
Roll Tide.