Texas A&M may have lost the game in Tuscaloosa, but they fought hard against a team that many thought would blow them out. Was this a mirage, or are there things that Aggie fans should be legitimately encouraged by heading into the bye week? Let's dive into some key takeaways.
Takeaways from Texas A&M's loss to Alabama: Marcel Reed, defense, and more
Marcel Reed still has it in him
This is by far the biggest takeaway from last night. There were a lot of A&M fans who had all but completely given up on Reed, but in the most high-stakes game the Aggies have had so far this year, he put together maybe his best performance of the season.
It was not a game, overall, that you'd write home about; however, compared to what Reed has looked like throughout the course of the year, it's a huge lift. A&M fans needed a reason to believe that he can operate this offense well enough down the stretch of the year to get some wins, and he proved that in this game.
Reed was as decisive and as on-target as he has been all year in this game, and it completely took Alabama aback early on. It's no coincidence that he was picking up yards in the designed run game as well; this needs to be part of the game plan for the Aggies if Reed is going to be out there.
Receivers need to step up
Reed played well, but his receivers didn't do him a lot of favors in this one. Isaiah Horton's effort was better in this game, without a doubt, but there were some key drops by Aggie players that marred what could have been effective drives.
Mario Craver in particular let a ball on a slant route go right through his hands; if he had caught it, there was plenty of open field for a guy with his speed to operate. The passing game may have more life than previously, but for it to be functional, the receivers have to help out Marcel more.
The blocking was better, but still wasn't quite to the level that the Aggies need for their screen passing game to work effectively. This is a very aggressive Alabama defense, of course, but A&M's unit needs to commit much more to that aspect of the game— the dirty work helps free up so much more of the offense, so if you can't get that done, you are going to be very limited.
The defense can win you some games, but they have to finish better
Before this point, A&M's defense looked like a very beleaguered unit, doing their best but eventually failing thanks to an inept offense putting them out on the field way too much. However, the defense broke in from the late third and eventually into the fourth quarter despite the Aggies holding a time of possession advantage over the Tide.
When this defense is clicking, they're one of the best in the conference— the issue for them has been consistency. The avalanche of offense we saw from the Tide in the fourth quarter should not happen against a unit like this, and they don't have the excuse this time of being stranded out on the field too long.
The pass rush is a big part of this; it has not lived up to expectations at all so far this year. The run defense eventually broke down as well, as Alabama started to grind out that win late in the game on the ground. The bye week will allow the Aggies to rest up and get healthy in all aspects of their team, so hopefully they are re-energized for this stretch run and ready to finish strong.
Add us as a preferred source on Google