Can Alabama football fend off highly-touted Texas A&M team?

Alabama football comes into Week 2 off a dominant win over Missouri. With Texas A&M coming to town, will it be able to adjust to a step up in competition?

One of the newer SEC matchups takes center stage this Saturday, as Texas A&M travels to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. Alabama has taken care of business against the Aggies going 9-2 against them overall.  Alabama has won the last seven meetings by a combined score of 301-149.

This is also a battle of former colleagues, as Jimbo Fisher was an assistant coach for Nick Saban during his time at LSU. Saban coaches very well against former assistants, and is 3-0 head-to-head against Jimbo.

Alabama comes home off a dominant 38-19 win over Missouri. They dominated on all sides of the ball and showed that dethroning them won’t come easy. Mac Jones was efficient and was able to get big plays after the catch from the best receiver duo in the nation. Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith combined for 16 receptions, 223 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant effort by both players.

Bama’s defense stifled the Missouri offense for the first three quarters until allowing a couple of garbage time touchdowns. Dylan Moses looks to continue to build momentum in his return year and lead this Alabama defense to being a top unit in the SEC.

For the Aggies, it was a completely different picture home against Vanderbilt. The defense played very well in the second half of this game. They held Vanderbilt’s offense to just 24 yards of offense after building a 14-5 lead. They were also able to muster up two sacks and two interceptions.

The offense on the other hand was disappointing. Three lost fumbles (two inside Vanderbilt territory) almost doomed the Aggies. The rushing attack was very good and may be the phase to lean on against Alabama.

Isaiah Spiller picked up 117 yards on just 8 carries, while Ainias Smith tacked on 51 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Texas A&M has been a highly touted team going into 2020, and this game against Alabama will be their chance to show what they are truly about.

Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s Texas A&M-Alabama matchup.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live, CBS Sports App

Betting Odds

Courtesy of The Action Network

Spread: Alabama -17.5
O/U: 52.5

Keys to Victory

Texas A&M 

• Get physical with the Alabama receivers
• Control the clock
• Have a diverse running attack

Alabama

• Get Waddle and Smith the ball in open space
• Take advantage of Aggies’ fumble issues
• Incorporate Najee Harris into the passing game

Prediction:

Texas A&M looked out of sorts last week despite holding onto the lead late. They simply cannot bring the same level of play into Tuscaloosa and expect to compete. I do think an advantage they bring is having Kellen Mond who is experienced and knows the challenge ahead.

But when it comes down to it, Alabama is a better all around team.  I like Alabama to run away with this game late due to an explosive offense and a gritty defensive effort.

Final Score: Texas A&M 17, Alabama 38