Alabama vs. Texas A&M: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide kept their SEC title and College Football Playoff hopes alive Saturday with a 41-23 road victory over the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

The 6-1 Crimson Tide handed the Aggies (5-1) their first loss of the season, and junior running back Derrick Henry bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy in the process as he gashed A&M to the tune of 236 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.

Henry extended his own school record with a touchdown run for the 12th consecutive game and set a career high in single-game rushing yards, which he managed to accomplish in just one quarter by rumbling for 153 yards in the opening stanza.

He also ended a four-year drought for the Crimson Tide in terms of 200-yard rushing performances, according to SportsCenter:

While the Tide's running game ruled the day, head coach Nick Saban's defense was dominant, too. Bleacher Report's Bryan Fischer provided this stat:

Alabama quarterback Jake Coker put up modest numbers, with 138 yards on 19-of-25 passing, but that was a dream performance in comparison to the Aggies' pairing of Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, who combined to throw four interceptions and just one touchdown.

The Tide's defensive excellence was on full display early when freshman defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Allen in the first quarter.

As seen in this video, courtesy of CBS Sports, Fitzpatrick returned the pick 33 yards for a touchdown to help put Alabama on top 7-0:

Henry subsequently took over by rushing for a 55-yard touchdown on Alabama's ensuing possession to help make the score 14-0:

While Henry deserved no shortage of credit for decimating the Texas A&M defense, Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News accurately pointed out the offensive line's role:

The Aggies entered Saturday's contest with an undefeated record, but ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon believed they were living dangerously with regard to their struggles against the run:

"

I was afraid to see what Derrick Henry would do against the A&M D when I watched the Aggies struggle to stop Arkansas run game.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 17, 2015"

Henry exposed the A&M run defense in a big way on his 55-yard touchdown scamper, and he continued to do so throughout the game.

The Aggies' main source of offense in the opening half was senior kicker Taylor Bertolet, who converted 54- and 51-yard field goals.

In between those makes, Henry rushed for his second touchdown of the day on the first play of the second quarter.

With Alabama leading 21-6, the Aggies seemed poised to score their first touchdown of the game. Allen made yet another poor throw, however, which allowed junior safety Eddie Jackson to secure his fourth interception of the season and return it 93 yards for a score:

Texas A&M needed a huge play to keep its head above water after going down 28-6, which is what it got with just over three minutes remaining in the half.

Freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown, which helped make the score 28-13 and prevented Alabama from turning it into a runaway:

That score held up entering halftime, but Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin sent Murray in at quarterback for a series in place of the struggling Allen just before the halfway mark.

Sumlin had this to say about the change, per TexAgs on Twitter:

There is no question that Sumlin was looking to spark his offense, which was a move worth considering since all of Texas A&M's first-half points came courtesy of special teams.

In addition to the Aggies' late score in the first half, there was some hope for a comeback after a key Tide player went down with an injury. Per Bleacher Report's Christopher Walsh, center Ryan Kelly suffered concussion-like symptoms, which may have had something to do with Henry's drop-off in production during the second half.

Murray didn't do much on Texas A&M's first possession of the third quarter, but the Aggies recovered a fumble on a punt to get the ball back. Sumlin then turned to Allen at quarterback once again, and the move paid dividends as he completed a 44-yard pass to Ricky Seals-Jones before connecting with Seals-Jones again one play later for a three-yard touchdown.

That helped pull the Aggies to within eight points of Alabama and put the pressure firmly on the Tide as the momentum swung in Texas A&M's favor.

While the Aggies started to put points on the board after a rough beginning to the game, Sports on Earth contributor David Ubben credited the Aggies defense for making some adjustments:

The Crimson Tide were able to stop the bleeding, though, when junior kicker David Griffith completed a 13-play drive by making a 32-yard field goal with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Alabama's defense struck again on the final play of the third quarter and made Sumlin pay for inserting Murray back into the game at quarterback as Jackson nabbed his second interception of the day and fifth of the season.

After watching Murray get baited into a pick, Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports questioned the freshman's progress as a passer:

"

Kyler Murray plays baseball, dad is a QB guru, put up #s in HS- I don't understand why he isn't a better thrower #TAMUvsBAMA

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) October 17, 2015"

The Tide took advantage by knocking another field goal through the uprights to make it 34-20 with just over 11 minutes left in the game.

Texas A&M cut the lead to 11 as Bertolet hit his third field goal of the contest with just over eight minutes remaining, but it was all for naught as Allen made yet another miscue a few minutes later.

Fitzpatrick made his second interception of the game and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown for his second pick-six of the contest. That marked the Tide's third pick-six as a team, which set a new school record, according to Marq Burnett of the Anniston Star.

After watching the play, ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough marveled at how good Fitzpatrick already is so early in his collegiate career:

The Tide were in control when Fitzpatrick scored his second touchdown of the day, but he put an exclamation point on the victory.

Alabama was left for dead by many following its loss to Ole Miss, but the Crimson Tide may be the favorites to win the SEC and represent the conference in the CFP at season's end.

The Tide will likely be favored in all of their remaining games, with only a Nov. 7 home clash against LSU and Heisman front-runner Leonard Fournette looking particularly dangerous.

Texas A&M isn't out of the equation despite Saturday's loss, but with tilts against Mississippi and LSU still on tap, it has a more difficult route to the top than Alabama.

Things can change significantly from one week to the next in the supremely talented, challenging SEC, and Alabama's re-emergence as one of the nation's top teams over the past few weeks is proof positive.

Postgame Reaction

Saban summed up Alabama's season to this point succinctly when speaking with reporters after the win, per the Tuscaloosa News' Aaron Suttles:

Coker agreed with that sentiment, telling reporters Alabama is "just staying alive," per ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg. 

Saban also assessed the superlative work of his defense, according to LivingCrimson on Twitter:

Finally, Sumlin didn't have many positives to take away from his team's quarterback play. 

"I told those guys, 'Playing quarterback is just like being the head coach,'" Sumlin said, per Rittenberg. "That's part of playing that position. You take the pats on the back along with the slaps in the face. Today was kind of a slap in the face." 

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