5 winners and 2 losers from Alabama's 31-20 win over Texas A&M to snap two-game skid

Alabama's backs were firmly pressed against the wall heading into Saturday afternoon's do-or-die matchup against Texas A&M. Coming off back-to-back losses and with a lengthy injury report, the Crimson Tide just needed to find a way to win by any means necessary.

It was far from pretty, but Alabama executed down the stretch in the fourth quarter to overcome a 20-17 fourth-quarter deficit to emerge with a 31-20 win to improve to 6-2 and get to a much-needed bye week with a chance to get healthy before a season-defining trip to Baton Rouge on November 7th.

Here are the winners and losers from the Tide's win:

Winner: Keelon Russell

Yes, he made one critical error. The interception late in the first half where he extended a play that looked dead and then foolishly threw the ball into coverage. It was a frustrating turnover, which Russell has had too many of this season.

But he was terrific down the stretch. He went 9-of-11 for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the second half as Alabama outscored Texas A&M 14-3 in the final 30 minutes. He came up with several clutch throws late in the game to help the Tide win.

Trailing 20-17 on the final play of the third quarter and facing a third and must-have-it, Russell threw a dime to Rico Scott on the sideline for a 48-yard gain down to the 5-yard line:

That set up the go-ahead touchdown pass from Russell to Marshall Pritchett on the first play of the fourth quarter.

On the next drive, Russell hit Kaleb Edwards in the endzone on another critical third down to give Alabama a two-possession lead.

He finished with another 300-yard passing day despite getting little to no help from the Tide's ground game.

Winner: Rico Scott

With Ryan Coleman-Williams out, Alabama needed more from its wide receivers this week than it got last week in Knoxville. While all the discussion was around who would step into the WR3 role, it was Rico Scott who delivered.

Scott produced a career-high 156 yards on six receptions to lead the way for the Crimson Tide. He made several big plays, none bigger than the reception along the sideline from Russel on a pivotal third down that set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Alabama hopes to get Coleman-Williams back after the bye, but Scott continues to emerge as a big-time weapon for Russell.

Winner: Alabama's tight ends

Alabama's TE trio of Marshall Pritchett, Kaleb Edwards, and Josh Ford came up with big plays in the passing game for the Crimson Tide. They combined to record seven receptions for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 11-point win.

Ford, with a broken arm, hauled in a pair of receptions, including a 16-yarder on the first play of the game.

Pritchett scored the go-ahead touchdown before Edwards put the game to bed with a nice grab from Russell:

Winner: Fatutoa Henry

Alabama's banged-up defensive front needed someone to step up in the fourth quarter to help the Crimson Tide put the game away.

Fifth-year senior Fatutoa Henry answered the bell for Kane Wommack's unit.

Henry recorded two sacks, both of which came in the game's final frame. The first came after Pritchett gave Alabama the lead. He brought down Marcel Reed to force a 3rd-and-19, directly leading to the Tide's defense getting off the field.

After Edwards scored to push Alabama's lead to 31-20, Henry recorded a sack on 3rd-and-3 to force another punt.

It was a big performance for Henry, who plays with a relentless motor. He should continue to get opportunities even when the defense is closer to full strength.

Winner: Dijon Lee

It was the normal Dijon Lee roller coaster ride for Alabama. Lee had some good moments and bad moments in the game, including a personal foul penalty and a pass interference.

But he also came up with a huge play in the first quarter, jumping a quick pass by Reed and intercepting it for a touchdown, his second pick-six of the season:

Playing without Zabien Brown, Alabama needed Lee to play well. It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but that pick-six was one of the biggest plays of the afternoon.

Loser: AK Dear

It seems clear at this point that the talk of AK Dear's impressive offseason was just that: talk. The sophomore RB looked poised for a significant role in this offense before he hurt his ankle during the first scrimmage of fall camp.

But he's been back since the South Carolina game and still isn't making an impact, or really even getting an opportunity to do so. This appeared like a potential spot he might get a chance with EJ Crowell sidelined.

Instead, after Daniel Hill and Trae'shawn Brown, it was junior Kevin Riley who was the third RB on the field.

It looks like it'll be another lost season for Dear.

Loser: Conor Talty

Coming into Saturday's game, Talty was a perfect 10-of-10 on field goals this year. Against Texas A&M, the inconsistent version of Talty that we saw too often last season reared its head.

Talty went 1-for-3 on field goal attempts. Following a Chuck McDonald interception in the first quarter, the second straight drive the defense came up with a takeaway, Talty had a chance to put points on the board after the offense stalled. Instead, he missed a kick from 36 yards out.

He stepped up and drilled a 47-yarder on the next drive, but he missed another attempt in the third quarter after Texas A&M had just taken the lead on a field goal of its own.

Hopefully, this is just a blip on the radar and not a sign of further struggles. Alabama is going to need a confident Talty to hit some clutch kicks down the stretch of the season.

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