Crimson Tide Remains Undefeated In Battle Of Unbeatens
Bama Bests Texas A&M 33-14
 |
| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
It HURTS so good. Will the Crimson Tide faithful ever really get tired of hearing that? Very doubtful.
University of Alabama true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 164 yards on 15-of-25 attempts for two touchdowns and two interceptions to lead the Tide to a 33-14 victory over previously unbeaten and sixth-ranked Texas A&M.
In a game that remain oh-too-close into the third quarter, the top-ranked Tide improved to 8-0 overall, 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference while Texas A&M fell to 6-1, 4-1. Bama bested the Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium yesterday afternoon before a capacity crowd of 101,821.
At one point during yesterday's contest, the Crimson Tide scored 20 points in only an eight-minute span of time, yet defensively limited the Aggies to a mere six yards on 13 plays. Hurts accounted for two of those touchdowns.
Teaxas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight caused the Crimson Tide defense a few headaches through the third quarter, completing 14 passes on 31 attempts for 164 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Junior running back Keith Ford was the Aggies' leading rusher with 62 yards.
Leading Alabama defensively, linebacker Reuben Foster claimed 12 tackles, including eight solo stops. Alabama recorded five sacks on the afternoon for 50 yards, with 11 tackles for loss for minus-74 yards. Linebacker Tim Williams stepped up big once again for the Crimson Tide recording two sacks for 27 yards. Linebacker Ryan Anderson added another three tackles for loss for 12 yards.
In a first half where the Bama faithful had expected more than 13 points, the Crimson Tide ended the half with 157 rushing yards on 29 attempts and 146 receiving yards. Hurts completed 12 passes on 20 attempts for one touchdown with two interceptions. The Aggies recorded 65 yards rushing on 16 attempts while throwing for 85 yards. Aggie quarterback Treavor Knight had nine completions on 17 attempts and one touchdown with one interception.
The Crimson Tide managed only 39 yards rushing on 12 attempts in the third quarter, while Hurts completed three passes on five attempts for 20 yards. Alabama was looking for a momentum shift at this point, and then got it. Texas A&M rushed 11 times in the third for 39 yards, while Knight completed three passes on six attempts for 56 yards.
The remainder of the game was all Alabama, as the defense as well as the offense took over the contest, giving Bama another huge win to remain undefeated.
The Crimson Tide will take a much deserved break this next week, and will make a trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the LSU Tigers on Saturday, November 5th in Tiger Stadium.
| Game Stats | TAMU | UA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 278 | 451 |
| Pass Yards | 164 | 164 |
| Rushing Yards | 114 | 287 |
| Penalty Yards | 9-81 | 7-44 |
| 1st Downs | 17 | 28 |
| 3rd Downs | 5-16 | 7-14 |
| 4th Downs | 1-3 | 0-1 |
| TOP | 24:10 | 35:50 |
 |
| Photo Credit: SEC Network |
 |
| Photo Credit: ESPN |
 |
| Photo Credit: ESPN |
--------------------------------------------
What Saban Said After Bama Beat Texas A&M
 |
| Alabama head football coach Nick Saban Photo Credit: AL.com/Vasha Hunt |
University of Alabama head football Nick Saban met with the press following the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide knocked off previously undefeated No. 6 Texas A&M 33-14. Saban discussed the win, different aspects of the game as well as the injury situation.
Speaking of injuries, one of the toughest things to come out of this press briefing was the announcement that senior Eddie Jackson suffered a fractured leg in the contest. Saban said that Jackson's season is over. It also means his career at the University of Alabama is over. He will be missed on the field, but that is a huge understatement.
Saban said that the Crimson Tide "left some money on the table" in the first half. Alabama was forced to settle for a pair of field goals instead of touchdowns when reaching the red zone early in the game.
While Alabama controlled the momentum of the game early on, there was a decided swing to Texas A&M following two quick touchdowns for the Aggies, putting them up 14-13. But Saban said he liked the way the Tide responded after that.
Concerning the defense, Saban said the Crimson Tide was using the Dime defense early in the game, but switched to the Nickle defense after Texas A&M figured out a way to run on it. Saban spoke of the skill players on the Aggie football team, and that A&M had gone five on five in the box a lot of the game. He also mentioned that putting pressure on Aggie quarterback Treavor Knight was huge all afternoon. Saban said the Aggies hit on some big runs, and then Alabama made adjustments, creating more passing situations and quarterback pressures.
Saban said "the real turning point in the game" was the scoop-and-run fumble recovery by the Tide's Jonathan Allen when Bama was down by six. The young man then roughly rambled 30 yards for another defensive touchdown. (This was the second touchdown scored by Allen on the Tide defense, more than many teams' running backs have scored this season.)
Turnovers on the Crimson Tide offense, however, were a different matter. Those made Saban very unhappy.
Saban said that after yesterday's big win over the Aggies the Tide can't "feel relieved." He said there are still a few big ones left.
"This has been a tough stretch for us," Saban said concerning this three-consecutive games against nationally-ranked teams. The Crimson Tide has knocked off Arkansas, Tennessee and now Texas A&M who, at the time, were ranked in the Top-10 in at least one major football poll.
