In a must-win game for both sides, the Alabama Crimson Tide will travel down to good ole College Station, Texas to take on the Aggies in a week seven College Football battle. While these two have shared many memories and former coaches, this game will be an all out brawl rather then a friendly get together.
After last year’s 59-0 beat down in Tuscaloosa, A&M has had a major chip on their shoulder all year long…or 59 chips.
The Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1, 2-1 SEC) has been nothing but stellar on defense this season. With the arrival of former Bears DC Mel Tucker, the secondary has gone from woeful casualty to up and coming secondary. Add in the front seven and Texas A&M offense might have some major issues coming up with points.
The Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0 SEC) is finally looking like a dominant threat in the SEC. Their offensive air raid has been almost impossible to stop with defensive coordinator John Chavis. He has turned this abysmal defense into a legit threat to contend every game. While Alabama has played strong in the SEC, this A&M offense is something that the Tide has yet to see.
Will Alabama recreate a repeat of last year? Can Texas A&M show the nation they are a legitimate contender? Let’s dive in and see who will win this years top 10 SEC game of the week.
WHAT TO KNOW
Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Place: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
TV: CBS
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network, Texas A&M Sports Network, Sirius 93, XM 191
Spread: Alabama by four
KEYS TO VICTORY: ALABAMA
>Protect Jake Coker
Myles Garrett (7.5) and Daeshon Hall (5) will be head hunting at Kyle field and Jake Coker is on the menu. While Coker has played well on the road this season, Garrett is one of the top defensive ends in the country, and will be coming off the edge harder then both Leonard Floyd or Jordan Jenkins. Cam Robinson and Alphonse Taylor will be getting their hands full Saturday with Garrett, but if they can make him a non factor in this game, Alabama should be fine on offense throughout four quarters.
> Road Jake Coker Continues
In two games on the road in Athens and Arlington, Jake Coker has looked incredibly strong. With a completion percentage of 71 percent and zero interceptions, Coker has looked calm and consistent both in and out of the pocket. While he’ll be pressured all four quarters, he has to come out early and make a statement. If he can continue to be strong on the road, it might not matter how well Chavis' defense is…Coker might just be that good.
KEYS TO VICTORY: TEXAS A&M
>Kyle Allen And Christian Kirk Duo
This entire season, the Scottsdale kids have been the entire offense of the Aggies. With four touchdowns and over 500 yards, true freshman Krik is the key reason for Aggieland to be excited for this season. Allen, who has over 1200 passing yards and 13 touchdowns will need to bring his A game on Saturday to beat the Tide. If these two continue their dominance on offense, they should be able to take over this up and coming secondary.
> Bring The Intensity
While Alabama traveled to College Station back in 2013, this game has much bigger implications on the season for both teams. While A&M will still be in the race even with one loss to Alabama, they have a shot to completely take Alabama out of the SEC Championship and Playoff contention. College Station is known as home of the 12th man due to the crowd’s atmosphere. If the 102,000 Aggie fans can keep the intensity throughout all four quarters, it might be an unfair advantage for Alabama dealing with the noise at Kyle Field.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: ALABAMA
>Cam Robinson
While not the prettiest name of the bunch, Cam Robinson will have the most important job on the offense; stopping Myles Garrett. Both sophomores and both way ahead of their projected stardom, Robinson will be pressure all game from both the inside and outside as Garrett continues to try to add on to his seven sacks on the year. Whoever wins this battle will win this game in the end, plain and simple. Robinson has only given up three sacks on the season, he can’t allow Garrett to beat him on the edge.
> Denzel Devall
With pressure coming from Garrett for the Aggies, the Crimson Tide will need to establish their own pressure on Kyle Allen. Denzel Duvall will be playing from the strong side and should defiantly see Allen throw more to his side. He will need to be making Germain Ifedi from the right side. Shutting down the running lane for Tra Carson, but also pressuring Kyle Allen will be the most important thing for this defense. Allen’s both interception has come at Kyle Field and under pressure, Duvall could make him double that with just a few hurried throws.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: TEXAS A&M
> Speedy Noil
The fastest receivers of the bunch, Noil should end up being the most looked recover due to how much double coverage the Tide should put on Christian Kirk. While Noil has only under 100 yards and a touchdown this season, his speed alone should make him a nice threat when crossing from the middle. With Krik being covered and Reynolds always being someone to maybe not the best option, Noil will be underlooked, making him perfect for scoring.
> Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams has been given the task of doing something no one has done so far this season; stop Calvin Ridley with the deep ball. It seems like this year finding Ridley deep is the best option for the Alabama offense. While last year no player was able to cover Amari Cooper, Ridley is still young and could make some freshman mistakes. If Williams can take Ridley out of the picture, Coker will lose his top target and will make mistakes.
THE X-FACTOR: ALABAMA
>Beat John Chavis
No this might not be LSU, but John Chavis has been a thorn in the side of the Crimson Tide since 2009. While he may not have led his defense to beating Alabama, he has tired Alabama so much that they seem to struggle in every game after facing him. However, Chavis has also kept Alabama to an average of 21.6 points a game since 2009. Alabama will need to score much more than 21 points to defeat this high-powered A&M offense. If Chavis and his new re-established defense can find a way to hold Alabama to a low scoring game, game over. If they can score more than the average amount of points, they will walk away the victors.
THE X-FACTOR: TEXAS A&M
> Handle The Big Game Pressure
Texas A&M has never played in a game this big since they joined the SEC. In 2012, they defeated Alabama, but the Tide still went on to win the National Championship. Last year was a down year for the Aggies while trying to find a replacement for Johnny Manziel and they went 8-4. This year however is their year. This is the strongest, most complete Aggies team that College Station has seen since coming over in 2012. That also means the Aggies have never had this high of pressure put on the team.
If they beat Alabama, they not only knock the Crimson Tide out of playoff contention, but also have a clear shot of going to Atlanta. If they lose, they then have lost the momentum before playing teams like LSU and Ole Miss. While the Midnight Yell or the luck of the 12th man will be on the side at College Station it’s plain and simple: If A&M can't handle this type of pressure, it’s an easy win for Alabama.
PREDICTION
