Postgame Thoughts: Tease in Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 24: Mario Craver #1 of the Texas A&M Aggies is tackled from behind by Luke Metz #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Jason Clark/Getty Images) | Getty Images Texas A&M showed us in this game what has made them a 4-4 team. Then they showed us why they were a preseason top 10 team. And then they showed us that first part again. A different path, but a familiar result, as the Aggies fall 31-20 to No. 13 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.The game started off about as badly as you could have imagined, with Marcel Reed throwing a pick six just a few plays into the team’s first offensive possession, then throwing an even more egregious interception on the first play of the next drive. It looked for a moment that we would see backup QB Brady Hart enter the game, as he began throwing on the sidelines, but that never came to fruition, and for a while, that seemed fortuitous. After an Alabama missed FG, Marcel Reed led the Ags down the field with surprising poise or a touchdown drive to tie the game. From there it was very much a back and forth affair, but through most of it, Reed appeared to be in control of the offense and delivering on-target throws more consistently than he has in perhaps any other game this season. The defense was making things hard on Alabama QB Keelon Russell on third downs.It was tied at halftime. A&M had the lead through three quarters. This was a game that was very much there for the taking. Then Bama took it.Somehow, the fourth quarter suddenly looked like the A&M team we have seen for the most of SEC play, a vulnerable defense and an overmatched offense folded when it mattered most. Bama scored a TD on consecutive drives, and the A&M offense didn’t get a single first down in the final frame, sealing the deal on yet another SEC loss as the Aggies drop to 1-4 in conference play.Certainly the Aggies looked improved in this game compared to lopsided road losses to LSU and Missouri. There was a long stretch of this game where they not only showed life, but actually looked capable of pulling off the upset. But unfortunately, there was just as much of the fatal flaws this team has exhibited all season long. No moral victories here.The Aggies now enter the bye week hoping to find something that can get this team to bowl eligibility and salvage something out of what continues to be one of the more disappointing seasons in recent memory.