Texas A&M's 31-20 road loss to Alabama drops the Aggies to 4-4 and 1-4 in SEC play, leaving their struggles unanswered as they enter the bye week despite a strong first half. The Aggies held a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, but a botched fourth-and-one snap gave Alabama good field position and led to back-to-back touchdowns for the home team.
The Aggies are reeling, but I don't need to tell the fan base this team is on pace to finish 4-8, given that road tests vs. South Carolina and Oklahoma, plus hosting Tennessee and Texas, remain for the season and will finally come to an end. Still, third-year coach Mike Elko and his staff must respond, and changes could come in the next two weeks.
In the loss, Texas A&M's offense, as I stated above,
was at its best form, especially quarterback Marcel Reed's passing performance in the first half, contributing a passing and rushing touchdown, while freshman running back KJ Edwards led the team with 43 yards, but dealt with a contusion that led to just three carries the rest of the game.
Texas A&M's defense did its job in the first half, but Alabama QB Keelon Russell had no issues targeting Aggie linebackers and the nickel rotation, allowing 16 catches on 17 targets for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The team will reflect during the bye, starting with Texas A&M's Pro Football Focus grades for the Aggies' offense and defense after Saturday's loss to Alabama.
Offense
- WR Isaiah Horton — 73.2 offense, 72.8 pass
- RB Rueben Owens II — 70.5 offense, 75.8 pass blocking, 68.4 run
- WR Aaron Gregory — 68.0 offense, 67.3 pass
- RB KJ Edwards — 67.0 offense, 73.3 pass blocking, 69.2 running
- OL Tyree Adams — 62.7 offense, 84.1 pass blocking
Marcel Reed finished with a poor 47.5 grade on offense, ranked last on the team, mainly because of his early pick-six, second interception, and two near-fumbles. Among all active quarterbacks, Reed is ranked 25th-worst in passing grade so far this season at 57.8, and expectations are that the senior QB will continue to start the rest of the season.
While KJ Edwards dealt with a leg contusion that limited his second-half playing time, the freshman back continues to look like the roster's most explosive athlete, finishing with the fourth-highest offensive grade, and will continue to start for the rest of the season barring any setbacks.
Despite struggling late, Texas A&M's offensive line earned impressive pass-protection grades, led by right guard Wilkin Formby (86.5), while the unit allowed just one sack and five pressures.
Defense
- DE Tristian Given — 81.3 defense, 79.2 pass rush
- CB Julio Humphrey — 74.0 defense, 70.0 run defense, 80.0 tackling, 72.7 coverage
- DB Marcus Ratcliffe — 68.4 defense, 64.4 run defense, 77.4 tackling, 66.6 pass rush, 65.7 coverage
- DL Bryce Perry-Wright — 67.4 defense, 70.7 run defense, 55.8 pass rush
- DL Landon Rink — 66.9 defense, 65.0 run defense, 72.4 tackling, 63.2 pass rush
Texas A&M's defense was average to above average, but still couldn't generate a consistent pass rush; it did produce 16 pressures and three sacks given Alabama's offensive line issues. However, the Aggies missed 16 tackles, and, as I stated in the intro, linebackers Daymion Sanford and Noah Mikhail allowed 121 yards and three touchdowns in coverage.
Coverage busts, especially allowing Alabama WR Rico Scott to catch a season-high six for 156 yards, are unacceptable at this point in the season; the Aggies entered Week 8 with the 10th-ranked passing defense but did not play like it.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Notable PFF grades after Texas A&M's 31-20 loss to Alabama
