COLLEGE STATION – On a day when one of the Southeastern Conference’s contenders for the College Football Playoff suffered its first loss, No. 1 Alabama again proved that it quite likely will again be in the final four.
Texas A&M, the team it beat, showed that there’s a lot more “if” than “when” it will reach the CFP promised land.
Facing a No. 1 team for the second time this season and a third team ranked in the top 10, Texas A&M fell even shorter Saturday. After losing to Clemson and Auburn by a total of 22 points, the Crimson Tide rolled to a methodical 47-28 victory.
Halfway through Year Two of the Jimbo Fisher Era, the Aggies are 3-3 and will drop out of the Top 25. Following last season’s 9-4 record and with expectations that it could be a contender in the SEC West, A&M is on the treadmill to mediocrity – lots of sweat and effort, but no progress.
“The leaders on this team needs to make sure we stay together,” linebacker Buddy Johnson said. “We’ve got to keep playing and improving. We’ve got a lot of the season ahead of us.”
Well, he’s half right.
“We’re halfway through the season,” said Fisher, whose team travels to Ole Miss next Saturday. “Now it’s on to the next class. We’ll see where we are.”
Thus far, what was regarded before the season as the nation’s toughest schedule has been too much for a team and a program that is still under construction. The Aggies will do well to win four of its last six (considering two of those games are at LSU and at Georgia.)
But at least the Bulldogs provided some hope, being upset at home by South Carolina. Still, what A&M has done thus far is tease, not please.
The Aggies were sluggish in the first half of losses to Clemson and Auburn. Against the Tide, they started with a methodical, clock-eating drive that covered 75 yards in 15 plays for a 7-0 lead and drained half of the first-quarter clock.
Alabama is the most-explosive offensive team outside of Oklahoma and LSU. The best way to stay in the game against those teams is to control the ball, Bill Snyder style. But as Mike Tyson famously said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
The Tide quickly answered. On their fifth offensive play, they faced a third-and-six at their own 45. The crowd of 106,749 (a record for renovated Kyle Field) was in full throat, with white towels twirling. Unfortunately for Aggies fans, Alabama’s quarterback is Tua Tagovailoa, who is masterfully in charge of a sublimely designed offense.
He completed a pass to Jerry Jeudy for seven yards to move the chains. The volume went from 11 to 9. Five players later, facing a third-and-seven at the A&M 31, Tagovailoa completed a short hitch pass to Jaylen Waddle – the most inaccurately named player in college football – who flashed through the Aggies for a touchdown.
The Aggies failed to answer, going three and out. Alabama then needed just four plays to take a 14-7 lead as Tagovailoa connected with DeVonta Smith for 47-yard score. It wasn’t a full mute button, but the noise level dropped considerably.
That sequence was a game-long pattern. A&M had four three-and-outs in a game where keeping pace on the scoreboard was paramount. Alabama four times turned third downs into touchdowns and the Tide converted eight of 13 third downs.
“That was very frustrating,” defensive lineman Justin Madubuike said. “We take pride in getting off the field in those situations.”
Tagovailoa became Alabama’s career passing touchdowns leader and also threw his first pick of the season. He passed for four TDs. But those just looking at his numbers – 21-of-34 for 293 yards – won’t be impressed. More notable is that he was completely cool and in charge, throwing enough dimes that his elusive-as-smoke receivers could YAC (yards after catch) as fast as Fisher talks.
“They’ve got erasers, that’s what I call them,” Fisher said of the Tide’s receivers – Jeudy, Waddle, Smith and Henry Ruggs III. “Those are catch and run guys who can make big plays. We had too many missed tackles. They had too many YAC yards.”
Based on final statistics, this should have been an even, one-score game. Alabama had an edge in total yardage (448-389) but first downs were nearly even (Alabama, 25-24), turnovers were even at one each and the time of possession was basically equal.
The difference was in the “hidden yards” of special teams. Alabama had 311 yards in punt kickoff returns – five punts for 152 yards and five kickoff returns for 159 yards. That provided the Crimson Tide with a huge edge in field position. The Aggies never started a drive outside their own 25. Alabama started five drives inside A&M territory and its worst starting field position was its own 26. Bama also blocked a Braden Mann punt for its final TD and a 27-point lead.
Fisher wouldn’t blame special teams for the loss. But ineffective special teams combined with a puny rushing attack. Again, the running backs failed to produce. Isaiah Spiller and Jacob Kibodi gained 35 yards on 12 carries. Mond was the leading rusher, carrying 16 times for 90 yards (he was sacked five times for 16 yards).
“They took advantage of all three phases, they kept winning field position, that’s why they’re No. 1,” Fisher said. “We played hard and at times very well, we had opportunities to get back in the game, but we could never get over the hump. Against good teams, you can’t ‘just get by.’ It was a two-score game going into the fourth quarter, so we had a chance.”
Even with cooler temperatures, it was a snowball’s chance in … well, you know.
As was written after the closer-than-expected victory over Arkansas, https://www.pressboxdfw.com/its-mond-or-bust-for-issue-ridden-aggies/ A&M’s won-loss record will be determined by how well Mond performs. He and the passing game remain the team’s best offensive weapon, but when other aspects of the game fall short (as was exhibited Saturday), beating a team like Alabama is an impossibility.
The brightest spot for the Aggies was that Mond, though hobbling through the second half, survived and avoided a serious injury. The other bright spot for Gig ‘Em fans was that Texas University also lost.
