Alabama vs. Texas A&M Reactions

Join BamaOnLine staff writer Clint Lamb and team expert Jimmy Stein as they react to Alabama’s much-needed 26-20 road victory over the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday afternoon. Some of the topics from today’s conversation include:

• Jalen Milroe‘s continued growth as a passer

• Alabama OL keeps A&M DL in check

• Jermaine Burton‘s career day

• Defense continues to play elite football

• And more!

Snap count observations – Preview

Defensive Line

Justin Eboigbe – 46 snaps (71.9%)

Tim Keenan III – 38 snaps (59.4%)

Jaheim Oatis – 30 snaps (46.9%)

Tim Smith – 25 snaps (39.1%)

Jah-Marien Latham – 15 snaps (23.4%)

Damon Payne – 15 snaps (23.4%)

James Smith – 1 snap (1.6%)

Observations: This unit was one of the key differences in the outcome of Saturday’s game. Going into the weekend, Alabama had already been getting consistent pressure from its outside linebackers. There have also been flashes from the defensive line, but calling that group “consistent” as far as affecting quarterbacks would probably be a stretch. This game was different though, as the defensve line was responsible for nine of the team’s 28 pressures and three of the five sacks.

Keenan was fantastic. I cannot emphasis that enough.

He played the run extremely well (team-high five stops) while also providing some complementary pressure from the interior. He was already averaging a little over two pressures per game, but he hadn’t been able to generate any sacks off of those. Saturday was a different story though. He once again totaled multiple pressures (2) while notching the first sack of his career. Through six games, he’s played the second-most snaps (220) amongst the defensive linemen, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been watching.

Eboigbe was probably the best player at this position though.

The 6-foot-5, 292-pound veteran defender was on the field for over 70% of the snaps. He’s played 40 or more in each of the last five games. For the season, he’s been in on almost two-thirds of the defensive plays (65.1%), but Saturday actually marked his first ever multi-sack game. In fact, Eboigbe’s already more than doubled his career sacks through just six games in 2023. Prior to this season, he only had two in four years. Yet, he’s already got 2.5 in 2023, including the 1.5 sacks against A&M.

His five-tackle, 1.5-sack performance earned him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors. Not only that, but both of his big plays — including that two-point safety to give Alabama a 26-17 lead in the fourth quarter — came from an edge alignment. On Saturday, he showed off some surprising bend for a player his size, and he also displayed tremendous power on the safety.

+2✅

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/OYlKG9CQIx

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) October 7, 2023

Smith played a good game too.

All three of the guys we’ve mentioned (Keenan, Eboigbe and Smith) are all considered quality run defenders, which was evident with A&M’s running backs only averaging 2.0 per carry. What made them stand out even further this week, however, was their ability to affect the quarterback. Turner and Braswell are a lot to handle, and throwing in a third and even fourth makes it almost impossible for opposing offenses. Plus, Eboigbe did enough to provide an effective second option in situations where there was only one true edge on the field (heavy nickel).

What’s even more interesting about this?

Well, we haven’t even gotten to Oatis yet. He’s another one who contributed against the run and the pass. He added half a sack along with four tackles to his season totals. The sophomore hasn’t been 100% healthy this season, but he’s still contributing to the success of this Alabama defense. I expect him to continue to get better as the season wears on too, which is a scary thought for upcoming opponents on the schedule.

Five-star freshman James Smith only got one snap on Saturday, but it was a tough SEC road game. At least he was still involved (even if it was extremely minimal), which is encouraging as far as his development. As long as the top four guys stay healthy, the defense has every reason to keep them as the main core. Smith’s time will come.

For more defensive snap count observations, click here (On3+ subscription required).

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