Concerning Tide running back Damien Harris, Saban said the young man had a chance to break a few runs, but he just didn't have the same burst of speed as in the past because of a few leg injuries.
Saban said he was happy with the way the offensive line responded in the game. He said he was concerned with the say the Tide would be able to run the ball against the Aggies. So he was pretty pleased with the 257 rushing yards.
The Aggies were hitting a lot of the five, six, seven-yard plays, according to Saban. That makes A&M a very difficult team to defend, so the Tide had to adjust the defense to deal with that particular situation.
Saban praised the Crimson Tide receiving corp, but not so much for the receptions, but for their blocking. He said that the blocking they did on the running plays speaks to commitment from a talented group.
Does anything "scare" Saban? Well, he did say he was concerned about the Aggies on that first drive of the second half. Saban said, "They went through us pretty quickly."
Highs and lows. They come in every game. But congratulations to the Crimson Tide for picking up the pace when it counted, defeating the Aggies 33-14 when the last second ticked off the clock.
----------------------------------------------
Alabama Solidifies No. 1 Ranking In Amway Coaches Poll
----------------------------------------------
Yep, Bama No. 1 Again In Associated Press Poll
----------------------------------------------
Tide's Eddie Jackson Out For Remainder Of Season
--------------------------------------
Alabama Solidifies No. 1 Ranking In Amway Coaches Poll
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide has solidified its No. 1 ranking this week in Week 9 of the Amway Coaches Poll. Alabama received 63 of 64 first place votes, with one lone first place vote going to the Clemson Tigers of the ACC.
Six teams represent the Southeastern Conference in this weeks poll, two of which are in the Top-10. Alabama is No. 1, with Texas A&M coming in at No. 10. Here are the SEC teams in Week 9 of the Top 25: Alabama (1), Texas A&M (10), Florida (12), Auburn (17), Tennessee(18) and LSU (19).
TOP 25 TEAMS, WEEK 9
| RANK TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | 1st Place Votes | Prev | CHANGE | Hi/Low | |
| 1 | Alabama | 8-0 | 1599 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 |
| 2 | Michigan | 7-0 | 1486 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2/8 |
| 3 | Clemson | 7-0 | 1485 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2/3 |
| 4 | Washington | 7-0 | 1434 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4/18 |
| 5 | Louisville | 6-1 | 1321 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4/23 |
| 6 | Nebraska | 7-0 | 1194 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 6/NR |
| 6 | Baylor | 6-0 | 1194 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6/21 |
| 8 | Ohio State | 6-1 | 1137 | 0 | 2 | -6 | 2/8 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 6-0 | 1007 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 9/NR |
| 10 | Texas A&M | 6-1 | 979 | 0 | 6 | -4 | 6/NR |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 5-2 | 963 | 0 | 10 | -1 | 8/NR |
| 12 | Florida | 5-1 | 821 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12/25 |
| 13 | Boise State | 7-0 | 776 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 13/NR |
| 14 | Florida State | 5-2 | 767 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 2/21 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 5-2 | 692 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 3/NR |
| 16 | Utah | 7-1 | 664 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 16/NR |
| 17 | Auburn | 5-2 | 552 | 0 | 24 | 7 | 17/NR |
| 18 | Tennessee | 5-2 | 523 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 9/19 |
| 19 | Louisiana State | 5-2 | 424 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 6/NR |
| 20 | North Carolina | 6-2 | 388 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 16/NR |
| 21 | Western Michigan | 8-0 | 352 | 0 | 20 | -1 | 20/NR |
| 22 | Navy | 5-1 | 243 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 22/NR |
| 23 | Colorado | 6-2 | 242 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 23/NR |
| 24 | Houston | 6-2 | 144 | 0 | 11 | -13 | 5/24 |
| 25 | Virginia Tech | 5-2 | 116 | 0 | 31 | 6 | 19/NR |
----------------------------------------------
Yep, Bama No. 1 Again In Associated Press Poll
1 Alabama Crimson Tide
2 Michigan
3 Clemson
4 Washington
5 Louisville
6 Ohio State
7 Nebraska
8 Baylor
9 Texas A&M
10 West Virginia
11 Wisconsin
12 Florida State
13 Boise State
14 Florida
15 Auburn
16 Oklahoma
17 Utah
18 Tennessee
19 LSU
20 Western Michigan
21 North Carolina
22 Navy
23 Colorado
24 Penn State
25 Virginia Tech
----------------------------------------------
Tide's Eddie Jackson Out For Remainder Of Season
 |
| Eddie Jackson suffered a fractured leg this afternoon Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
University of Alabama Crimson Tide senior defensive back Eddie Jackson has suffered a fractured leg. The injury occurred during the Bama's win this afternoon over the Texas A&M Aggies. Unfortunely, Jackson will be out the remainder of the season because of an injury he received on a punt return in the fourth quarter.
To say this is a big loss for the Crimson Tide is an understatement, as he has provided not only points, but a spark for the Alabama defensive unit.
--------------------------------------
Tide Rowing Has 2 Top-20 Finishes
 |
| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
The Crimson Tide continues competition at the Head of the Charles today in the Women's Championship 4+ at 1:02 p.m. CT.
