Westwood One’s coverage of college football continues on Saturday as Texas A&M visits Alabama. Coverage begins at 3:00 PM Eastern on Westwood One and streaming right here at WestwoodOneSports.com.
For a preview of the game, we turn to our analyst Chris Doering.
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More to prove: Alabama or A&M?
Texas A&M is coming off of back-to-back embarrassing losses to the two Mississippi schools, so it would be easy to say that the Aggies have the most to prove. But, upon closer examination, I think this team is more like what we expected them to be in the offseason. We knew it would be difficult to replace their Heisman-winning quarterback and best wide receiver. We also knew that their defense had a lot of improving to do from the 2013 campaign that left them dead last in the SEC in yards per game. But, on a Thursday evening in late August, the Aggies made us believe that none of those challenges would be a problem, spanking the highly regarded South Carolina Gamecocks on their home turf. Quarterback Kenny Hill established himself as a legit Heisman candidate in his own right. Malcome Kennedy caught 14 balls for 137 yards and the defense dominated the Carolina offense, limiting them to just over 22 minutes of offensive possession.
The Aggies continued climbing the rankings as they racked up wins against over-matched schools from the state of Texas. It wasn’t until the Arkansas game that we got a true peek at what this team actually is. A&M was able to escape a loss in overtime against the Razorbacks despite being physically manhandled for the majority of the game. Then came the losses to Mississippi State and Ole Miss in which the Aggies fell behind in the first quarter and were never really in the games after that. In the end, I think Texas A&M is about where we expected them to be given some of the shortcomings heading into the season. If not for that dominant performance against South Carolina, which now sits at 3-3, we probably wouldn’t feel like the Aggies have let us down at all at this point in the season.
Unfortunately for the Alabama Crimson Tide, the expectation is always through the roof in Tuscaloosa. And much like A&M, it was one game that raised those expectations to another level. A 42-21 victory over the Florida Gators had Tide fans believing that they were destined to be a part of the College Football Playoff. But, after a tough road loss against Ole Miss and a nail-biting victory over Arkansas last week, head coach Nick Saban finds himself defending his team to anyone who will listen.
An offense that has gone sluggish in the last two ballgames along with a secondary that has looked extremely vulnerable all season long leaves Bama in a dangerous position taking on an A&M team that will throw it all over the field and can rack up points in bunches. The Tide still have hopes of making it to Atlanta and eventually to Dallas for the national title game, but those hopes will vanish with a loss on Saturday and it’s not like Nick Saban to have his team eliminated from championship contention midway through October. Therefore, it is Alabama with the most to prove as they run onto the grass at Bryant-Denny Stadium, a place where they lost the last time these two teams played in Tuscaloosa.
Player to watch:
Keep an eye on WR Malcome Kennedy, who returns from a shoulder injury that has caused him to miss the last two ballgames. The receiving corps dropped double digit passes in the Aggies loss to Mississippi State and his absence has caused several other receivers to have to play out of position. Kennedy is a security blanket to QB Kenny Hill using his big body to do the dirty work in the middle of the field.
The Aggies win if…
They are able to win the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. The Aggies have given up over 600 yards on the ground the last three games and Nick Saban would love nothing more than to set a tone of physicality by establishing the run as the Tide heads into the second half of the season.
The Tide rolls if…
They loosen up the reigns offensively. Alabama’s offense was dynamic in their win over Florida, racking up 672 total yards. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin created mismatches by moving his personnel around by formation and his play-calling kept the Gators off-balance all day. Look for Saban to give Kiffin the green light in a game that is going to require a lot of points to win.
– Chris Doering
John Sadak and Chris Doering will have the call from Tuscaloosa beginning at 3:00 PM ET. You can listen right here on WestwoodOneSports.com!