Top Storylines to follow for Texas A&M vs. Alabama
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COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M will have a chance to head back on the right track against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The No.24 Aggies started the season 3-2 and enjoyed a bye week to regroup.
With Alabama expected to compete for another national championship, the Aggies could derail their success with a victory in front of the home crowd. The team went back to the basics in practice last week, hoping to correct the little mistakes that have set their season eschew.
Here are the top storylines heading into Saturday's matchup.
Fundamentally sound
The Aggies have found themselves struggling early due to a lack of fundamentals. Poor execution, dropped passes and weak plays caused the team to fall late and never recover.
With a bye week, Jimbo Fisher went back to the basics to find the problem. Moving forward, it will be about executing early and relying on their fundamentals to keep them in contention from the get-go.
"We went back to really a lot of drills that allowed them to go back to those fundamentals that and not think about scheme," Fisher said.
A&M's early struggles have set the team back early. From there, the team has been forced to dig themselves out of a hole. With a bye week, the team expects to be better prepares to face the SEC favorites.
Dethroning the Champs
Alabama has consistently found themselves inside the top ranking under the direction of Nick Saban. Since the beginning of the College Football Playoff era, the Crimson Tide has yet to miss postseason play, despite failing to claim the SEC title in 2016.
The path to the playoff goes through Tuscaloosa. Since 2012, the Aggies have found minimal success when facing the Crimson and White lineup. The hope is with preparation, A&M could give them a run for their money.
"We've had a lot of good practices," offensive tackle Carson Green said. "A lot of ones versus ones, kind of getting ready for the looks we're going to see against Alabama."
Since their arrival to the conference, A&M has claimed victory once. That was in 2012 when Johnny Manziel marched into Bryant-Denny Stadium to shock the College Football world.
Master versus Protege
Fisher and Saban will meet for the second time in their careers. Before the pair became some of the top head coaches in NCAA, they once worked together to help claim a national championship. Saban was the head coach at LSU while Fisher worked as the team's offensive coordinator.
One of the biggest reasons for Saban's success is due to his ability to remain the best against those who learned under him. All-time, the Alabama coach is 17-0 against his coaching tree.
Earlier this season, Saban defeated South Carolina and Will Muschamp to begin conference play. The last time Fisher faced his former master, Florida State lost significantly to Alabama's front seven. If one former coach could beat the master, Fisher would be the best bet at the moment.
Fast start, slow finish
Discipline has been one of the more significant issues for Texas A&M this year. It also was the factor that ended up playing in Alabama's favor.
Kellen Mond struggled early against the Crimson Tide's secondary in Tuscaloosa last year. The then-sophomore threw two interceptions in their own territory to give a short field for Alabama's high tempo offense. Alabama was able to cruise to victory due to the Aggies miscues.
"You can't have self-inflicted wounds," Fisher said. "We talk about negative plays, penalties, turnovers, you've got to find a way to create big plays. That's always on offense."
During the team's six-game losing streak to Alabama, A&M's offense has created 14 turnovers, culminating in 73 points. A slow start on offense could turn into turnovers in favor of the visiting team.
The Four Horsemen of Alabama
Alabama's offensive success has predominately come off the arm of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. It helps when a quartet of wide receivers have the potential to be the next big names at the NFL level.
Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle has collected 18 total touchdowns of Tagovailoa's 23 scores. That's the most from an offensive team this season. Each receiver possesses a skill that makes them deadly in their own way and a nightmare for defenders to cover.
"They're a dynamic offense," safety Kendrick Cooper said. "I feel like it's going to be a big challenge like it always has been for the last couple of years playing Alabama."
The Aggies offensive production has come through the air as well. Quartney Davis, Jhamon Aubson, Kendrick Rogers and Ainais Smith have collected seven of Mond's 10 touchdowns this season.
One receiving unit could be the x-factor in a close game. It will be interesting to see how both secondaries plan for these two units.