TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - There are a lot of eyes on Tuscaloosa this weekend as No. 22 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-0 SEC) hits the road to take on No. 1 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) in the SEC opener for the Aggies. New Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher was once an assistant under the Crimson Tide's Nick Saban and the latter is 12-0 all-time against his former pupils. Here is how to watch Saturday's big game between the Aggies and Crimson Tide. When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Central TV: CBS Online Stream: HERE at CBSSports.com Radio: Sirius 103 (A&M feed), Sirius 98 (Alabama feed) Weather: 90 degrees, scattered thunderstorms expected In addition to SiriusXM, Texas A&M has radio affiliates in cities all across Texas. The list can be found HERE. Alabama was ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation coming into the season and the Tide have looked every bit of that so far this year. After coming in late and leading the team to a victory in the championship game as a true freshman last year, sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been nothing short of outstanding so far this season. The team has scored on 75 percent of the drives he has been in on, with all but two of those scores being touchdowns. He is completing 72 percent of his passes and has thrown eight touchdowns with no interceptions. Texas A&M has a sophomore quarterback itself that is playing well too, though. Kellen Mond has been drastically improved from a year ago and has thrown six touchdowns while also avoiding any interceptions. Mond has also been able to use his legs, something that has given Alabama defenses trouble the past few years. He has three running touchdowns under his belt and is third on the team in rushing. In the backfield, the Tide will use a two-headed monster of Najee Harris and Damien Harris. The latter gave A&M all kinds of trouble a year ago and they have combined for 389 yards so far this season. A&M has one of the better backs in the SEC in junior Trayveon Williams. He leads the conference this year with 399 yards to go with four touchdowns. As for receivers, Jerry Jeudy has scored six touchdowns on only 11 receptions for the Tide while tight end Irv Smith Jr. is a threat in the redzone. The Aggies have a young receiving corps but sophomores Jhamon Ausbon, Kendrick Rogers, Quartney Davis and Camron Buckley have all had big moments this year. Tight end Jace Sternberger has proven to be a huge addition to the offense as well as he can move the chains and also get into the endzone, as evidenced by this three touchdowns. The Alabama defense has been outstanding as well and that was evidenced a week ago in a 62-7 win over Ole Miss. Though the Tide gave up a touchdown only 11 seconds into the game, that was the only score they would allow from what had been the nation's top offense. Safety Deionte Thompson leads the team in both tackles and interceptions with 15 and two, respectively. Linebacker Christian Miller has been solid off the edge and has 2.5 sacks while linebacker Dylan Moses and defensive end Isaiah Buggs each have a pair of sacks. A&M has been hit by the injury bug on defense. Starting linebacker Anthony Hines is out for the season after suffering an injury vs. Clemson while projected starting defensive end Micheal Clemons has yet to play after being injured in fall camp. Linebacker Otaro Alaka leads the team with 16 tackles while fellow linebacker Tyrel Dodson and safety Donovan Wilson each have 15.<doc-sep>Ever since their inclusion in the Southeastern Conference, the Texas A&M Aggies have been known for their offense. They’ve fielded prolific units on that side of the ball while by most accounts, their defense has floundered despite some solid talent along the defensive line. After years of withering defensive efforts, former head coach Kevin Sumlin and Aggie boosters set their sights on an establish defensive coordinator with a championship pedigree in the SEC. They poached John Chavis from LSU, and “Chief” brought his brand of aggressive, unconventional defense to College Station. Though there was some improvement overall, the Aggie defense still never struck fear into the hearts of opposing offenses, and the best path to Texas A&M victory remained hope that the offense could out-drag race the competition. Sumlin’s gone, and his replacement is an offensive head coach who knows the importance of defense. Jimbo Fisher is an offensive aficionado to be sure. But as a student of the Nick Saban school of championship football, he also understands the importance of defense. His Florida State teams were offensively explosive, but they were always backed by the rigid spine of a stingy, aggressive defense loaded with talent. When Fisher arrived, he immediately went after then-Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko, an