What are the three keys the Alabama Crimson Tide have to hit if they want to avoid an upset bid from the Texas A&M Aggies after their loss to Tennessee?

Clear weaknesses showed up for this Alabama team, and they have to get cleaned up quickly. After the close matchup against Georgia, a lot of people expected the Crimson Tide to be a contender. That bar has not moved, this team is not there yet.

The good news for Alabama is that the path to beating Texas A&M is not complicated. I’m an Aggies fan, and I still think the Tide should handle business if they execute. The bad news is that A&M is built to punish a team that doesn’t execute.

Key 1: Keep Keelon Russell comfortable and stay out of third-and-long

On offense, everything starts with getting quarterback Keelon Russell comfortable early and often. That means winning on first and second down and avoiding third-and-long.

Texas A&M has a good third-down defense. Aggies coach Mike Elko is known for throwing plenty of exotic looks and blitz packages at you once the offense gets to third down. If Alabama avoids those situations entirely, the offense moves with a hell of a lot more efficiency.

And that efficiency matters more than usual in this matchup. The Crimson Tide are going up against an A&M offense that is the definition of inconsistent. An efficient Alabama offense at home should be more than comfortable putting up points.

And frankly, the path for A&M to win this game is making it gross and ugly. It’s a first-team-to-24 game for the Aggies, maybe even less. If Alabama stays on schedule and keeps Russell comfortable, I see 30-plus-point upside for the Tide. That’s the gap.

Key 2: Win in short yardage and turn sevens into threes on defense

Defensively, Alabama doesn’t need to reinvent anything. It needs to exploit problems everybody already knows Texas A&M has.

Number one, the Aggies have struggled in short-yardage situations all year. Tennessee took the fight to Alabama in the Third Saturday in October matchup, and the Tide lacked physicality. I think you take that personally. You bring that fight to A&M and show the physicality you didn’t have last week.

The Aggies’ red zone offense has been a mess. A&M has needed multiple snaps inside the 20 to get across the goal line, and it has committed false starts in those spots. I’ve watched every single snap of its red zone opportunities, and it has been inconsistent at best. I would call it below average for an SEC team. Texas A&M struggled against The Citadel at the goal line.

Alabama has to keep that trend going. Make sevens turn into threes or worse. Every red zone trip that ends in a field goal is a win for the Tide’s defense, because it keeps A&M stuck in that ugly, low-scoring game plan instead of letting it pull ahead.

Key 3: Force Texas A&M to need an explosive play

The third key is getting the Aggies off the field and pushing them into third-and-long. Texas A&M is one of the least explosive teams in the country.

And you may say, Tegan, isn’t that the same thing you asked Alabama’s offense to avoid? Yes, and that’s the point. Third-and-long is where the Tide offense gets in trouble, and it’s also where Alabama’s defense can bury A&M.

If you force the Aggies into spots where they need a chunk play, you know for a fact they haven’t been able to produce one. That puts the Crimson Tide in a fantastic position.

Overall: Make A&M feel defeated

Alabama’s keys are simple. Stay on schedule on offense, win the physical battle in short yardage, and put Texas A&M in spots where it has proven it can’t succeed. The real goal is making A&M feel defeated.

And here’s my bold prediction: we may see two quarterbacks from Texas A&M in this game. If Brady Hart, the Aggies’ backup quarterback, takes the field, Alabama is in a more than good position to win this football game. As a Texas A&M fan, I hate typing that. I still believe the Tide win comfortably if they hit all three of these keys, and the Tennessee loss becomes a speed bump instead of a slide.