I have it on very good authority....from Coach Gene Stallings, no less....Texas A&M was warned to be really sure that it wanted to join the SEC. "They have grown men playing football in the SEC" Coach Stallings told the Athletics Committee of the A&M Board of Trustees. It was a fair warning, but nothing could have prepared the Aggies for what awaited them in Tuscaloosa on a perfect October day in 2014.
It wasn't just Alabama's 59 points, 35 of which were scored in the second quarter alone. It wasn't just a Kevin Sumlin-coached team being held scoreless for the first time in Sumlin's coaching career. It wasn't even the statistical disparities like Alabama having more minutes in time of possession [36] than A&M had in yards gained rushing [31].
It was the complete domination of one team by another. It was Alabama coming as close to playing a perfect game as I think I have ever seen. It was a joyous, gleeful romp by a football team that needed to rid itself of the lingering effects of self-inflicted underachievement and make a statement about its character and identity.
It the 2014 Crimson Tide ultimately proves to be a championship team, we will point to the 59-0 demolition of Texas A&M as the season's turning point.
At the risk of making a gargantuan understatement, A&M is having a tough year. The promise of success that seemed to be offered by a season opening victory over South Carolina on the Thursday before Labor Day, has turned to ashes as late summer has turned to autumn.
But, the A&M fans, are a resilient lot. Not as many of them made the trek to Tuscaloosa this year, compared to 2012, when Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy on the strength of his first quarter improvisations. Nevertheless, the Aggie faithful in T'town were good-natured fans who love their team and endured a frightful beating with stoic patience.
Aggie fans on internet chat boards displayed a good deal of gallows humor as they commented on the demolition of their team. Here is a sample of some of the less profane:
"If this continues, Eric Holder is going to prosecute Nick Saban for committing a hate crime."
"Hey, South Carolina fans: this confirms that your defense really sucks."
"The 'over-and-under' on us stoping the Alabama starting offense is 1.....I'm taking the under."
And my personal favorite:
"I think we just ran out of time."
This win was like a dose of tonic for what has been ailing the Tide. The offense was unstoppable. The defense was unmovable. Special teams were unerring. Alabama did not commit a single penalty, scored 35 points in the second quarter and did not punt a single time until the third quarter was half over; by which time, the game had been over for a while. If this game had been a prize-fight, not only would the ring-side physician have stopped it in the second round, the sports commission would revoke A&M's boxing license.
The Aggies could not even win the coin toss and they got to call "heads-or-tails." At the risk of being accused of being an easy grader, here is how I grade the game:
Offense: A+ Alabama gained 602 yards of total offense [298 rushing], earned 30 first downs, and scored more points in the second quarter than it has ever scored in any single quarter in its 120 year history of playing college football.
TJ Yeldon gained 114 yards rushing on 13 carries, all before intermission. Derrick Henry added 70 yards on 10 rushing attempts while Blake contributed 54 yards on 4 rushes and showed elusive moves sufficient to de-cleat Aggie tacklers which moves are now being referred to as the "Shake And Blake."
Blake completed 16 of 27 pass attempts for 268 yards and 3 TDs. Jake completed 5 of 8 pass attempts for 36 yards and a score.
Amari Cooper led all receivers with 140 yards and 2 TDs on 8 receptions. TJ, DeAndrew White and Cam Sims each caught 3 passes. Eight different players made receptions, including Alabama's hyphenated receiver, Flournoy-Smith.
Alabama mounted eight sustained drives [71, 72, 84, 64, 80, 80, 57, 57] that resulted in one FG and 7 TDs. The Tide faced 15 third-downs and converted 9.
Defense: A+ The Aggies were only able to generate 172 yards of total offense [31 rushing] which produced only 8 first downs. The A&M offense was so completely throttled by the Alabama defense that the Aggies actually had more yards returning kicks [198] than they did in total offense. The defense was particularly dominant on 3rd downs. The Aggies faced 13 possession downs and converted only 2.
Ryan Anderson recorded 6 tackles [4 solo]. Gino Smith, Nick Perry, Reuben Foster, Trey DePriest, Reggie Ragland and Dillon Lee each were credited with 5 tackles. Tide defenders made 9 tackles for lost yardage [6 sacks], a forced fumble, one interception and 5 pass breakups.
Special Teams:
Punting: A+ JK Scott only punted 4 times....each in the second half...and averaged 50 yards per punt.
Kickoffs: A Adam Griffith and Scott shared kickoff duties, and for good reason considering the fact that the Tide executed 10 kickoffs. Only a 75 yard return late in the game deprives the kicking unit of the +
Place Kicking: A+ Griffith was good on his solo FG attempt and he and Scott were perfect on PATs.
Coaching: A+ Alabama had no penalties.....Let me write that one more time: ALABAMA HAD NO PENALTIES! The participation report lists 60 players who saw action against A&M and the bench contributed three-deep at quarterback, center, and most positions along the lines of scrimmage. Special recognition is due to Grant Hill who came into the game in relief of Austin Sheppard in the second quarter. On his first play in the game, Hill blew open a hole that sprang Derrick Henry for a 13 yards TD. The offensive play calling was quite good, especially the immediate decision to run a play on 4th and goal from the A&M 2 yard line in the Tide's prolific 2d quarter scoring orgy. To say the coaches had the players ready for the game is a massive understatement. I have not seen Alabama players having so much fun during a game since the 2012 BCS Championship Game. Saban obviously took to heart the advice he received from Bama's men's golf coach, Jay Seawell, who told Saban to "let the horses run." The horses ran, and threw, and caught, blocked and tackled and scored...oh my, how they scored.
This game was a must-win situation for both teams. Alabama has no room for error if the Tide is going to make a championship run. Every game from here to December might as well be a playoff game. For A&M, a win would not just stop the bleeding from back-to-back losses to the Mississippi schools; a victory in consecutive trips to Tuscaloosa would enhance the Aggies' street cred in the SEC West and add a lot of spice to the stew of a burgeoning rivalry between these two programs. This loss, however, calls into question the post-Manziel legitimacy of the Aggies as an SEC contender.
Whatever questions are being asked this morning in College Station, are nothing like the ones being asked in Gainesville. Aggie message board posters are questioning the wisdom of A&M paying Kevin Sumlin $5 million a year. Gator Nation is questioning whether Will Muschamp should be fired today or allowed to coach out the remainder of the season.
Last week, Coach Saban expressed his frustration with Alabama fans who were not satisfied with a one-point win over Arkansas. Set aside for a moment, Saban's famous lack of satisfaction with winning national championships. He was sending a message more to his players than to the fan base: play the game the way we have coached you to play it.
This coming Saturday, Alabama will face another road trip as the Tide heads to Knoxville. Granted that the Vols are not playing well, but Alabama has not played well on the road so far. It is time to set that right and to do it in one of the program's oldest and most storied rivalries will make it all the better.
Roll Tide, Y'all.
The Commissioner
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