Texas A&M Will Take Advantage of Alabama's Secondary Woes
Two years ago, former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel stole the show and stated his Heisman Trophy case in a 29-24 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Last year, it was former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and current running back T.J. Yeldon punching back, as Alabama topped Texas A&M 49-42 in College Station.
This year, expect more of the same.
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Fresh off two straight losses, Texas A&M will roll into Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday looking to get back on track after its offense—while statistically impressive—has been anything but spectacular in losses to Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
It will.
Alabama's pass defense has given up 497 yards through the air over the last two games—a 23-17 loss to Ole Miss and a 14-13 win over Arkansas.
Eddie Jackson got the majority of the snaps at cornerback alongside Cyrus Jones, but according to B/R Alabama lead writer Marc Torrence, Jackson and Tony Brown will continue to compete for playing time this week.
Saban needs Jackson, Jones and Brown to all be at the top of their games, because Texas A&M will put more pressure on them than any team they've faced since West Virginia did in the season-opener.
Four of the top 13 receivers in the SEC play for the Aggies—Josh Reynolds, Speedy Noil, Edward Pope and Ricky Seals-Jones. All four of those players are talented, have different skill sets and are in a system led by head coach Kevin Sumlin that gets them open.
At 6'5", 235 pounds, Seals-Jones presents a threat over the middle and stretching the field against smaller defensive backs. Reynolds and Pope—both 6'4"—are long and rangy wideouts who know how to get open and present similar matchup problems. Noil—a 5'11" freshman speedster—is a home run threat from anywhere on the field.
"There is a lot going on with him and I think he is coming along as good as anyone we have," Sumlin said on Saturday in quotes emailed by Texas A&M. "He is a tough guy and he loves to play and loves to compete and is only getting better every week."
Quarterback Kenny "Trill" has reverted back to Kenny Hill over the last few weeks thanks to the stifling Ole Miss defense and several drops from his wide receivers. When he's on, though, he's proven that he can light up opposing defenses—especially those with questions in the secondary.
Alabama's offense has been a far cry from its September self, averaging just 311.5 yards per game over the last two games after gaining more than 530 in each of the first four.
Texas A&M's scheme, quarterback and deep stable of versatile wide receivers will put pressure on Alabama's secondary and force the Crimson Tide offense to go back to the future and light up the scoreboard.
Against Texas A&M's secondary, it will.
Get your popcorn ready.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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