Although he doesn’t want to admit it, this Saturday will be a revenge game for Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. The top-ranked team in the nation the Tide will host the Texas A&M Aggies, led by head coach Jimbo Fisher. This game will mark the midway point of the 2022 season for the Crimson Tide. This game will also be one of the biggest games yet for the Tide as they look to avenge last year’s crushing defeat at Texas A&M 41-38. Alabama came into that game completely unprepared on both sides of the ball, had everything going against them, had insufficient performances, and was still able to lose on a game-winning field goal for the Aggies.
Not only did that win last year help boost the Texas A&M football program mentally, but it also helped with the recruiting numbers. The Aggie’s finished with the top-rated recruiting class of all time in the 2022 recruiting class. This win also helped Texas A&M become the darlings of the SEC and throughout college football as they went into the 2022 season as one of the top-hyped teams. Despite a feeling of accomplishment from the win over Alabama last season and the top recruiting class, Texas A&M enters week six with a 3-2 record, with one of the losses being against Appalachian State.
Alabama, Saban Look For Revenge Against Texas A&M and Fisher
Saban and Fisher Don’t Appear To Rekindle the Relationship
While a lot of attention will be on the results from last year, there will be much on the tension between Saban and Fisher. This will be a game where Saban looks forward to bringing down his former assistant for his remarks about him and the team during the off-season. Fisher spared no expense in responding to Saban with harsh criticism after the huge recruiting boost involving the NIL. Whether Saban or Fisher was either in the wrong or right, the harsh feelings said Fisher was enough to make To Saban’s blood boil.
The Aggies felt so pressured by Saban’s comments that Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork wanted the SEC to suspend Saban for accusations of potential cheating. Bjork went to the SEC to take attention upon himself for the remarks left by Saban. The SEC did little to nothing on the issue regarding Saban’s comment about the recruiting of Fisher. While it may have appeared that Saban and Fisher have buried the hatchet and claimed there is no hostility between the two, it does not take away from the history of harsh accusations the coaches have said against each other. Make no mistake, there is a rivalry, and the cold-blooded battle will take place on Saturday.
New leadership Set to Emerge for Alabama Against Texas A&M
Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young is expected to be, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. This past weekend, he was injured in the second quarter of the 49-26 win at the #20 Arkansas Razorbacks. Young wanted to go into the week six game and get revenge for the loss of Texas A&M from last year. Alabama, however, needs to be safe than sorry. Last week when Young was out redshirt freshman quarterback Jalen Milroe came to help carry the Tide’s offense to product performance. Milroe finished the game by completing 4-of-9 of his passes for 65 yards, one touchdown, and a QBR of 98.6. He also rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on six carries that includes the 77-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
MIlroe has taken the steps to prepare for a big game on Saturday against Texas A&M. While he is not the established passer that Young is, Milroe has shown great leadership and dynamic playmaking abilities, especially in the run game. The biggest question for Alabama leading into the week is how the coaching staff will prepare the team going into Saturday. Saban is a coach who has presented the next-man-up mentality and has put his full trust in Milroe. This is a game where running back Jahmyr Gibbs could make his place among the top running backs in College football. Last week, he rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against the established rush defense against the Razorbacks.
