Alabama football: 3 takeaways from close road win against Texas A&M

Defensive takeaways for Alabama football:

Veteran defensive coordinator Kevin Steele dared the Aggies to throw deep against the Tide defenders. Alabama’s secondary was outstanding against Texas A&M’s receivers this afternoon. Aggie’s receiver struggled to separate from Alabama’s cornerbacks. The Crimson Tide ensured A&M could not get any receiver on safety matchups against the Crimson Tide secondary.

Another factor that made it hard for Texas A&M to throw the ball was the pressure from Alabama’s front. The Crimson Tide sacked Johnson five times in the game, pressuring him twice as much. The front seven was a wall against the run, allowing 69 yards and 1.9 yards per rush attempt.

Defensive takeaways for Texas A&M:

The Aggies were outstanding against the run this afternoon, allowing only 29 rushing yards. The Aggies’ front seven pressured Milroe all game, sacking him six times. Where the defense had issues was with explosive plays. They allowed two big plays to Burton and Bond. The third quarter was critical for the Aggies defense.

Alabama made some adjustments with their blocking scheme and gave Milroe time, and he carved the A&M secondary from the pocket, resulting in two touchdown scores. Those defensive lapses cost them the game.