Bama Survives Texas A&M Upset bid, 24-20
This trio of Bama pass rushers were in the Aggie backfield all night. Photo via TG Paschal, BamaCentral
For those Alabama fans that were around during the Gene Stallings era in the 90’s, Saturday's sloppy victory over a determined Texas A&M squad was a reminder of a by-gone era in Tide history. Oh, how each Saturday during the “Bebes” era brought a wide range of emotions to Tide fans. Heck, a score such as 24-20 back then was considered to be a high scoring affair. Those days saw Alabama tread carefully on offense as they usually would end up eking out a victory, only after, of course, a failed attempt by the Tide to make one crucial final first down late in the game to seal the win. The Bama defense would usually have to rely on a late stop to preserve the victory. Saturday’s game against A&M was almost a match for another Bama nailbiter, a 17-13 victory in 1995 over Peyton Manning’s Tennessee Volunteers that also ended with an opponent failing to score in the final few seconds inside the 5 yard line.
Despite four turnovers from a usually explosive offense, two missed field goals from one of the most reliable kickers in the country, and a litany of penalties from the team wearing Crimson, Alabama survived a valiant upset bid from Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies and beat Texas A&M 24-20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It was a sloppy, at times ugly contest that saw Alabama’s unbeaten season hanging in the balance. On numerous occasions, the Tide had a chance to seal the victory, but time and time again, miscues and uneven play kept the Aggies in the game, culminating in a chance to win with the ball on the Bama 2 yard line with 3 seconds left to play. A&M quarterback Hynes King, who played a strong game, drove the Aggies into a position to pull off the upset but his pass as time expired to freshman wideout Evan Stewart sailed incomplete, preserving the Tide victory.
Behind redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe, who was making his first start in relief of injured Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, had a tough evening for the Tide as he completed 12 of 19 passes for 111 yards. He did throw three touchdown passes, but was picked off once and fumbled twice, resulting in 14 Aggie points. The rookie quarterback did run for 83 yards, but struggled to keep the Bama offense on the field. The Tide converted only 5 of 14 3rd down opportunities and failed to convert on several key chances late in the game. Bill O’Brien’s play calling once again has come under scrutiny, highlighted by a key 3rd and 2 in the 3rd quarter from the Aggie 20 yard line where instead of relying on a solid ground game which gained an impressive 288 yards on the day, called a drop back pass that resulted in an A&M sack and a 12 yard loss. In the next play, reliable Will Reichard would miss a 47 yard field goal. If it hadn’t been for a terrific effort from the Bama front seven, who pressured King all night, the Tide would have met defeat. Sophomore linebacker Dallas Turner had his best game of the 2022 season, recording two of the Tide’s three sacks on the evening.
After a scoreless first quarter, Bama got on the board on its fourth possession, driving 71 yards in 8 plays culminating in a nice Milroe to Cameron Latu 10 yard strike. After an Aggie three and out, Milroe held onto the ball too long in the pocket and was stripped from behind by Fadil Diggs, giving the ball to A&M on the Bama 30. King took advantage of the short field and finished off the drive with a 5 yard touchdown pass to Moose Muhammad III to even the score at 7. Bama would respond with a 3 play, 75 yard drive that ended with a Milroe to Jermaine Burton 35 yard touchdown on a slant that put the Tide up 14-7. After an Aggie three and out, Diggs caused another Milroe fumble that led to a 4 play, 49 yard drive that ended with another King touchdown pass, a nifty three yard throwback to a wide open Donovan Green to knot the score at 14 with 2:12 to go in the half. The teams traded interceptions and Bama’s Reichard hit a 50 yard field goal at the :12 mark that sent the Tide into half leading 17-14. The Crimson Tide opened the second half marching 75 yards in 4 plays to take a 24-14 lead on a Milroe to Ja’Corey Brooks 29 yard strike at the 13:03 point of the third quarter. That would conclude the scoring for the Alabama offense. Bama had several opportunities to put the game away in the second half, however a Jace McClellan fumble killed a promising 4th quarter drive and two missed field goals from Will Reichard kept hope alive for the Aggies all the way until the clock ran out.
Haynes King deserves a ton of credit. After losing his starting job to Max Johnson and being inserted again as the starter after Johnson’s season ended last week against Mississippi State with a broken hand, the sophomore battled constant pressure from the Bama front seven and ended the game on a hobbled leg. Yet, King fought hard and put his team in a position to win the game. Had it not been for a stout and resilient Tide defense, he might have pulled off the upset. King would lead the Aggie offense to a pair of Randy Bond field goals in the second half, with the last one coming from 46 yards with 3:32 to play. True to Stallings era form, after Bond’s final field goal, Milroe and company would go three and out and punt the ball back to A&M with 1:45 remaining in the contest. Starting on his own 29 yard line and with no time outs, King engineered a 10 play, 69 yard drive that ended with the incomplete pass on the goal line as time expired. On the drive, it appeared that King threw an interception on 3rd and 1 from his own 38, yet the ball slipped through a Tide defender’s hands and into Stewart’s for a 23 yard gain to the Bama 37 with 45 seconds to play. A Bama holding call added to the drama, advancing the ball to the Tide 27 before King hit Muhammad on a 3rd and 10 to advance the Aggies to the Tide 15 with :23 remaining. It looked like the Tide ended the game on an interception in the end zone, yet safety Brian Branch was called for a hold against a slot receiver, which advanced the ball to the 2 yard line with :03 left to play. King’s last pass was out of the reach of Stewart and the game, sloppy but thrilling, ended.
Despite the loss, King played well, going 25 for 46, 253 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. The Bama defense wore down at the end of the game, however they kept standout running back Devon Achane under wraps, limiting him to 62 yards on 16 carries. Stewart hauled in 8 passes for 106 yards, giving the Aggie faithful a lot to look forward to. For Alabama, Jahmyr Gibbs had another monster game on the ground, gaining 154 yards on 21 carries. Jermaine Burton led the way for the Tide in the air, catching 3 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
It was obvious throughout the game that Milroe has terrific talent, but was uncomfortable in the pocket. The young Aggie defense did a solid job applying pressure to the redshirt freshman, as Milroe constantly dropped back and after quickly surveying the field, bailed and settled for the run all evening. Milroe is a talented athlete and with experience can become a Blake Sims type star for the Tide, yet in the immediate future, it is clear that Bama needs Bryce Young to achieve its goals for the season. Word has it that Bryce wanted to enter the game in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, however the Tide staff made a smart move by keeping him out. With a trip to Tennessee looming, a team that possesses a potent offense that will put up points against anybody, the Tide needs Young and his passing ability to stay with the Vols and Heisman Trophy candidate Hendon Hooker, who has been shredding defenses throughout his two year career in Knoxville.
With the win, Alabama improved to 6-0 and 3-0 in the conference. A&M dropped to 3-3 on the year and essentially is eliminated from West Division title consideration at 1-2 in the conference. The Tide held on to the top spot in the coach’s poll but slipped to #3 in the AP.