3 Takeaways from Infuriatingly Close Loss to Bama

Red Zone Outcome Bites Texas A&M Football

Coming into this game, something I highlighted was the fact that Alabama was the team with the lowest red zone touchdown percentage in the entire conference, and the Aggies were the team in the conference best at preventing red zone touchdowns. I considered this a distinct advantage for the Aggies; after all, they hadn’t (and still haven’t) allowed a rushing touchdown since week 1 and no red zone rushing touchdown at all. If the passing game is the only area in which they are susceptible within the 20, then, I thought it to certainly favor the Aggies that Milroe had up until that point so struggled in a condensed field.

What instead came to pass was a day where the Crimson Tide were 2 for 2 in the red zone with 2 passing touchdowns. Given how each team had performed thus far in the season, this is something I certainly would not have predicted happening. The first score was a near miss; right as the rush began to get to Milroe, he lofted a pass perfectly into the arms of Jermaine Burton. The second was also Milroe to Burton, but this one was just a poor tackling job by two converging Aggie defenders.

Conversely, Texas A&M football had a very inefficient day in the red zone, with only two field goals to show for their three trips. This was out of character on their part; the Aggies had one of the highest red zone scoring percentages in the nation coming into the game (if a bit deficient in the realm of sixes vs. threes). Of course, Alabama brought in a solid red zone defense, and their stoutness within the 20 ended up being extremely decisive when it comes to the result of the game. It’s frustrating that the Tide broke through even when playing into your hands strategy-wise (perceivably), but you have to hand it to them as far as winning that matchup. The Aggies have proven that they are a quality unit down within the 20 so far this year, but this has to be a bit concerning moving forward.