Tuscaloosa, AL (SportsNetwork.com) – There were no narrow victories or
complaining fans for Nick Saban and his football team on this day.
Blake Sims threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as seventh-ranked
Alabama restored its recently questioned reputation with an authoritative 59-0
win over No. 21 Texas A&M at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
One week after mustering a pedestrian 227 total yards in a 14-13 squeaker over
Arkansas that triggered heavy criticism towards Saban and his program, the
Crimson Tide amassed 602 and scored on every first-half possession in building
a 45-0 lead at the break.
The defense was just as overwhelming, limiting the Aggies to 172 total yards
— a far cry from the 628 Texas A&M generated in a 49-42 loss to the Tide last
season — and recording six sacks of quarterbacks Kenny Hill and Kyle Allen.
“I was really proud of the way our players played today,” said Saban. “I think
this is as close to the Alabama football that we want to try to get from our
players in terms of effort, toughness, emotional excitement and execution that
we got throughout the game. I don’t think we had many penalties; we played
with a lot of discipline. Our quarterback executed the system extremely well
and lots of guys made plays. Defensively, this is the best we’ve played
against this kind of offense.”
Amari Cooper was on the other end of two of Sims’ scoring strikes and totaled
140 yards on eight receptions, while T.J. Yeldon ran for two touchdowns on 13
carries that produced 114 yards.
Sims finished with 268 yards on 16-of-27 passing for Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC)
before being pulled along with most of the Crimson Tide starters in the third
quarter. Derrick Henry had both a rushing and receiving touchdown and ran for
70 yards on 10 attempts.
The lopsided defeat was the third straight to a West Division opponent for
reeling Texas A&M (5-3, 2-3), following double-digit setbacks to current No. 1
Mississippi State and Ole Miss. It also was the Aggies’ first shutout loss
since a 77-0 shellacking at the hands of Oklahoma in 2003.
“However you cut it, that performance was unacceptable and embarrassing,”
Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin said afterward. “I think Alabama had a lot to
do with that, but we’ve got to get back to work and examine where we are right
now.”
Hill completed 17-of-26 passes for 138 yards with an interception.
A noticeably determined Alabama team set the stage for the rout by putting
together about as dominant a first quarter possible. The Crimson Tide
outgained Texas A&M by a whopping 217-8 margin, held the Aggies without a
first down and put 10 points on the board with seven more to come shortly
afterward.
Alabama’s initial series nearly ended in disaster, however. After moving to
the Texas A&M 4-yard line on the strength of four Sims completions, Aggies
cornerback Deshazor Everett dropped a potential pick-six before Adam Griffith
came on to kick a 21-yard field goal to begin the scoring.
The Crimson Tide then marched 72 yards in 11 plays on their subsequent
possession, keeping the chains moving three times on third-down passes from
Sims. The last, a 12-yarder to fullback Jalston Fowler, preceded Yeldon’s 9-
yard touchdown on a toss sweep that increased the lead to 10-0 with 4:38 left
in the first quarter.
Yeldon capped Alabama’s sensational opening period with a highlight-reel 31-
yard scamper to the A&M four, then later concluded a 10-play, 84-yard sequence
by powering into the end zone from a yard away on fourth down early in the
second.
The second quarter was more of the same, with the deflated Aggies continuing
to be manhandled on both sides of the ball.
After another Texas A&M drive went nowhere, Sims followed a 21-yard connection
to Cooper on 3rd-and-10 by sidestepping two defenders en route to a 43-yard
run on a read option keeper that put the Crimson Tide up by a 24-0 count.
Alabama couldn’t be stopped the next time it had the ball as well, with Yeldon
and Henry doing the majority of the damage on the ground on a 10-play, 72-yard
trek the latter finished with an 8-yard touchdown through a gaping hole.
“We had a little gathering with the offensive line this week and said, ‘Look
guys, you guys are starting to feel pressure and you’re being criticized,”
said Saban. “You’re not being the sergeant-at-arms that we need you to be in
terms of how you control the line of scrimmage and how you dominate the line
of scrimmage. I’m really proud of the way they did that today.”
The Aggies once again went three-and-out and Christion Jones took the
resulting punt 49 yards to the opposing 24. On the very next snap, Cooper got
behind Everett to haul in Sims’ deep ball for a 38-0 advantage with 4:10 to go
in the half.
Alabama scored one more touchdown prior to halftime, a short pass from Sims to
Henry that wound up going for 41 yards as Texas A&M blew a coverage.
The Tide piled up 449 total yards by the break while recording 22 first downs
to the Aggies’ two. And the carnage didn’t quite end as the teams returned to
the field.
On Alabama’s third play from scrimmage of the second half, Sims found a wide-
open Cooper down the right sideline for a 45-yard score that lengthened the
margin to 52-0.
The Aggies finally crossed midfield for the first time of the day on the
ensuing drive, in which they were stopped on downs. Another series later in
the quarter got as far as the Alabama 17 before Hill was picked off by Reggie
Ragland.
Backup quarterback Jake Coker accounted for Alabama’s final touchdown with a
14-yard pass to Ty Flournoy-Smith with 4:16 remaining.
Game Notes
Alabama’s 59-point margin of victory was its largest in SEC play since a 66-3
decision at Vanderbilt on Sept. 29, 1979, while the 35 second-quarter points
were the most in a period in program history … Texas A&M has scored 51
points total during its three-game skid. The Aggies averaged 51.2 points per
game during their 5-0 start … The Crimson Tide were 9-of-15 on third downs
compared to a 2-of-13 success rate for Texas A&M … Aggies senior wide
receiver Malcome Kennedy returned to action after missing two games with a
shoulder injury, but managed just four yards on four catches.
