Each week, two alligatorSports columnists will debate the biggest looming matchup in college football. Today, Joe Morgan and Phil Heilman preview No. 1 Alabama’s showdown against No. 7 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
Joe: Give Nick Saban two weeks to do anything, and he’ll own you.
Plan a wedding? Imagine a small ceremony at a beach with family and close friends. Cue sunset the moment the bride and groom begin reciting their vows. Also, no sand in the cake.
Build a spaceship? He would captain the first manned mission to every planet in our solar system and build powerhouse football programs on each one. Jupiter Crimson Spot, anyone?
Solve the crisis in Syria? Why hasn’t President Barack Obama called him yet?
Simply put, Saban is the best at what he does. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he is untouchable.
With two weeks and and a whole offseason to prepare, he is lethal.
Kevin Sumlin is a coaching mastermind with 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel at his disposal, but Saban’s methods of preparation and planning are elite.
There’s no shame in falling to Alabama, and Texas A&M will have to take solace in that.
Phil: You said it perfectly yourself, Joe. Saban is untouchable 99 percent of the time.
Dominating on the recruiting trail? Untouchable.
Winning enough national championships to create a dynasty? Untouchable.
Escaping the NFL to return to a prestigious college program? Untouchable.
However, there is that one percent of the time that Saban has proven to be beatable, and it has manifested itself as Johnny Football.
Johnny Football is everything and nothing you would want in a quarterback.
He draws attention to himself for the wrong reasons — taunting opponents, ignoring coaches and holding loose morals off the field.
But, on the flipside, he is mobile, athletic and equally strong-armed and strong-willed.
He showed that against the Crimson Tide last season, going into Tuscaloosa and handing Alabama its only loss of the season with a performance that catapulted him into the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Will he go 2 for 2 in beating Saban? You bet your Texas-sized ass he will.
Joe: Fool Saban once, shame on you. Fool him twice? Yeah, right. Alabama will not drop two straight against Texas A&M.
After the Aggies’ monstrous first quarter in last year’s contest, the Crimson Tide buckled down and got back on track.
Texas A&M jumped out to a 20-0 lead, but Alabama outscored Sumlin’s team 24-9 the rest of the way.
Manziel tallied 82 yards on nine carries during the first half but managed only 10 yards on nine second-half carries. ‘Bama bottled him up.
A combination of in-game adjustments and Alabama’s prowess had the Tide 2 yards away from the go-ahead touchdown with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter.
Saban will not let his team start that slow again, and I’m not sure the Aggies can pull off the win if ‘Bama doesn’t spot them 20 points this time around.
Maybe I should have spotted you a few points in this Rally, bud.
Phil: It’s unfair to discount what the Aggies were able to do in the first quarter while patting the Crimson Tide on the back for what they did later in the game.
Points count the same no matter if they are scored in the first drive or the last drive — just ask the Gators about that.
If you look beyond the box score, you will see Texas A&M scored 20 points in the first quarter before Alabama stabilized and scored two straight touchdowns in the second quarter.
But from there, each team scored a touchdown and added a field goal. That is not exactly domination.
Manziel was limited on the ground in the second half, but he finished the game a cool 24 of 31 for 253 yards passing with two touchdowns and no picks. He is the prototypical dual-threat gun-slinger.
But enough with last season. Let’s look at the two teams as currently constituted.
Alabama brings back senior quarterback A.J. McCarron and sophomore tailback T.J. Yeldon. Other than that, not much is the same.
The offensive line is weaker, and the Crimson Tide defense has question marks. I will be surprised if Alabama can win in the trenches as consistently as it did last season.
Meanwhile, Manziel has a full season in the Texas A&M offense and a bevy of playmakers surrounding him on offense.
Defensively, the Aggies will get three previously suspended players back for the game.
With its defense intact, an offense capable of scoring 30 points and the 12th man in full force, the Aggies will be riding high in College Station this weekend.
Follow Joe Morgan on Twitter @joe_morgan. Follow Phil Heilman on Twitter @phillip_heilman.
Johnny Manziel scrambles during the third quarter of Texas A&M’s 52-31 victory against Rice on Aug. 31, 2013 in College Station, Texas.
