Nick Saban measures the impact Will Anderson had on the outcome of the Texas A&M game

Alabama remained unbeaten this weekend as they defeated Texas A&M at home 24-20 in a game that featured two backup quarterbacks that had to assume starting roles for their respective teams. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe‘s biggest issue in the game was turning the football over, throwing one interception and fumbling the ball twice. But for Aggie’s quarterback Haynes King, his issue was keeping his own jersey clean, as Alabama’s pass rushers lived in the Texas A&M’s backfield seemingly all night.

“Well I don’t think there’s any question about it, I think the pass rush was really good tonight,” head coach Nick Saban said. “I think we had a lot of pressures, we had a few sacks, but I think the pressure on the quarterback was the big thing.”

Alabama got to King three times for three sacks during the ball game, as well as 14 quarterback hurries that forced inaccurate throws and throw away passes constantly throughout the game, especially in the fourth quarter.

He may not have been able to get a sack in this game, but Alabama edge Will Anderson definitely played a significant impact on the Crimson Tide’s pass rushing attack, as he accounted for eight of the team’s 14 quarterback hurries. Saban spoke about how Anderson’s effectiveness against the Aggies.

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“Will did a really really good job, he had a little deal where we put two guys together so they couldn’t chip him and they really had a tough time single blocking him,” Saban said.

Anderson is no stranger to wreaking havoc and wrecking games, as the former Nagurski Trophy winner had a historic season last year recording 34.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. This season Anderson currently ranks in the top five in the nation in both categories, as he continues to be a force despite teams giving him extra attention thanks to the Crimson Tide’s scheme and his own sheer dominance.

Quarterback pressures aren’t the most talked about stat, but are extremely important in Anderson’s game and impact. Last season for Alabama, Anderson led the team with 81 quarterback pressures, with the next closest player just having 26. They are the next closest thing to a sack, often resulting in an incomplete pass with the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Anderson landing on top of your quarterback.

Anderson’s pressure definitely is not ideal for any offense to have to deal with, and he single-handedly gave the Aggies’ offensive line and quarterback fits on Saturday.

“He’s a good player, he’s a great leader, plays hard out there, he’s a great competitor, and he certainly had a huge impact on the game tonight,” Saban said.