Alabama football’s report card vs. Texas A&M
Quarterbacks: A-
Bryce Young was the Heisman frontrunner. He is the best quarterback in the SEC. Still, he’s only faced one true hostile environment as a starting quarterback before this game. Young has the talent and production, but he lacks experience, and that is one of Alabama football’s only concerns on offense.
Young had a bad handoff and an interception in the first half, but he also struggled with pocket manipulation. He didn’t have long to stay in the pocket, but he also couldn’t do much when he had time. He had to scramble more than he was used to, and that hurt the passing offense.
Young could have benefitted from his receivers making catches, but he also could have made better throws. Things got better, and you can credit Young for that as well. It was an inconsistent day, but he got better as the game got tougher. The final drive was concerning, but scoring 38 points in that environment is nothing to sneeze at.
Kicking: A?
Will Reichard made three field goals and all of his extra points in this game. This was a hostile environment at night with crazy fans, but it didn’t shake Reichard. Saban trusted him to kick field goals when Alabama football could have instead gone for fourth-down conversions. This is still a new feeling for Tide fans, but it gives you options to score in a hostile environment.
Punting: P
Punts were rare, and little happened on them. Most of the Tide’s special team mistakes came from the kickoff returned for a touchdown, but the punts were average. You’ll take what you can get in those situations. He passed, but without flying colors.