It was a record-breaking night in College Station, Texas, as No. 11 Alabama managed a 26-20 victory against Texas A&M.
Kyle Field welcomed 108,101 fans for the matchup, its third-highest attendance in stadium history, and wide receiver Jermaine Burton doubled his receiving yards for the season, ending the day with 197, bringing his season total to 386.
However, Alabama also had 14 penalties, the most this season, and quarterback Jalen Milroe was sacked a career-high six times, tying the program record.
“We overcame a lot of adversity, a lot of which we created for ourselves,” head coach Nick Saban said. “Having 14 penalties in the game and mismanaging things with the clock at the end of the game really gave them opportunities. We need to be able to fix those things.”
The offense for both teams managed only a field goal apiece in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, though, Milroe connected with wide receiver Isaiah Bond for a 52-yard touchdown, Bond’s first reception of the game.
That was the only Alabama offense highlight for the rest of the half because, from there, the Aggies took over.
After a false start penalty and a Milroe sack, Alabama had to punt from the back of the endzone. From there, wide receiver Ainias Smith, who leads the SEC in most yards from punt returns, ran 46 yards.
On the first play of the drive, quarterback Max Johnson threw a 22-yard touchdown to tight end Jake Johnson to even the score at 10-10.
Alabama responded with another false penalty, sack and punt combo on the following drive.
The Aggies took the momentum and literally ran with it, scoring another touchdown at the hands of running back Le’Veon Moss and giving them a 17-10 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the half, Milroe came out sharp, completing five receptions in a row.
However, then Milroe got sacked; on the next play, he threw an interception.
“Picks happen. No matter who it is, picks happen,” Milroe said. “Negative plays happen in the game, and it’s always about how you respond. No matter what play it is, good or bad, it’s all about next play mentality.”
Sure enough, defensive back Caleb Downs quickly turned the game back around with an interception of his own.
Afterward, Milroe battled a low snap and pressure in the pocket to throw a touchdown pass to Burton on third and 14 to tie the game at 17 apiece.
“When we turned it over and then Caleb Downs intercepted the ball, that changed the momentum of the game,” Saban said. “I think the fact that we were able to keep them out of the end zone when they were in the red zone was really, really important early in the game.”
After another Burton touchdown gave Alabama a healthy 24-17 lead going into the fourth quarter, the game took on a mind of its own.
An Aggie field goal blocked by linebacker Chris Braswell, a fumble from Burton and a safety for Alabama eventually led to the Aggies settling for a field goal to bring the game to 26-20 with just over two minutes left.
“There’s going to highs and lows all the time in a game so you can’t get down on yourself,” Braswell said after his touchdown following the blocked field goal was negated because of a penalty. “Just play that next play mentality, just execute the next play.”
This was the sixth Crimson Tide touchdown negated due to a penalty this season.
On third and 7 with two minutes left, Milroe threw to running back Jase McClellan for the first down, allowing Alabama to wind down the clock despite the Crimson Tide adding yet another false start to its record.
Burton said he could tell this was a big game to win.
“I saw that it was the third-highest attendance rating,” Burton said. “That really showed me that a lot of people wanted to see us lose, they want to storm the field.”
The Crimson Tide moves to 5-1 on the season and will play next in Tuscaloosa for Alabama’s Homecoming game against Arkansas on Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
