The Texas A&M Aggies prepare for their biggest game of the season this Saturday, October 22nd in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The contest will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on the CBS Network. The Crimson Tide enter this SEC battle as -18.5 point favorites and the total is at 58.5 points.
Saturday’s contest between arguably the two best teams in the South Eastern Conference will go down at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Both the Crimson Tide and the Aggies enter the game undefeated. Consequently, a place in the College Football Playoffs could be at stake.
In last year’s match-up at Kyle Field, Alabama tail back Derrick Henry rushed for a career-high 236 yards and two scores. Freshman defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick also returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns as the #10 Crimson Tide beat-down the #9 Texas A&M Aggies 41-23.
#6 Texas A&M (6-0):
Texas A&M got to enjoy a week off after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers in overtime the previous Saturday. In that game, quarterback Trevor Knight wasn’t at his best. The signal-caller only completed 50 percent of his passes for just over 230 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. For the season, he has 1,500 yards passing with nine touchdowns and five picks.
The Aggies prefer to run the football out of the back filed by committee. Three players share the carries, resulting in almost 1,450 yards on almost 200 carries and 17 scores.
Trayveon Williams leads this trio with a little over 700 yards and five touchdowns. Impressively, quarterback Trevor knight has accounted for a team-high nine touchdowns on the ground.
Josh Reynolds and Christian Kirk are the two receivers that the Aggie rifleman likes to get the ball to via the air. Together, they have reeled in 65 catches for 740 yards and added another eight touchdowns to the mix.
Texas A&M’s defense centers around defensive end Myles Garrett, who can disrupt an offense all on his own. With him healthy, the Aggies bend but don’t break defense is 22nd in the country, allowing only 19.2 points a contest. Unfortunately, the Aggies have had their fits stopping the run. A&M ranks 69th in the nation giving way to almost 170 yards a contest.
#1 Alabama (7-0):
Once again, the strength of the Crimson Tide rests with their offensive line. Alabama combined for 438 yards over the ground, while routing the Volunteers last weekend. The Tide will try to mimic that performance against a suspect Aggie front seven.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is doing just fine, filling in as the focal point of Alabama’s offense. Especially when running the ball, and he showed that in Tennessee, running for 132 yards on just 12 carries and three trips to glory.
In all, the freshman has passed for almost 1,400 yards and rushed for another 428. He also has thrown nine touchdowns with only three picks, and scored with his feet another eight times.
Three Crimson Tide tail backs handle the running duties for Nick Saban. Put together, they have amassed almost 1,200 yards on close to 160 carries and nine scores. Obviously, the addition of Jalen Hurt’s numbers make the Crimson Tide a force to be reckoned with in the SEC.
Two Alabama receivers are moving the chains for Lane Kiffen’s offense in 2016. ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley have totaled almost 850 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. Tight end O.J. Howard is starting to heat-up, the big pass catcher has tallied 14 balls for over 200 yards and a score.
It’s official, Alabama’s defense has reloaded and are as advertised this season. Running the ball against this front seven has proven to be fruitless for opposing schools. The Crimson Tide are number one in the nation against the run, giving up only 64 yards a match. Also, the back-end is holding up to their end of the bargain so as a whole they are 5th in the country in total defense (274.7 yards a game).
Trends and Notes:
The Aggies are 8-19 ATS in their last 27 conference games.
The Crimson Tide are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
The Under is 8-2-1 in Aggies last 11 games overall.
The Over is 4-1 in the Crimson Tide last 5 conference games.
Game Prediction:
The Aggies have surpassed their pre-season expectations this year with their 6-0 start. They also field a much improved defense in John Chavis’ second season in College Station. Trevor Knight fits nicely into coach Kevin Sumlin’s offense and putting points on the board hasn’t been a big problem.
The Crimson Tide are clicking on all cylinders and this just might be the most talented group of players that Nick Saban has assembled. Jalen Hurts guides an offense that makes big plays when needed and can run the ball down your throat for four quarters. Furthermore, the Bama’ defense has found away to score in every game.
The -18.5 point spread is pretty gaudy considering the Tide are squaring-off against an undefeated Aggie outfit. The 58.5 total is another tough pick because both defenses have talent and can pressure the opposing man-under-center.
All that being said, Alabama’s ability to put up points in all facets of the game has to considered, as well as the fact that Trevor Knight has enough talent around him to score a little themselves.
The brain child at Get More Sports thinks it might be too risky at this point to think dog against a solid team like the Crimson Tide at home. Instead, place your greenbacks on the total production of both teams that will be taking the field on Saturday. Place your bet on the over 58.5, Alabama is probably good for 38 of it.
