Texas A&M Football: 3 Takeaways From a Last-Second Loss at Alabama

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Oct 8, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Evan Stewart (1) carries the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports /

Wide receivers continue to emerge

At first glance, 253 yards through the air isn’t exactly what you would call an eye-popping statline. But it’s how those yards came that mattered. Right down until the very last moment, the Aggie receiving corps made clutch catch after clutch catch. Moose, Marshall, and Stewart have really found something in the absence of Ainias Smith.

Haynes King vs Alabama. This suggests real growth (baby steps!) in utilizing the young WR group in the middle of the defense and not just banging the flats all day. In a vacuum, this was a much better passing game – especially dealing with pass-protection challenges. pic.twitter.com/7pqT0cOtZV
— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) October 9, 2022

This was an especially impressive performance given how King had looked in action prior to this game, as well as the fact that he hardly had time to throw all night. The Alabama pressure was unrelenting, finally breaking the two-game streak of not registering a sack against the Aggies (a fact that still blows my mind).

This Alabama team is one that was allowing only 73% of opponent passing averages coming into this game, and, while the Aggies also had a lot more attempts than they had been averaging, they still nearly doubled their normal output. For as maligned as this passing game has been thus far in the season, this was a breakout game. Your guys were tested in the hottest fires they’ll face in the SEC outside of Death Valley and they showed up. That’s something to build on.

A word about the final play call: I have to agree with Greg McElroy that it wasn’t as bad as so many people have made it out to be. Would I have rather seen something utilizing Achane or King’s legs? Probably, but it’s entirely possible that Jimbo didn’t trust the battered OL to run block effectively in that situation. It’s one of those things that looks genius when it works, and everyone is upset about when it doesn’t.