Following its 38-19 victory over Missouri, Alabama will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend for its home opener against Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide is currently a 17-point favorite over the Aggies, according to Vegas Insider. Here are five questions to consider leading up to the matchup.
Will Alabama’s other backs get going?
Nick Saban’s response was direct, but it could have been even more damning. While Najee Harris continued on his torrid pace against Missouri, the rest of Alabama’s backfield was rather tepid.
The much-awaited debut of Trey Sanders was a disappointment as the redshirt freshman carried the ball nine times for a single yard while also catching a pass for a loss of two yards. Brian Robinson Jr. fared a little better, rushing for 18 yards on four carries. However, his night will be better remembered for a wide-open drop in the second quarter.
“It wasn’t nearly as good,” Saban said when asked about his team’s second-half rushing performance earlier this week.
Not nearly as good is a bit of an understatement. Alabama’s performance outside of Harris was nearly nonexistent. While Harris ran the ball 17 times for 98 yards and three touchdowns, the rest of Alabama’s ball-carriers tallied a combined 13 yards on 19 attempts, an average of .68 yards per carry.
“We had a couple other offensive linemen in there, you know. Trey didn’t have a lot of opportunity, but at the same time I think the experience will do him well,” Saban explained. “We didn’t handle their front as well when we took some of the first guys out, and I think that contributed to it as well.”
Alabama will need to remedy the rest of its ground game quickly as it is set to take on a Texas A&M defense that held Vanderbilt to 2.8 yards per carry during a 17-12 victory last weekend.
“They really do a good job of stopping the run,” Harris said. “Their safeties play a huge part in the run game, too… the whole front four they have is all good, including the linebackers and the safeties and the DBs they have. Everybody on that team is like a person that we can’t not include in the game plan.”
Will Mond test the Tide’s secondary?
Kellen Mond has proven he can punish Alabama with his legs. The Texas A&M quarterback has been his team’s leading rusher during his past two meetings against the Tide, running for 90 or more yards and a score on both occasions. His passing performances, on the other hand, have been pretty pedestrian.
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