Every game is a must-win for the Alabama Crimson Tide if they want to get to the College Football Playoffs which puts even more pressure on their rivalry-game against Texas A&M. Since joining the SEC, the Aggies and Tide have split their two games while creating a new rivalry in the division. The Tide have looked lackluster as of late while the Aggies are fresh off a loss to Mississippi, so which teams puts everything together for the win.
Alabama started their year on fire, winning their first four games by a combined 168-56 margin. Then the wheels came off. They lost to Ole Miss 23-17 while barely escaping Arkansas 14-13. They were outscored 20-3 in the second half last week, only getting saved by a touchdown pass to DeAndrew White in the fourth quarter.
The issue for Alabama is simple mistakes and penalties. The Tide have just 311.5 yards of offense in the past two games after having 594.3 in the first four. This is the first time since 2007, they have failed to score more than 17 points a game. Four fumbles on special teams will help cause that along with penalties in the red zone make first-and-goal turn into 1-and-20. They cannot afford that against a top-ten offense like Texas A&M.
The Aggies are at risk of losing three straight games. They fell to Mississippi State and then to Ole Miss while their offense stalls out. Kenny Hill led the nation with a 175.9 passer rating in five games with 17 touchdowns. However, he has thrown five interceptions in the past two games. They will still be a test for the Alabama defense. They held the top offense of West Virginia to just 393 yards of offense and look to do the same Saturday.
The last game between these two teams was an offensive showdown between AJ McCarron and Johnny Manziel while the Tide won 49-42. TJ Yeldon accounted for 149 yards on 25 rushes.