Dave in Tuscaloosa: Just another day at work for the Tide
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Photo: Alabama Athletics
No Tua? No Ruggs or Jeudy? For Alabama, apparently no problem. Take a team used to reloading blue chips with blue chips year after year and throw in a third receiver from the land of silky flowing cold brew, ice hockey, and lacrosse, and the end result is yet another blowout of a quality opponent. This is getting a little old, isn’t it?
Alabama’s 52-24 dismantling of the Aggies from Texas A&M was more of the same, as the college football world and the SEC West brace for yet another run to the playoffs from the boys in crimson and white. For Bama fans, new quarterback Mac Jones’ 4 touchdown, 435 yard performance continues to ease the pain of losing program legend Tua Tagovailoa to the Miami Dolphins. Mac is proving to be much more than a game manager through two games this season, showing tremendous pocket presence and displaying a sweet touch on his passes that reminds Tide fans of that Tua guy. His top two receivers, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, continue to dazzle with their ability to get behind an opponent's secondary as well as make tremendous catches. And to add insult to opponents injury, enter third receiver John Metchie, the sophomore Canadian who apparently never got the memo that Bama’s receiving core was a two man gig. Metchie ended Saturday afternoon with a mere 181 receiving yards on 5 catches for 2 touchdowns. In the words of our old friend, Uncle Verne Lundquist, ”my goodness.”
This one was particularly frustrating for the Aggie faithful, as the fervent and dedicated fanbase has to be growing weary of thinking that this year might be the one...that coach Jimbo Fisher’s $75 million dollar contract will eventually pay off with championship rings and ticker tape parades...and that a huge win over a team that Aggies are not supposed to beat is right around the corner, correct? Added bonus? Get a win on the road against the program considered the standard of college football...beat the king, and beat him badly...and remind the guy from Canada that he should be donning skates rather than cleats.
But none of that happened on Saturday, and the difference of this game comes down to a truth that stretches across every sport at every level...you’ve got to make plays. And year in and year out, as displayed yesterday, Alabama tends to be the team that makes more plays than their opponents. Case in point: After the Tide sprinted to a 14-0 lead early in the 1st quarter, the Aggies showed guts and moxie as they fought back to tie the game at 14 early in the 2nd. Quarterback Kellen Mond’s 17-yard touchdown pass down the seam to tight end Ryan Renick that tied the game at the 14:54 mark of the second quarter was as well a conceived play as you will see, a true thing of beauty. The Aggie D forced the Tide offense into a three and out, yet the Aggie offense failed to build on their momentum with a three and out of their own. The Bama offense responded with a beautiful 7 play, 66 yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by senior Najee Harris. A few minutes later, Mond threw a pick-six to freshman corner Daniel Wright. A&M responded with a nice drive that stalled on the Tide’s 35 yard line when Mond delivered a perfect pass that would have resulted in a first down to the usually sure-handed Ainias Smith on 4th and 2 that Smith dropped. Bama made the Aggies pay, using the next 59 seconds to drive down the field and end the half with another touchdown, pushing the halftime score to 35-14. Same song and dance...the Crimson Tide made the plays when they needed to, and their opponent did not.
The second half was much of the same, with Quarterback Mac, the Canadian and company continuing to make plays leading to yet another Alabama rout, running Nick Saban’s career record against former assistant coaches to a stellar, and stunning, 20-0.
Photo: Alabama Athletics
Alabama is a very good team that is looking to become great. In order to do that, they need to run the ball better (109 total rushing yards on Saturday), and they will...their stable of running backs are beasts (once again) and they just need more touches. Their offensive line is already showing signs of being a dominant unit as holes are opening up and, at times, Quarterback Mac had more than enough time in the pocket to allow Waddle, Smith, and the young stud from Canada to get behind the secondary and still have time to order a latte.
Bama’s defense is giving up yards and points, yet they are learning to make plays and combined with seasoned veterans like linebacker Dylan Moses, there are a few young bucks, like freshman end Will Anderson, that look downright scary. And perhaps the scariest point of all that may keep Tide haters up at night is the fact that it looks like Alabama has a kicker that will actually come through in the clutch. Wait, Alabama has a consistent kicker? Oh, the madness.
Alabama fans knowing they actually have a decent kicker.
Will this loss be the defining moment for Texas A&M’s season? Doubt it. The Aggies are a good football team that will make great strides this year as a program. I believe they will have a breakthrough win this season and eventually, it may actually be “their year.” Yet on Saturday, they got beat by a team that was plain and simply better than they were...one that consistently made plays when they needed to. Where each team goes from here is yet to be seen, but one thing remains a constant...Alabama continues to make plays week after week.
After all, pandemic or no pandemic, Alabama remains Alabama.
Dave in Tuscaloosa is a B&S contributor, attended Alabama before earning his masters from Harvard, and is a Roll Tider ‘til the end.