As we close in on kickoff, a few things to watch out for:
1. How well does the interior of A&M's defensive line hold up? Alabama wants to run right up the middle. Williams, Obioha, Mack and Henderson are going to have to stand their ground and limit big runs, especially on first down.
2. How does Alabama handle Christian Kirk? They have seen some really good receivers, but not Kirk. He's not just a guy who can run fly patterns deep; he'll be going across the middle and getting kick outs at the line. They'll have to account for that.
3. Can A&M keep Alabama honest? The Aggies don't need to get a ton of yards on the ground. They just need enough to make sure that it sticks in Bama's mind that they can do it.
4. Can A&M keep Alabama from substituting? The starting front 7 are not the guys who apply pressure. It's the backups that they rotate in in passing situations. If A&M can keep them off the field, that's a big problem for Alabama.
5. Will Cam Robinson need help? Lane Kiffin loathes using tight ends to help block defensive ends. LT Cam Robinson is banged up and Myles Garrett is across from him.
6. Can Jake Coker be fazed? In Bama's loss to Ole Miss, Alabama turned the ball over five times. Not all of that was Coker -- their special teams were bad -- but he has showed repeatedly that he'll turn the ball over if pressured.
7. Can A&M keep Kyle Allen clean? This is simple. No pressure, big problems for Alabama. But most people have gotten pressure against this line.
8. Can A&M's linebackers play consistently? They've had some big plays and some moments where they've screwed up majorly. They can't do that today.
9. Will A&M be ready for Alabama's playaction game? Coker likes to go deep and it has bitten A&M every time these teams have played.
10. Who wins turnovers and special teams? The Aggies have a huge edge in special teams on paper. They've got the better turnover margin (+2 to even) to date. If those hold to form, A&M has two big points in the plus column.
1. How well does the interior of A&M's defensive line hold up? Alabama wants to run right up the middle. Williams, Obioha, Mack and Henderson are going to have to stand their ground and limit big runs, especially on first down.
2. How does Alabama handle Christian Kirk? They have seen some really good receivers, but not Kirk. He's not just a guy who can run fly patterns deep; he'll be going across the middle and getting kick outs at the line. They'll have to account for that.
3. Can A&M keep Alabama honest? The Aggies don't need to get a ton of yards on the ground. They just need enough to make sure that it sticks in Bama's mind that they can do it.
4. Can A&M keep Alabama from substituting? The starting front 7 are not the guys who apply pressure. It's the backups that they rotate in in passing situations. If A&M can keep them off the field, that's a big problem for Alabama.
5. Will Cam Robinson need help? Lane Kiffin loathes using tight ends to help block defensive ends. LT Cam Robinson is banged up and Myles Garrett is across from him.
6. Can Jake Coker be fazed? In Bama's loss to Ole Miss, Alabama turned the ball over five times. Not all of that was Coker -- their special teams were bad -- but he has showed repeatedly that he'll turn the ball over if pressured.
7. Can A&M keep Kyle Allen clean? This is simple. No pressure, big problems for Alabama. But most people have gotten pressure against this line.
8. Can A&M's linebackers play consistently? They've had some big plays and some moments where they've screwed up majorly. They can't do that today.
9. Will A&M be ready for Alabama's playaction game? Coker likes to go deep and it has bitten A&M every time these teams have played.
10. Who wins turnovers and special teams? The Aggies have a huge edge in special teams on paper. They've got the better turnover margin (+2 to even) to date. If those hold to form, A&M has two big points in the plus column.
