Despite being plagued by turnovers and missing Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, Alabama football found a way to eke out a 24-20 victory against Texas A&M. Here are four key takeaways from Alabama's big win over Texas A&M in Week 6.
In a duel of relief quarterbacks, No. 1 Alabama escaped with a significant win Saturday night because of backup quarterback Jalen Milroe's three touchdown passes in his first start.
Without injured erstwhile starting QB Bryce Young, the Crimson Tide relied on Will Anderson Jr. and the defense for two late saves. They just about got them to survive four mistakes and two missed field goals against a club that defeated Alabama 41-38 last season. The Crimson Tide also got a ton of production from RB Jahmyr Gibbs, who rose to the occasion.
Alabama football won their sixth game in a row, extending their unblemished streak this season.
Now let's take a look at four things we learned about the Alabama Crimson Tide in their Week 6 win over Texas A&M.
4. Jaheim Oatis is one terrifying dude
Freshman defensive lineman Jaheim Oatis does much more than just take up a lot of space in the center of the defense.
At 6'5, Oatis surely towers over most people and really fills up space with his 348-pound figure. However, as he has demonstrated in previous games, and even here against Texas A&M, he can make an impact in numerous ways.
It's terrifying to consider how fast he can move for a man his size. In one play, Oatis pursued Devon Achane, the Aggies' quick running back, from behind and stopped him after a 7-yard gain in the second quarter.
Oatis also batted a pass at the line of scrimmage later in the second quarter. He clearly has the capacity to demolish opposition offenses. And again, he's just a freshman! He'll continue to be an asset for Alabama football this season.
3. Alabama pass rush was crazy scary
Will Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner, and Chris Braswell will haunt Haynes King for the foreseeable future. Texas A&M's backup quarterback just had a rough outing despite throwing for over 250 yards.
It all started with Anderson constantly pursuing King. Anderson never quite made it home in the first few drives, but King had to frantically scramble to elude him quite a number of times.
Despite running after King like a madman, Anderson was never able to sack him in this game. His defensive mates, Braswell and Turner, were able to do so. Turner, in fact, recorded two sacks on King.
In the final period, however, Anderson scared King into an incompletion on a key fourth-down try. Anderson & Co. just took advantage of a Texas A&M offensive line that couldn't get any rhythm to its pass protection.
Yes, Alabama football was -14 in total tackles and -1 in sacks, but the Crimson Tider were +14 in QB hurries by game's end.
2. Jalen Milroe was a mixed bag
Jalen Milroe tried his best. When the smoke cleared, he did a lot of good.
He also did a lot of not-so-good.
As Bryce Young's replacement, Milroe was filling in for very big shoes. Considering everything, he showed glimpses of brilliance at times. His well-known running abilities came into play here against the Aggies. In the first half, his 33-yard run set up Alabama's first score, which Milroe threw to tight end Cameron Latu.
Keep in mind, however, that Milroe was intercepted three times in the first half alone. He hung onto the ball in the pocket for too long twice, allowing the Aggies to force turnovers that they recovered.
Milroe finished with 111 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also ran for 83 yards. Overall, he has proven that he can be a solid quarterback, but his lack of experience as an SEC starter was evident, too. His execution had a number of holes that surely need to be fixed.
1. Jahmyr Gibbs was the star here
Young's absence almost certainly means he will not become a two-time Heisman Trophy winner this season. That may seem unjust, but given the skill in college football, that is just the way the cookie crumbles. Having said that, there is a case to be made for another Alabama player — Jahmyr Gibbs.
The transfer from Georgia Tech was the main point of the Alabama attack, and Texas A&M's front seven couldn't stop him. The Dalton, Georgia, junior averaged 7.3 yards per rush and repeatedly sliced through the Aggie defense no matter what they tried.
Gibbs may not have gotten much Heisman attention so far, but if he does take over as THE MAN for Alabama, he will surely pique the interest of voters everywhere. Remember as well that he is coming off a Week 5 performance where he recorded 206 rushing yards and 2 TDs.
He currently averages just over 83.0 rushing yards per game this season, but that will skyrocket as he becomes Alabama football's main weapon moving forward.
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