RTIC Cooler Talk: Alabama

The Texas A&M Sports Network team of Andrew Monaco and Will Johnson talk Aggies/Crimson Tide in this week's edition of RTIC Cooler Talk.

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Andrew Monaco: It's the podcast portion of our RTIC Cooler Talk with Will Johnson. I'm Andrew Monaco. Dave Elmendorf has the week off but we will tell you that Turnovers is what he's going to focus on.
 
Will Johnson: Hold on. He doesn't have Saturday off.
 
AM: Correct.
 
WJ: Let's go with day off.
 
AM: Yeah, He just has the RTIC Cooler Talk portion of this week off. And we're missing him dearly. We must say that.
 
WJ: But we will see him tomorrow. And look, if you don't win the turnover battle against Alabama, you don't win the game, you know? We'll say it for Dave today.
 
AM: All last year, you were the one who told us about the 'NOTs', the non-offensive touchdowns. And Alabama is so good at gaining momentum and keeping it, or changing momentum, and those NOTs are a big part of it.
 
WJ: And even if it doesn't go for a score, or if the T in NOT isn't there, they still can set you up. Big return can set you up. Interception, even if it's deep in your own territory, that's a big play. You've kept points off the board. Alabama's full of playmakers offensively, defensively and in the return game, special-teams wise. That means they can do a few more things to you than most people, most teams, so they can get that big return that changes a game. Big reception, big INT that just changes the game. I think it's gonna be so key tomorrow, the explosiveness. Alabama's probably gonna make a few plays with those wide receivers. I don't know if you just lock them down for 60 minutes and just blanket them the entire day. That's too tall of an order for any secondary. Now, if you're the Aggies' back end, you do have to limit it. They can't go all day down the field on you. You do have to limit their big plays, and A&M themselves are gonna have to create a few of their own. I look at the wide receivers needing to do it, get downfield, but you can hit a big run. You could do the same thing Alabama does. You can get a big return, a timely turnover. Big plays. Alabama's lived off those. A&M needs to limit the Tide's tomorrow, and the Aggies are going to have to match that and get a few of their own.
 
AM: How important will it be if that Alabama receiver gets the 10-yard catch, it remains a 10-yard catch and not a 40-yard?
 
WJ: Absolutely. The Aggies had problems tackling this receiver corps last year, and running backs, skill positions. The Aggies had trouble tackling.
 
AM: And I think they are better at that this year.
 
WJ: They are better. You remember a big play last year in Tuscaloosa, while it was a close game, I think Alabama had about a 3^rd and 7, swung it out to a back. An Aggie defender hits him, has him stopped short of the first down. So think about that. You're creating a punt, still in a close game. He bounced off the tackle and went another 40, and now Alabama's set up with another score, extending the lead. They can change a game like that. That has to somewhat be A&M tomorrow. Alabama can't change the game on you tomorrow. The Aggies are going to have to dictate that. And when you do that, you get this crowd into it. The electricity at Kyle Field is flowing. Then you get belief. You get momentum. Then you can win. Then you can win the ball game.
 
AM: I think belief is the huge word. And Jimbo talked about this this week when we were in the office. They believe they're going to win. The other thing that's impressive about teams that are No. 1, and for as long as they have been No. 1…they take everybody's best shot. Every. Single. Week. And they rise to the occasion. Look, I saw what happened. I was just as surprised as everybody else in the national championship game, because that was the outlier. That doesn't happen to Alabama. So there is that belief. That is where the Aggies are going. You talk about the big plays. What's Jimbo always say? They're gonna happen. How do you react to them? How do you react to the big play against you? Will, I dare say, how do you react when you have the big play? Does that become the momentum and you're changing the tide? I think sometimes that's as important as that play going against you.
 
WJ: And can you do what Jimbo says all the time, against this team, against the blue blood of college football, can you do what Jimbo says? When you get up a score, stop and get another one. Make it two. Stop and get another one. Make it three. It's not, We've got the lead. Let's hang on. Championship teams, Alabama type teams, it's almost shark-like. They smell the blood in the water and then they look to devour you. We got up seven. Let's end them. A&M against Arkansas. Got up 14-3, got a big play with the interception. A chance for a knockout blow. The Aggies didn't do it. You've got to be that kind of team. That was a failure by the Aggies. I'm not saying overall, just in that moment. They know that they failed to deliver a knockout blow and end the Razorbacks. But they know if they're going to be a championship team, the type that hangs with and beats Alabama, you've got to be that knockout blow kind of team. And you got to withstand a blow or two at times.
 