upstart coordinator with tenures at Wake Forest and Bowling Green preceding his one-year stay in College Bend. Elko cleaned up the mess that previous Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder made, and installed a 4-2-5 scheme that minimized the talent deficiencies Notre Dame experienced while turning in a solid, well-rounded defense. At talent deficient Wake Forest, Elko turned the Demon Deacons into a fairly ferocious defensive unit using the same tactics. His system has worked before, and there’s no reason to believe that in talent rich College Station, that it won’t work even better there. The early returns for the Aggies are promising. In the second week of the season, they stifled a usually potent Clemson offense, holding them to 413 total yards and only 115 of those on the ground. They were particularly stingy on third downs, as they allowed Clemson to convert a mere four first downs in 13 attempts in the game. While Elko hasn’t yet had the ability to recruit players tailored to his system, he is making the most of what they have at the moment. This week, they will face one of the best offenses in the country as the Alabama Crimson Tide comes to town. Thus far in 2018, the Tide O has shredded every defense they’ve faced, and it hasn’t even been close. In the Tide’s three games to date, Alabama has destroyed the competition within a single half, with starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hitting the bench before halftime. Alabama can do it all: they can slay defenses through the air with incredible efficiency, and their ground game remains a powerful strength for the team (even when the Tide doesn’t have to use it). This week’s match-up could be the first true test for both units, as the Aggies represent the best defense the Tide has faced to date, and even Clemson couldn’t boast the offensive firepower that Alabama will wield this Saturday. Can the Aggies do the unthinkable and find a way to hold Alabama’s high-flying offense in check? Or will they be just another speedbump for a Tide offense under Tagovailoa that appears to be on a road to playoff destiny? Can Alabama continue to come up with answers for every test the Aggies will impose on them this Saturday? Time will tell. Let’s take a closer look… The Roster Elko has undoubtedly has more talent to work with in implementing his scheme at Texas A&M than he had at any of his three previous stops. The state of Texas is a recruiting hotbed, and the Aggies have a bevy of talented, veteran defenders leading the charge for their unit. Elko runs a 4-2-5 style of defense, and in his iteration, the system leans heavily on a defensive line that is well-schooled in its responsibilities and can execute them flawlessly. Fortunately for him, he has a solid combination up front of veterans and talented underclassmen who are handing their new responsibilities quite well thus far in 2018. It starts in the center with the two tackles, senior Daylon Mack (6-1, 320 pounds), a prototypical nose, and redshirt sophomore Joseph Madubuike (6-3, 300 pounds). Both are quality SEC-caliber big men built to stop the run and crush the pocket in the pass rush. In Elko’s defense, the linemen are one-gappers who are asked to clog up the middle and eliminate running lanes when the ends and Rover force the run back inside. Both men excel at their roles, as Mack has four tackles and a blocked kick on the season while Madubuike has five tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. Mack is spelled by redshirt sophomore T.D. Moton (6-3, 305 pounds), while sophomore Jayden Peevy (6-6, 300 pounds) relieves Madubuike. Both men have recorded a single tackle each this year. The 4-2-5 that Elko prefers features one edge-setting traditional end, as well as a pass rushing, athletic quick end. The heavy end sets the edge in the run game, while the light end provides an explosive pass rush burst around the edge, usually lining up outside of the tackle and tight end. The heavy end in the Aggie defense is redshirt sophomore Kingsley Keke (6-4, 305 pounds), a dominant player who is powerful and quick. Keke is having quite the year already, as he’s accounted for 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. Behind him is true freshman Bobby Brown (6-4, 282 pounds), and Brown has played well in relief, recording four tackles. The speed end is senior Landis Durham (6-3, 255 pounds), and Durham is asked to a fulfill a role not unlike that of a Jack linebacker for Alabama’s defense. Durham has been active early and has lived in opposing backfields, as he’s been responsible for 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and two quarterback hurries. Redshirt freshman Tyree Johnson (6-4, 250 pounds) has provided steady depth, as he already has six tackles and two quarterback hurries on his ledger. In Elko’s defense, there are only two true linebackers, both of whom play inside at Sam and Mike. The Mike position is held by steady senior Otara Alaka (6-3, 240 pounds), a ferocious hitter who has been one of the better players on the Aggie defensive roster for the last two seasons. Alaka is off to a great start in 2018, as he leads the team in tackles with 16, with 2.5 tackles for loss. Alaka’s back-up in sophomore Braden White (5-11, 220 pounds), and he hasn’t seen much action this season due to Alaka’s durability. At Sam is lumbering junior Tyrel Dodson (6-2, 242 pounds), a run-stopping force who has helped the Aggies stiffen their rush defense in the early going of 2018. Dodson has 15 tackles. 