Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo MESPORTS SOUTH
Follow her on Twitter @Misskyus2011
TUSCALOOSA,AL– If you thought the return of the SEC in Week 4 of college football was like a Stone Cold Stunner then brace yourselves because I am pretty sure Week 5 is fixing to get really good as the #13 Fighting Texas A&M Aggies look to roll on the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide to heat up the SEC West and shake up an already unusually CFP picture on the road. What team is going lights out in TTown?
Game Notes
2:30 CT, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL on CBS
Alabama -17 Over / Under :51.5
GRIDIRON SNAPSHOT
#13 Texas A&M:
After three seasons of buying into the Jimbo Fisher experience, you can be sure that down in College Station plenty of the Aggie faithful think it’s about time that their ball coach earn his keep with tangible W’s in the SEC that stick. The Aggies have the components to be a pretty damn good football team but just seem to fall short down the stretch. Are we overrating the roughness and toughness of the Aggies? I mean they have a third-year vet QB and dangerously explosive defense what is missing to put them in the race? As much as I want to buy in that Texas A&M has finally arrived it sure as hell didn’t seem like they all made the bus in their debut against Vandy. But then again this not the same season by this time if it wasn’t 2020 I think we would have not seen all the mistakes made in their 17-12 getting by a win against the Commodores. With a limited 10 straight SEC only schedule, you can’t be fumbling, have bad field placement, and lack efficiency beyond game one or even game two if you have a chance down the stretch. Facing the Crimson this week and then the Gators the following week is going to really see just what this team is made of. They’re going to have to get moving especially with that offense Saturday in Tuscaloosa to have a chance to challenge that Built By Bama toughness.
#2 Alabama
The Tide may have rolled by the Tigers 38-19 and had a dominating lead at the half of 28-3 on the road. However, Nicky Saban wasn’t too happy about his ball club coasting and not finishing the game in the second half. The Tide increased their lead 35- 3 with a few minutes to go in the third. While we saw a substantial number of young players get some reps as far as producing the Tide was a bit lackluster than usual. Alabama only would add 3 more points and 99 yards of offense to close the game. While Mizzou managed to produce an additional 209 yards and score 16 points in 16 minutes in the final quarter. Now that they have dusted off their game look for them to have no mercy when it comes to bringing the intensity in the home opener Saturday in Tuscaloosa.A good call to see Saban let a stack of the youngins get those rep in and bring some balance this could be one of the x-factors in the weeks ahead to make Bama do Bama things! Did I mention that the next four opponents Saban will face are all former assistant coaches to Saban, could one of these underdogs break the streak?
Lights Out
Texas A&M
Clean It Up
The Ags may have pulled out a hat trick with that win but it was sloppy as hell there is no sugar coating that. Three turnovers, eight pentalties, and five fumbles in a game just aren’t going to cut it from here on out. Let’s hope they just had a case of the somethings.
They have so many game-changers on their offense and if they can finally get that train going well you might just be able to blind the boys of Alabama. They really are going to need to utilize Monds’s ability not just in the air but especially on the ground because anyone who can score 18 runs on his own legs is one heck of an asset. So tighten up those belts Aggies and get to it because efficiency and details will put you over the edge. Oh and one more thing control that clock!
ALABAMA
Slowdown the Aggie Rushing Attack
TAMU heads into Saturday’s match-up with the second-best rushing offense in the SEC after their debut weekend. Led by Veteran Dual Threat QB Kellen Mond and loaded backfield with Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith the tide won’t just be able to roll over the Aggies so easy. The Aggies will run a three-headed rushing attack just like Mizzou but they definitely will bring more heat to the kitchen in Tuscaloosa that is going to make the Tide defensively be a step ahead even with the stout defensive debut against the Tigers in Week 4.
This will be an interesting showdown and has the potential to be closer than we think if the right pieces fall into places for the Aggies. Like I said the third year could be a charm and it is 2020 so you never know what will be brewing. You can be sure the spirit of The Bear will be front and center for this one. Plain and simple it comes down to control and command. There’s not going to be time to catch up in this one.
I think we will see a more intense and dangerous Aggie ball club against Alabama. However, you know Alabama is not going to let Nicky Saban lecture them twice on not finishing to mention Mac Jones dishing out that running game, even more, this next go around since they have got back in the groove. Alabama is going to play a more balanced ball game and these days that is essential. The days of just having an elite defense or an elite offense to win you a game in the SEC is a distant memory. Alabama edges out the Aggies 34- 26 in Tuscaloosa in Week 5.