Alabama tries to stop a two-game slide

Alabama's margin, Texas A&M's discipline

Against Power 4 opponents, Alabama is +87 in point margin, sixth nationally and second in the SEC. Texas A&M is -5 in the same games, 33rd nationally and ninth in the SEC.

Alabama gains 405 yards a game, 29th nationally, and allows 367, also 29th. Texas A&M gains 298 and allows 379, ranking 68th and 33rd.

Alabama is +5 in turnover margin, sixth nationally, while Texas A&M sits at even. The Aggies hold the edge in two other categories. They are penalized 36 yards a game, eighth nationally and the fewest in the SEC, against 53 for Alabama. They hold the ball 31:24 a game, 20th nationally, to Alabama's 30:02.

Where it's decided

When Alabama has the ball, it brings the best scoring offense in the SEC against Power 4 opponents, 37.8 points a game and fourth nationally. Texas A&M allows 24.0 points a game, 31st nationally. The Aggies rank ninth nationally on third down, allowing 32.2%, and ninth in red zone defense at 71.4%. Alabama scores on 95.7% of its red zone trips, 11th nationally, so that is where these units meet head on.

The Tide throw for 252 yards a game into a pass defense allowing 215, 26th nationally. On the ground, Alabama runs for 153 a game, and Texas A&M gives up 164, 14th in the SEC.

Lotzeir Brooks shares Alabama's lead in receiving yards at 415 and leads the team with 26 catches. Ryan Coleman-Williams also has 415 yards, on 23 catches, with 4 touchdowns, and he had no stats in the loss at Tennessee. Trae'shawn Brown leads Alabama in rushing yards with 313 and has 5 touchdowns, and Daniel Hill adds 296 with 4 scores.

Texas A&M linebacker Ray Coney leads the Aggies with 37 tackles, and defensive end Marco Jones leads them with 2 sacks.

When Texas A&M has the ball, the passing game is the concern. The Aggies throw for 172 yards a game, 15th in the SEC. Quarterback Marcel Reed leads the team in passing yards with 1,225, with 7 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and a 55.7 completion percentage.

The run game is steadier at 126 yards a game, against an Alabama run defense allowing 125. KJ Edwards leads Texas A&M in rushing yards with 317 on 47 carries, and Rueben Owens II has 314 on 76.

The opening is in the red zone, where Alabama allows scores 95.2% of the time, 15th in the SEC. Texas A&M converts 72.2% of its own trips, 70th nationally. Alabama linebacker Caleb Woodson leads the Tide with 53 tackles, and linebacker Yhonzae Pierre leads them with 3.5 sacks.

Keelon Russell has replaced a first-rounder

Alabama returned 9% of its 2025 passing yards, 371 of 3,938, after Ty Simpson went 13th overall to Los Angeles. Keelon Russell ranks third in the SEC with 1,746 passing yards, with 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and a 67.5 completion percentage. Alabama scores 39.3 points a game in all games, up from 29.5 last season.

Texas A&M's offense stalls on the road

Texas A&M has scored 12 points in two road games this season, against 38.8 a game at home. Against Power 4 opponents, the Aggies average 23.0 points, 44th nationally and 13th in the SEC.

The third quarter has gone against the Aggies

Power 4 opponents have outscored Texas A&M 62-17 in the third quarter this season.

Two kickers who have not missed

Texas A&M kicker David Olano is tied for the SEC lead with 11 field goals and with 4 from 50 yards or longer. He and Alabama's Conor Talty are both tied for the SEC lead in field goal percentage at 100%. Talty ranks third in the SEC with 62 points.

Horton and two more former Tide players

Mike Elko coaches Texas A&M and has never faced Alabama in 5 seasons as an FBS head coach. Kalen DeBoer coaches Alabama and has never faced Texas A&M in 7 seasons as an FBS head coach.

Isaiah Horton caught 42 passes for 511 yards and 8 touchdowns for Alabama in 2025, then transferred to Texas A&M. He faces the Tide for the first time leading the Aggies in receiving yards, with 280 on 20 catches and 3 touchdowns. His 511 yards were most of the 588 receiving yards Alabama lost to transfers.

Offensive tackle Wilkin Formby was on Alabama's roster in 2023-25 before transferring to Texas A&M, and cornerback Dezz Ricks was on it in 2023.

Texas A&M receiver Mario Craver grew up about 50 miles away in Birmingham, and he leads the Aggies with 24 catches, for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Texas A&M had 10 players drafted, including 4 offensive linemen and 2 defensive tackles, with 4 in the first two rounds. Receiver KC Concepcion went 24th overall to Cleveland. Alabama also had 10 players drafted, 2 of them offensive linemen, with 3 in the first two rounds, led by tackle Kadyn Proctor at No. 12 to Miami.

Injury report

The availability report for this game is not out yet.

Alabama has controlled the series, narrowly of late

Alabama leads the series 13-3 since 1941 and is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings. The last three meetings were decided by one score.

The last meeting was Alabama's 26-20 win at Texas A&M in 2023, when Jermaine Burton had 197 receiving yards. That Alabama team went 12-2 with All-Americans Dallas Turner and Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Texas A&M went 7-6 with All-American linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.

Alabama is 6-1 at home against Texas A&M, and the Aggies last won in Tuscaloosa in 2012, the year Johnny Manziel won the Heisman. That Texas A&M team went 11-2, and Luke Joeckel won the Outland Trophy, while Alabama finished 13-1 with Barrett Jones winning the Rimington Award.

Three things to watch

Alabama comes in on two straight losses, after a 5-0 start in which it scored 45 or more points every week.

Texas A&M's path: against Power 4 opponents, the Aggies hold the ball 31:24 a game and rank ninth nationally on third-down and red zone defense.

Horton against the team he left: he leads Texas A&M with 280 receiving yards.