1.5 tackles for loss, two passes broken up, and a quarterback hurry. Senior Riley Garner (6-3, 220 pounds) steps in to relieve Dodson, though he’s not been called on to do so much through three games. One of the unique components of Elko’s rendition of the 4-2-5 is that instead of simply adding a fifth defensive back in the form of a nickel, he instead relies on a safety/ linebacker hybrid that can do a little of everything for his defense. The Rover, as the position is called, doesn’t roam as much as the name may indicate. Rather, the Rover plays a role like the traditional Will linebacker role in a 4-3 defense, but with more flexibility in assignment and heavier coverage responsibilities. Unfortunately for the Aggies, they’ve had trouble staffing this critical role in Elko’s defense this season, as the top two contenders for the spot – Ikenna Akeke and Anthony Hines III – have both ended up injured and out for the season. Therefore, the Aggies are using a combination of two young up-and-comers to fill out the roster. Sophomore Buddy Johnson (6-2, 225 pounds) is a promising newcomer to the Aggie defense. After a year playing outside linebacker under Chavis and getting shoved around by bigger blockers, he is now at a more natural position. Johnson is flourishing, as he has five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss this season. The other player who has seen time at Rover is junior Larry Pryor (6-0, 205 pounds), a converted safety who hits like a linebacker. Pryor has three tackles, a tackle for loss, and an interception this season. The defensive backfield features an immense amount of talent, and in Elko’s system, several defensive backs should blossom in 2018. The safeties are probably the single most important position group for the Elko 4-2-5 because their play serves as a hinge point for everything else that the defense does. Senior Donovan Wilson (6-1, 207 pounds) holds the free safety position, and he is off to a fast start for the Aggies with 15 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack. He is spelled by physical senior DeShawn Capers-Smith (6-0, 200 pounds), who has seven tackles and a tackle for loss this season. At strong safety, sophomore Derrick Tucker (6-1, 200 pounds) is the starter, and he has 10 tackles and a pass broken up to his credit. Behind him is sophomore Keldrick Carper (6-2, 198 pounds), and Carper has two tackles and two passes broken up. At the corners, the Aggies start junior Charles Oliver (6-2, 202 pounds) and sophomore Debione Renfro (6-2, 193 pounds) on the edges. Oliver is fast and has great length with solid ball skills. He has nine tackles, three passes broken up, and a quarterback hurry. Renfro is quite solid for his relative youth, and he has five tackles and two passes broken up to date. Oliver is backed up by junior Roney Elam (6-2, 192 pounds), while Renfro is spelled by freakishly tall corner Clifford Chattman (6-5, 195 pounds). How Texas A&M Will Attack the Alabama Offense The early returns on the Mike Elko era of the Aggie defense are quite promising despite the small statistical sample set. While their stat line was partially built on the likes of Louisiana Monroe and Northwestern State University, that game with Clemson was a good indicator that the Aggie defense has improved dramatically in just a few months of new leadership. Let’s look at the rather-limited stats. The Aggies are currently giving up 338 yards per game of total offense, which is respectable considering Alabama’s defense is ceding 302 yards per game. The Aggies even have better defensive numbers against the run than Alabama (aTm is giving up 87 yards a game on the ground; the Tide average 101.3 yards allowed), which is shocking for a team that was awful against the run in previous seasons. Their pass defense is slightly worse than Alabama’s (the Tide allows 201 yards per game to the Aggies’ 251 yards per game), and they allow 15 points per game in the scoring defense category (compared to Bama’s 9.33.) They are pretty good at third-down defense, as they’ve allowed seven conversion in 35 attempts (20 percent), whereas Alabama has allowed 12 conversions in 49 attempts (24.49 percent). What do these stats mean? At the moment, not much. They do indicate a trend towards improvement for the Aggie defense over past