Texas A&M football report card, Week 6 vs. Alabama
Linebackers: A-
Again, the linebacking unit of this team was another position group that didn’t really show up on the stat sheet. That said, the Aggies’ second line of defense was all over the field making big plays on Saturday night.
Specifically, they accounted for 23 tackles on the night, a really solid number that was primarily stretched between Jimbo Fisher’s three main guys — Andre White, Aaron Hansford, and Edgerrin Cooper. Even though it’s hard to get excited about allowing a five-yard run, these guys were making the tackles that they needed to all night long.
Secondary: A
Alabama’s 369 passing yards will make you question how I graded the secondary at an A+. Again, on the stat sheet, it’s hard to say that this is a logical grade. That said, it was the eye test that earned Texas A&M this honor.
A&M was making timely plays in the secondary when they needed to. Take Demani Richardson’s interception as an example. The third-year safety may not have played the greatest overall game of his lifetime, but his early second quarter interception while Alabama was on the Aggies’ one-yard line virtually took seven points off of the board for the Tide.
The secondary was also extremely active in rushing the backfield, with three separate guys from this unit recording tackles for loss. Leon O’Neal specifically had a great night, recording a sack, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery to go along with nine total tackles.