by Patrick J. Walsh III ’24 on November 9, 2023
Sports
College Station Countdown
As the holiday season approaches, it feels like it’s Christmas already with the constant CFB and NFL matinees and primetime football. This week, we get a real treat with Oklahoma University traveling to Texas to take on the University of Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown, the Crimson Tide saddling up for Texas to face the red-hot Aggies, and the University of Colorado looking to bounce back at Arizona State University. Office hours will open at 9:30 a.m. as the Jaguars will take on the Bills in London. The Jags took care of business last week across the pond as they overpowered Desmond Ridder and the Falcons. The Eagles travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams, and the Sunday nightcap is popcorn-worthy with the Cowboys heading out to Santa Clara to face the unbeaten 49ers.
We will not have to wait long for this one as kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Nick Saban and his questionable University of Alabama offense will head down south to College Station to face the Texas A&M University Aggies at Kyle Field. The Aggies suffered a significant injury just a few weeks ago as their starting quarterback, Connor Weigman, sustained a severe foot injury, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. So the keys were handed to junior Max Johnson, who so far has held his ground and gotten the job done. He is 1–0 and has thrown for four touchdowns in his first two appearances this season. For the Crimson Tide, it looks like Milroe will be their guy, at least for the time being, as he was able to help them rout Mississippi State University this past weekend. The line for this contest is -2.5 in favor of the Tide. However, I feel this is Vegas just not being able to give the people of Alabama more money. The game is at A&M, and we all remember what happened last time Saban marched his army into Kyle Field. Let’s just say it didn’t end as expected for No. 1 Alabama. Seth Small put the final nail in the coffin with a 28-yard walk-off game-winning field goal. I am backing the Aggies in this battle, and there is no need for the +2.5. They will win outright and take over the top spot in the SEC. From the looks of it, Saban has very meek confidence in his quarterback, who seems to only find the endzone with his legs. The Alabama defense is still very dominant, but for a team that is clicking as well as A&M is with a backup quarterback, will they be able to score enough on the road? A&M has a top 20 rush defense and is first in tackles for a loss and sacks. Bama has given up at least four sacks in every game this year, and their offense just has not been good enough to give me the confidence to bet them in another SEC showdown. The Aggies have bounced back tremendously from that pivotal loss at Miami, with dominating wins against Auburn and Arkansas. Max Johnson will get another shot at the Crimson Tide after falling to Bryce Young and their devious offense in 2021, but this time, he won’t miss.