seasons, however, and they indicate that Texas A&M’s defense can hold its own against the likes of Clemson. Though Alabama has faced some iteration or other of the 4-2-5 in two of the first three weeks of the season, the unit they’ll face this Saturday in Tuscaloosa is a completely different animal. They are really more like a standard 4-3 in alignment, but the flexibility of their personnel allows Elko’s defense to play like a nickel set without giving up anything in run defense. Elko has made a name for himself as a coordinator at schools that don’t recruit at the level of an Alabama or Georgia, and as a result, his system is not as much based on talent and stellar individual performance but upon the simplicity of the system, every player knowing his role, and execution of the plan.<doc-sep>
The Jimbo Fisher era at Texas A&M got a big boost a couple of weeks ago. The Aggies gave No. 2 Clemson all it could handle in a 2-point loss at Kyle Field. On Saturday, it’s for real. Fisher’s Aggies make their first road trip when they visit Bryant-Denny Stadium for a meeting with No. 1 Alabama. Moral victories aside, these are the type of games Fisher was brought to College Station to win. It’s the measuring stick for all coaches in the SEC. Where many have failed before — including every former Saban assistant — Fisher’s first attempt as an SEC head coach at slaying the conference giant will be met with national attention. Here are a few bold predictions for Saturday’s game from both Texas A&M and Alabama perspectives. For Texas A&M … 1.Kellen Mond throws for 250 yards: It will be more than likely out of necessity that Mond piles up the passing yards. Mond, who threw for 237 in a hard-fought loss last season, begins the game throwing the football in an attempt to loosen up the Bama defense, and then later lets it fly as the Aggies fall farther behind. He won’t come close to the 430 yards he threw against Clemson, but Mond will put up impressive numbers against a Tide defense that ranks eighth in the SEC against the pass, yielding an average of 201 yards per game, including a season-high 252 in the opener to Louisville. We’re not calling for 300, but that would be special. Starting in 2010, Alabama has allowed a 300-yard passing day just 11 times. Aggies legend Johnny Manziel tops that list at 464 yards. 2. Alabama fails to score 50: The Tide leads the nation with 170 points scored this season. They are averaging 56.3 points per game. They are the first team in SEC history to surpass 50 points in the first three games of a season and last week hung 62 on Ole Miss. But the Aggies’ defense will hang tough and keep the score under 50 points. How much under 50 remains to be seen. It could be by only a point or two, but Texas A&M ranks third in the SEC against the run, giving up just 87 yards per game on average. That toughness in the trenches should keep the Tide under 50. 3. Take the over (61): The Aggies should score enough to push the over/under above the 61-point mark. Averaging 44.3 points per game themselves, the Aggies are developing a balanced approach with Mond doing enough with his arm and his legs to open up any defense, including Clemson’s. This will obviously be the Aggies’ toughest test, but there’s enough firepower between Mond and RB Trayveon Williams to find the end zone at least a few times. For Alabama … 1. Tide covers the spread (-26): Just like last week against Ole Miss, the anticipated shootout might wind up being heavily tilted towards the Tide. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been almost flawless and Jalen Hurts has come off the bench to provide an effective change of pace. Look for the Tide to not only continue its roll, but also cover the spread with a late touchdown. 2. Tua has career-game passing: The Alabama quarterback hasn’t even thrown 20 passes in a game yet this season. There’s been no need. That has suppressed other numbers as well. His career-high of 228 passing yards against Arkansas State will be surpassed on Saturday as Alabama hunts for yardage against an Aggies defense that ranks third in the SEC against the run, allowing an average of only 87 rushing yards per game. What will his final numbers be? That depends on how much Saban plays Hurts. The old joke was Dean Smith was the only person capable of holding MJ under 20 points. We've reached that point with Nick and Tua — whose career-highs are 228 yards and 4 TDs. 400 and 6 are sitting there, waiting to happen. — Chris Wright (@FilmRoomEditor) September 18, 2018 3. Tide record season-high 5 sacks: Getting to the quarterback has been key in the Tide dismissing their first three opponents this season. Alabama piled up a season-high 4 sacks against Ole Miss last Saturday, stifling the Rebels’ attack. An equal amount of harassment will be in order if the Tide intend on shutting down Mond and the Aggies, but they’ll do one better than that. Who gets them is the question.