The Alabama Crimson Tide travel to College Station, Texas to face the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies Saturday afternoon. Alabama has won three straight games since losing to Ole Miss, and a win against the Aggies could help push them to closer to an SEC Championship. The Aggies have beaten two SEC teams in the past two weeks, but Alabama will be the toughest challenge Texas A&M has seen this season.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban knows how to make his team bounce back after a loss, as he led them to an SEC Championship after losing to Ole Miss last year. The Crimson Tide is led by senior quarterback Jake Coker, who has struggled to stay consistent this year. Coker has thrown for 1,238 yards this season with 11 touchdowns to six interceptions. In Alabama's only loss this season, Coker had a completion percentage of 46.7, and if he struggles against the Aggies defense, it could be a long day for the Crimson Tide.
Luckily Alabama has one of the best running backs in the country in Heisman hopeful Derrick Henry. The junior running back is 6-foot-3, 242 pounds and breaks through tackles like paper bags. Henry has 665 rushing yards on the ground and has scored 10 touchdowns this season.
The past three games the Crimson Tide have held their opponents' offense to an average of eight points a game, and Saban will look to have this defense fired up to play against the ninth ranked Aggies.
The Aggies will look to move the ball on Alabama, behind sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen. The sophomore quarterback is a sleeper to watch for the Heisman, as he is putting up great numbers this season. Allen has thrown for 1,274 yards this season with 13 touchdowns. The Aggies quarterback has a completion percentage of 64 percent this season, but he can also take off with the ball as he has rushed for two touchdowns this season.
Running back Tra Carson and wide receiver Christian Kirk will be closely watched by Alabama's defense, as they are two playmakers that could help the Aggies beat the 10th ranked Crimson Tide. Kirk is a dominating freshman wide receiver that is taking the SEC by storm. He has 519 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season, and he will look to get in the endzone Saturday. Carson is a senior running back out of Texarkana, Texas and has really turned into something special his senior season. Carson has scored a touchdown in every game this season, except against Nevada. In the one game Carson didn't score, he rushed for 137 yards, showing that he consistently has a positive impact for the Aggies.
This game could have a huge impact on the winner of the SEC West, and both Saban and Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin will try to have their teams ready for a battle Saturday afternoon. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to Alabama's radio broadcast, click here, and for the Aggies radio broadcast, go here.
