Alabama football’s report card vs. Texas A&M
Cornerbacks: C-
Alabama has a strong secondary, and this was seen as an easy assignment for the Tide. The Aggies prefer to use the run game and tight ends, and they also had as many interceptions as they did passing touchdowns entering this game. Needless to say, this was not supposed to happen.
Alabama really wanted to get interceptions against a weak group with a history of struggling. It was not a must for the team to win, but the secondary expected dominance.
Instead, Texas A&M torched the secondary early in this one. Busted coverage continued for the entire first half, and that is why Alabama football struggled to get off the field on defense. The second half was better as a whole, but penalties and busted coverages were still too much.
Safeties: F
The safety situation has been interesting. DeMarcco Hellams has seen fewer reps, and Alabama has moved some players around in the process. With the quick targeting call on Malachi Moore, Hellams saw more reps in this game. He got the first turnover for Alabama football, and it was in a crucial situation. However, he also had a rough pass interference call on the final drive.
Moore’s targeting penalty was frustrating, but it was technically the right call by the rulebook. That is not why targeting was created, but he technically broke the rules on the hit. You can’t risk it on a play like that, and it hurt the Tide.
On the bright side, Battle played well with some big hits. The entire defense picked up, but that doesn’t take away their terrible performance early in this game.