Texas A&M football drew the short straw of SEC teams attempting to scrape out a pseudo bye-week as they take on surprising 9-1 UAB.
It has been an up-and-down season for Jimbo Fisher in his debut season in College Station, but a strong finish to 2018 would allow the season to be remembered fondly. An upset loss to UAB this late in the year, however, would be a gut-punch.
The majority of the SEC has pseudo bye-weeks in Week 12, with most looking to work out kinks ahead of rivalry weekend. The Aggies drew the short straw, unaware when they scheduled the game that UAB would be one of the top teams from the group-of-five.
The Blazers are just in the second season of their return to football after the program shutdown for two seasons. Bill Clark has picked up the pieces, and lifted UAB from the ashes. The Blazers were one of college football’s biggest surprises last season, winning eight games when most expected they would be one of the worst teams in the FBS.
Clark has gone one step further this season, leading them to a 9-1 record and clinching the C-USA West title. UAB has only made two bowl games in the history of the program, and Clark has them set for their second consecutive postseason berth.
The only thing left for UAB to do is to hang a power-five skin on the wall, and they’ll get the opportunity to do so in College Station on Saturday night.
It would be easy for Texas A&M to already be peeking ahead to next week’s game with No. 7 LSU, but that would be a dangerous proposition against a UAB squad that’s itching for an upset.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday night’s game between the Aggies and Blazers:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 17
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: College Station, Texas
Venue: Kyle Field
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Can UAB’s senior quarterback A.J. Erdely hit enough passes down the field to keep the Texas A&M defensive front honest? The Aggies have struggled mightily against the pass this season, ranking 104th in the country in pass defense. They’ve been elite against the run, however, ranking behind only Michigan State in giving up 80 yards per game. UAB’s offense is centered around RB Spencer Brown, but he’ll find the going tough against Daylon Mack and company unless Erdely can hit some throws to soften them up.
One of Texas A&M’s biggest problems this season has been turnovers. Only five teams have a worse turnover margin than the Aggies, none of which have a winning record. If Kellen Mond and company can’t take care of the football, then UAB might be able to take advantage and stay competitive in this game. If you let a Group of Five team like the Blazers hang around for long enough, they start to believe that they can win; worse yet, you start to believe that you might lose.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Texas A&M -17
Over/Under: 45.5
Prediction
UAB is going to find the going tough on both lines of scrimmage. Obviously, Texas A&M boasts one of the nation’s stingiest run defenses, but the Aggies also have one of the nation’s best running backs in Trayveon Williams. UAB ranks third in total defense, but Williams and company present the most ardent challenge to date for the resurgent Blazers. If Texas A&M doesn’t lace them up and prepare for a fight, this game could end up being too close for comfort by the time the fourth quarter rolls around. I have a hard time seeing UAB producing much offensive success in this game, though, so look for the Aggies to pull away in the second half.
Final Score: Texas A&M 31, UAB 10