COLLEGE STATION, Texas—The Texas A&M Aggies jumped out to an early 14-0 lead over Alabama, and flashbacks of last season’s 29-24 upset immediately resurfaced for fans of both teams. But the Crimson Tide rallied to score 35 unanswered points and held on to defeat Texas A&M, 49-42.
“This was a great win for our players today,” head coach Nick Saban said. “I’m so proud of our players for the resiliency they showed out there, getting behind 14-0 in the game, just slowly and methodically coming back in the game and building up the game.”
Alabama was sluggish on the offensive side of the ball in its season opener against Virginia Tech, and question marks circled the new-look offensive line’s ability to protect quarterback AJ McCarron and create holes for the stable of Crimson Tide running backs.
All questions were answered, as Alabama’s offensive front paved the way for 568 yards of total offense Saturday at Kyle Field.
“We want to improve as a team, and certainly offensively we did that today,” Saban said. “We did not do play as well on defense against some very good players, and if you don’t fundamentally do things the way you’re supposed to do it, you will pay the price.”
McCarron led the way for the Crimson Tide by completing 20-of-29 of his passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns.
But McCarron’s most crucial throw of the night came late in the fourth quarter.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel had just completed a 95-yard touchdown pass to wide out Mike Evans, leaving Alabama with a narrow 42-35 lead.
McCarron and the running game marched the offense down the field and eventually found running back Jalston Fowler in the endzone for a five-yard touchdown pass.
“We try not to pay attention to the scoreboard as an offense,” McCarron said. “We try to score every time we get the ball. It’s not about what they’re doing or how many times they’re scoring. Focus on the next play, good or bad we focus on the next play.”
Manziel, on the other hand, finished the night with a full stat sheet. He threw for 464 yards and five passing touchdowns, alongside 103 yards on the ground. But two costly interceptions kept points off the board for the Aggies, the first of which was returned for a touchdown by Alabama safety Vinnie Sunseri early in the third quarter to push the Crimson Tide to a three-score lead.
But Manziel’s mistakes did not lessen his respect from the Alabama players.
“He’s an unbelievable player. I don’t care what he does off the field, he’s an unbelievable player,” safety Vinnie Sunseri said.
Alabama can enjoy this game for the next 24 hours, and then it’s on to Colorado State. The Rams and Crimson Tide will meet Sept. 21 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Alabama’s first home game.
But fans – and the team – will remember this explosive offensive game for a long time.
“It certainly was an outstanding college football game by both teams,” Saban said. “This was a tremendous environment for a college football game. This is a great institution, they have a great team. My hat’s off to them for the way they competed in the game.”
