TUSCALOOSA, Ala. _ The Texas A&M Aggies had a brief lead on Alabama in the second half, and momentarily looked like a team that may be able to upset the top-ranked team in the country at its home.
That became a short-lived pipe dream.
Alabama responded with its own touchdown drive to regain the lead, and then scored a defensive touchdown in pulling away for a 33-14 victory.
The Aggies' perfect season ended in a flurry. They managed to stay within striking distance after a disastrous first half, and opened the second half by taking the lead on a 75-yard scoring drive.
A&M quarterback Trevor Knight dropped a perfect 25-yard pass into the hands of Christian Kirk, and A&M suddenly found itself with a 14-13 lead in a stunned Bryant-Denny Stadium.
But those positive vibes didn't last long.
Alabama responded with its own 77-yard TD drive, capped by a 4-yard TD pass from Jalen Hurts to Calvin Ridley.
The teams exchanged punts the next two series and then Alabama imposed its will on the defensive side.
Facing a second-and-12 from the Alabama 48, Knight was sacked for a 14-yard loss. Then Knight and Keith Ford had a failed handoff that turned into a Crimson Tide touchdown on a scoop-and-score by projected first-round pick Jonathan Allen.
Alabama had a 26-14 lead at that point, scoring a non-offensive TD for the 10th consecutive game, and it felt like the ballgame was over already.
A&M went three-and-out on the next drive, and then Alabama put the game out of reach. Hurts scrambled his way to the end zone on a 37-yard run, dodging multiple Aggies on his way.
In the opening half, Alabama had similar success but it didn't translate into points. The Crimson Tide owned the Aggies in just about every category, including total yards (303-150), first downs (13-7) and time of possession (18:43-11:17).
In the end, the Crimson Tide found their stride and ended up with another lopsided victory.
A&M falls to 6-1 on the season and faces New Mexico State next week at Kyle Field.
