Defense slows Aggies' running game, doesn't meet UA standards, players say
Texas A&M knew it was going to have trouble consistently running the football against Alabama. Oh sure, Noel Mazzone, the Aggies’ offensive coordinator, said early in the week that his offense would run the ball, but the proof is in the pudding.
The team that came in leading the SEC in rushing with nearly 275 yards per game, had a game plan that tried to spread out Alabama with as many as four and five wide receivers in formations.
The Aggies did succeed in putting up the most rushing yards UA has allowed this season (114), but when the UA defensive coaching staff switched from a dime defense to nickel in the second half, the running game slowed way down. Alabama cut in half what Texas A&M normally gets on the ground.
The offense that was second in the country with 6.8 yards per carry left Tuscaloosa with less than half of that, limited to 3 yards per carry. (sack totals included which totaled 50 yards).
So instead of the top running game in the SEC going up against the top running defense in the country, A&M tried a little slide of hand.“It’s not really strength on strength when they have four wide receivers in there all the time and you’re spread out all over the field,” UA head coach Nick Saban said. “They’ve got some skill guys. You’re really playing five on five in the box most of the time, which is how we were playing a lot of the time.
“Early in the game we did a good job. Later in the game they started spitting some runs on us. That’s when we started playing nickel, which is what we probably play the best. I thought we did a much better job against the run and created more passing situations and we were able to take advantage and started getting off the field on third down.”
It wasn’t a classic performance from Alabama’s defense, a unit aggressively stubborn to run the ball against. But it did well enough to significantly slow the Aggies. Still, that wasn’t good enough for a defense that is hard to impress.
“We were average,” senior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. “They had over 100 yards. Whenever an offense can do that that’s not a good day for us and our standards. A lot of room for us to improve.
“A 100 yards is way too much. We don’t give up 100 yards at Alabama. So we’re actually quite pissed off about it, to be honest.”
It was a running play that Allen was involved in that flipped momentum in Alabama’s favor.
With Texas A&M facing third-and-26 after a Tim Williams sack, the Aggies called a conservative run that blew up in their face. Senior linebacker Ryan Anderson met Keith Ford at precisely the time he got the handoff, causing the ball to spill on the ground. Allen picked it up, dodged Trevor Knight’s tackle attempt and rumbled 30 yards for a touchdown, his second fumble return for a touchdown this season.
Ford had more success between the tackles and off tackle (15 carries, 62 yards) than did Trayveon Williams (nine rushes for 23 yards), who entered the game as the SEC’s leading rusher with 117 yards per game. Neither found the end zone.For the season, Alabama has only allowed three rushing touchdowns.
Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0229.