No. 1 Texas, Alabama A&M Reunites in Grudge Match

Alabama and Texas A&M basically took last year’s scenario with some additions. off-season spices.

Now, can they match the 2021 game itself?

The newly ranked Crimson Tide and the currently unranked Aggies were on Saturday night at last season’s 41-38 Texas A&M Ups t and the coach’s infamous verbal battle.

Once again Alabama (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) is in first place while the Aggies (3-2, 1-1) plummet out of the ranks from sixth. Texas A&M lost to Mississippi struggle aggressivelyjust like last season.

Tide coach Nick Saban said: “I would say it was the same situation as it was a year ago.

He wants another result and a healthy Bryce Young, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Nursing for shoulder injuries. The coach names both Young and Texas A&M starter Max Johnson (thrower) by day.

Texas A&M won last year’s meeting on a last-play field goal in Alabama’s only regular season loss.

“It left a really bad taste in my mouth.”

No one from either team has said it publicly, but given the controversial offseason for Saban and his former assistant Aggies coach Jimbo Fischer, it’s been somewhat of an extra. Now there’s fuel. Now it’s a well-rehashed exchange that began when Saban said Texas A&M “bought” a top-ranked recruiting class by name, image, and licensing money. Fisher angrily countered, calling his former boss at LSU a “narcissist” and more.

This week, both coaches predictably downplayed that ugly summer episode that drew a rebuke from the SEC.

“That’s it,” Fisher said. “He and I are in great shape…and we moved on.”

QB Mystery

Saban said Young did “a few things” in practice this week. He hasn’t revealed whether Young or redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe will be the Tide’s quarterback on Saturday.

Like Saban and Young, Fisher describes Johnson as every day after suffering a hand injury in the second half of a loss to Mississippi State.

About these backups

Texas A&M’s Haynes King, who started the past two seasons as a starter, has more experience than Milroe. After King played against Mississippi State, he had a touchdown run and threw two interceptions. Texas A&M also has a freshman, Conner Weigman.

Milroe’s most substantial playing time came last weekend, which included a 77-yard run on the third-and-15. But Fisher knows him well. He recruited Texas natives and put Millow in the Texas A&M camp.

“He was athletic, competitive, and a great player in high school,” Fisher said.

tough matchup

The Aggies ranked last in the SEC with just 335 yards per game and 105th in the nation in total offense. They also scored the fewest points in the conference with just 21.8, making him 108th overall in the country.

Things could get even tougher this week as they face a team from Alabama, ranked No. 4 in the nation with just 236.4 yards per game.

all business

On SEC Media Day, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. said “everything will be worked out” on the field about the coach’s offseason fuss. He wasn’t interested in addressing that topic publicly this week, nor was the other player on either team.

“I’m here to play football. I’m not here to write a tweet,” Anderson said. “I didn’t come here to go back and forth. People might try to make it big, but at the end of the day, I have a scholarship to play football. Coach Sabang brought me here to play soccer.

ready to repeat?

Preparation is everything. That’s what Fisher says about the key to pulling off (another) upset for Alabama.

“The important thing is to make sure everyone is in the right headspace going into this game,” defensive back Antonio Johnson said.

“We were in the same place last year,” Johnson said. ‘It’s all about finishing the season’

Kristie Rieken, AP Sports Writer in Houston, contributed to this article.