StatFox.com - Sports Handicapping Community

The Leader In Sports Handicapping

#6 Texas A&M, #1 Alabama clash Saturday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 10/17/2016  at  9:21:00 AM
  Print This Article    

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (6-0)
at ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (7-0)

Bryant-Denny Stadium – Tuscaloosa, AL
Kickoff: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Alabama -16.5, Total: N/A

A pair of national championship contenders meet when #1 Alabama hosts #6 Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Aggies have been extremely impressive this season, as they are 6-0 (4-2 ATS) with wins over UCLA, Arkansas and Tennessee. That victory over the Volunteers was two weeks ago and A&M won 45-38 as an eight-point home favorite, but the team led by two touchdowns twice in that game. The Aggies were way more dominant than the score suggests and they’ll be ready to go in this one. A&M had an extra week to prepare for this game and the team knows that this is potentially the biggest game in school history. Alabama, meanwhile, is coming off of a 49-10 victory as a 13.5-point road favorite against Tennessee on Saturday. The Tide rushed for an unbelievable 438 yards in that game and they are not going to lose if they continue to have that type of success on the ground. Alabama will also be confident coming into this game, as the team is 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) in its past three meetings with A&M. The Aggies do, however, get to face an Alabama team that is just 6-16 ATS versus teams that are allowing 250 or more passing yards per game since 1992. Fortunately for Alabama, though, the Aggies are just 10-27 ATS in road games versus teams that are outscoring their opponents by 17 or more PPG in that span.

If Texas A&M is going to make a statement and knock off Alabama then QB Trevor Knight (1,500 yards, 9 TD, 5 INT) is going to need to throw the ball well. Knight has had a terrific season from the position thus far, but most of the damage he does is with his legs. Knight has rushed for 502 yards and nine touchdowns on the season, but he has thrown for just two touchdowns with a lousy three picks in his past two games. A&M needs its signal caller to be accurate as a passer in this one, as Alabama will win this one far too easily if Knight is turning the ball over. One thing that should make things easier on Knight is the play of RB Trayveon Williams (704 yards, 5 TD). Williams is averaging 8.6 YPC for the Aggies and is coming off of a game where he rushed for 217 yards and a score against Tennessee. Things will be a lot tougher against a dominant Alabama defensive line, but if Williams can rush for something close to 100 yards then it’ll take a lot of pressure off of Knight. Defensively, the Crimson Tide will need to contain Hurts one way or another. One guy that will have his eye on him is DL Myles Garrett (14 tackles, 4.0 sacks). Garrett is one of the best defensive players in the nation and he’ll need to make sure he keeps Hurts in his line of vision at all times in this one.

Alabama is once again the team to beat, but the Crimson Tide will have their work cut out for them in this one. Texas A&M is an explosive team offensively and that means that Alabama will need to be ready to lock in defensively. That has not been an issue this season, as the Crimson Tide have allowed just 274.0 YPG (5th in NCAAF) and 15.0 PPG (8th in NCAAF) through seven games. Offensively, Alabama has been thriving as well. QB Jalen Hurts (1,385 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT) is the guy that the Tide can thank for that. Hurts is one of the best quarterbacks that Alabama has had in recent memory and he is coming off of a big game against Tennessee. Hurts threw for only 143 yards with no touchdowns and a pick in that one, but he did rush for 132 yards and three touchdowns. He should find some of that same success against A&M on Saturday, as the Aggies struggled to find a way to stop Joshua Dobbs last game and he and Hurts are somewhat similar. Look for him and this Alabama offense to put up 30+ points in this game and the defense to get just enough stops to keep the Tide rolling.


FoxSheets.com
The FoxSheets - the most advanced sports handicapping information available on the internet.
Sign up for professional sports betting information including fantastic trends, and Free FoxSheets.
E-mail: