What did we learn in Alabama football’s loss?
Alabama had faced back-to-back ranked opponents ahead of Saturday, and they have left those games with two wins. The Tide expected to face another ranked team in College Station, but the Aggies fell out of the top 25. Instead, Alabama football played an unranked Texas A&M team with hopes of becoming relevant once again. The Aggies did just that by upsetting the Crimson Tide
Alabama has high hopes for the season, but they now must go perfect for the rest of the year. Every game matters, and the Aggies could not be overlooked. Despite their past two losses, they had an experienced roster with a strong offensive line and solid defense.
Alabama lost to the Aggies, but they still learned plenty. Losses are learning opportunities, which is the closest Alabama has to a silver lining at this point. Here are grades for each position group, starting with the tight ends.
Tight Ends: D+
Alabama has two tight ends who have proven that they are worth starting. Cameron Latu began the year as the starter, and Jahleel Billingsley has proven that he is one of the best tight ends in college football as well. The Tide are back to using tight ends consistently in the passing game, and they add versatility to the Alabama football offense. However, none of that showed in this game.
Latu had a bad holding call early in the game, and Billingsley was the target on the interception throw. The interception was not on Billingsley, but he also had some bad drops of his own.
Bryce Young needed his players to make plays for him, and they did not. Latu failed to secure a touchdown catch, and Billingsley failed to secure a few other catches. With so many opportunities for the Tide to make big plays, the tight ends failed to deliver.