AM: But I love your point. The Aggies have to get off the field on third downs.
 
WJ: Third downs are gonna matter on Saturday.
 
AM: They're gonna get some, I get that, but they can't be delivered into a score. They have to get off the field on third downs. And if there's one trend that we saw against Clemson and against Auburn, the Aggies left plays out there. They've got to convert on those plays. And I'm not talking about just Alabama. They've got to do that now for the rest of the year. But I'd like to see that, not leave those plays out there, to connect on some of those and have their own explosive plays.
 
WJ: And what you said about rhythm…rhythm can be the type of tempo you get into in the offense. Think about Clemson, when you left all those completions out there. Some drops, Kellen overthrew some. When you left all those out there you always wonder. Looking back at that game, how much did that hurt? The tempo too? Getting into an offensive flow. Hit those plays. Get that offensive timing down. Get into a flow. Then it almost doesn't matter who you're playing. You get in that flow and that tempo. The Aggies did it in the overtimes against LSU. LSU had a good defense, but nobody was gonna stop A&M that night in those overtimes. They were in a tempo. They were in a flow. But when you leave completions out there, dropped balls and overthrows, you're never gonna get that rhythm you talked about. You've got to get that first down. You've gotta back it up with another completion, and then it builds and builds and builds. Now you're working with something on offense.
 
AM: You know how we always joke about, well, if they score from 21 or 22 yards, it's not a red zone score? That's kind of a good thing. I would love to see the Aggies not be in third down, that they're getting the first down on first and second. That'd be great. But third downs as well. They're gonna have to convert and keep drives alive and really get to that identity of balance. Now they might be a little more unbalanced, I have a feeling, against Alabama. They might have to throw to set up the run. But the run is going to be important. And that, I think, is part of that rhythm.
 
WJ: The sustaining drives part. Can you do it against this Alabama defense? A&M ranks in the top 20 nationally in first downs per game. They get first downs. Obviously they're very good in time of possession. But when you're doing that, you've got to end it with those touchdowns. I always talk about the red zone because it's your golden opportunity. But it's about ending drives with touchdowns. You're gonna have to do that to win SEC games. Can't be field goals all day. Maybe an explosive play ends a drive with a touchdown. A 40-yard touchdown pass works the same as a 1-yard run from the red zone. End drives with touchdowns. But I'll also say this…if you do stall in the red zone, I think I like the Aggie special teams advantage in this game. I think Alabama's got some kicking troubles. And then you've got Braden Mann to flip field position. If you're just looking for an Aggie advantage somewhere, it might be in the third phase with special teams.
 
AM: Because both kickers still undecided for Alabama. That was the Achilles heel that came back to haunt them in that national championship game. And it's something that I don't think it's broken, but I certainly don't think it's fixed.
 
WJ: Not yet. It's interesting because they tried the new one against Ole Miss and he missed a 28 yarder. So Nick Saban's looking at those two guys, saying, I don't have my full amount of confidence in you yet. He's halfway through the season. He's still asking a place kicker to prove it. And then nobody's gonna have a punting advantage on Braden Mann. Braden Mann's the guy that pins you deep and flips the field, not the other punter.
 
AM: Yeah. I will leave you with this, I was out at practice earlier in the week, and I asked Jimbo during the Jimbo Fisher Radio Show on Wednesday. He reminded this Aggie team, don't forget to have fun. And I thought it was a great reminder. Isn't this why you come to this school? for games like that?
 
WJ: Who's not going to enjoy tomorrow?
 
AM: I know. Absolutely. That's the beauty of it. And I think that goes back to his point about sometimes you want to be so perfect that you're thinking too much. Read, react, but I think the biggest thing? Enjoy. Enjoy this moment. That's the beauty. With that, I add the addendum: Believe. Do you know how good you are? I think they get a chance to see how good they really are.
 
WJ: I know the three of us are gonna enjoy it.
 
AM: Oh, it's gonna be a blast. This one's gonna be fun, my friend.

WJ: I look forward to it.