After surviving their first SEC road game of the season, beating Arkansas 49-26, Alabama will return back home to Bryant-Denny Stadium in a revenge game against the Texas A&M Aggies, the only team to beat the Crimson Tide in the regular season last year.
In the preseason, this game was marked on everyone’s calendar as a must-see game between two feuding coaches and two top 10 teams. With Texas A&M coming into the contest already having two losses on the season, this game has lost some hype. On paper, this game looks like Alabama should dominate, but we could have said the same thing before the Aggies upset Alabama last year.
Here are five things to watch for Saturday:
Quarterbacks
Both Alabama’s Bryce Young and Texas A&M’s Max Johnson left last week’s games early. Young is listed as a game-time decision, and Johnson is ruled out of Saturday’s contest. Jalen Milroe came in for Young and maybe wasn’t the most accurate with his passes but was electric in the run game. If Young is not able to play, look for Milroe to take control of the game with his legs and not his arm.
Devon Achane
Devon Achane is Texas A&M’s version of Jahmyr Gibbs for Alabama. Achane is a weapon in the run game, passing game and kick return game. In an offense that ranks dead last in the SEC, Achane is the only positive thing going for Texas A&M. He is third in the SEC in rushing yards with 466 and also leads the SEC in kick return yards. If the Tide can contain Achane, it would seem nearly impossible for the Aggies to put up enough points to keep this game close.
Offensive Line
Last week, thanks to an impressive performance from the offensive line, Alabama rushed for a season-high 317 yards and only allowed one sack. Week after week this offensive line continues to grow and improve, and the numbers show it. The Crimson Tide has only allowed 5 sacks this season, which ranks them 20th in the nation, and have recorded 1,257 rushing yards to put them fifth in the nation in this category. This week if Young doesn’t play, the offensive line will be leaned on heavily to open up holes in the run game.
Kool-Aid McKinstry
So far this season, Kool-Aid McKinstry has performed well in the secondary for Alabama and has solidified himself as the Tide’s number one corner. Judging by the praise he gets from Coach Saban anytime his name is mentioned, he might be Saban’s favorite player on this defense outside of Will Anderson, Jr. Not only has McKinstry been dominant in the secondary, but he has also been a real game changer as a punt returner, leading the nation in punt return yards with 321. With how bad the offense for Texas A&M has been, McKinstry should get plenty of opportunities to finally get the return touchdown he has been so close to getting each week.
Penalties
Last week against Arkansas, Alabama once again had way too many penalties, 10 to be exact, totaling 101 yards. So far this season, Alabama has committed 43 penalties putting them 122nd nationally out of 131 teams. This is absolutely embarrassing out of a Nick Saban-coached team, and something has to be done to correct this, because while this team is very good, those mistakes will eventually catch up to them when they face stiffer competition.
Saturday, Alabama will hope to get their revenge on Texas A&M and stay healthy going into the “Third Saturday in October,” where they will travel to Knoxville to face a top 10-ranked Tennessee team.
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