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When: 6:15 p.m. CT Saturday
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
Records: Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC), Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC)
Line: Alabama by 26 1/2
TV: ESPN
Online: WatchESPN
Last meeting: Alabama 33, Texas A&M 14 in Tuscaloosa
Series History: The Tide hold a 7-2 series lead and have won four straight since 2013. The Aggies last beat Alabama 29-24 in 2012 - in its first SEC meeting against the Crimson Tide. Texas A&M is 1-4 against the Tide in Texas with its lone win in the 1968 Cotton Bowl.
Top-ranked Alabama visits Texas A&M on Saturday for a night game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
The Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) are coming off back-to-back conference wins over Mississippi and Vanderbilt where they won by a combined score of 125-3. Alabama hasn’t allowed a touchdown in a regular-season, conference game since Oct. 22, 2016, against Texas A&M - a pass from Trevor Knight to Christian Kirk.
The Aggies (4-1, 2-0) have rebounded with four straight wins since blowing a 34-point lead to UCLA in its season opener at the Rose Bowl. A&M has scored at least 24 points in that span, including a 50-43 overtime win over Arkansas in the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
3 Things to watch
Alabama OTs Matt Womack and Jonah Williams vs. Texas A&M DE Landis Durham and Jarrett Johnson
Replacing Miles Garrett was never going to be an easy task, and it has taken two players to try to replace his production. The Aggie duo has six sacks in the Aggies’ first two games and, they’ll now, go up against two Crimson Tide tackles who are first-year starters. A&M’s defense as a whole leads the SEC with 20 sacks, including seven against South Carolina.
Alabama’s run game vs. A&M’s run defense
The Tide have found success on the ground this season with Damien and Najee Harris, Bo Scarbrough and quarterback Jalen Hurts. They’re averaging a SEC-best 315.6 yards per game and 6.66 yards per carry. Alabama rushed for 496 and 365 yards against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, respectively, the past two weeks. The Tide’s offense will have a tough task against A&M’s run defense that ranks 15th in the nation.
Replacing Hand
Alabama will be without defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand — preseason first-team All-SEC selection — due to an knee injury he suffered in the third quarter against Ole Miss. The injury occurred early in the third frame, when Ole Miss tight end Dawson Knox came across the box and cut Hand low. Matt Zenitz of AL.com reported Tuesday that Hand sprained his MCL and will be out for three games. The junior has 11 tackles and 1.5 for loss on the season. A&M could take advantage of a Hand’s absence in its multi-dimensional rushing attack with quarterback Kellen Mond and running backs Keith Ford, Trayveon Williams and Kendall Bussey. The Aggies’ 255.6 ypg ranks second in the SEC.