The much-anticipated matchup between Alabama and Texas A&M in College Station takes place on Saturday and the Aggies expect to be at full strength on defense thanks to the return of several suspended starters.
Cornerback De’Vante Harris, linebacker Steven Jenkins, and defensive end Gavin Stansbury will play after serving two-game suspensions for violating team rules. Also back will be corner Deshazor Everett, who sat out the first half of the last game against Sam Houston State due to a targeting penalty the previous week. Everett, if you recall, intercepted an AJ McCarron pass to secure last season’s win over the Tide.
The Aggies have missed having their full complement of players so far this season and have shown to be quite leaky on defense. Sam Houston State had a touchdown run of 68 yards and a TD pass of 75 yards on Saturday. Rice had 509 yards of offense against Texas A&M in week one.
On the bright side, the Aggies improved their depth on defense by giving quality minutes to reserves who don’t usually get them. Young players who might’ve developed slowly otherwise were thrown into the mix. This should pay dividends down the road if any injuries or targeting suspensions occur.
The real winners in this, though, are the fans, who’ll get to see two high-powered teams go at it toe-to-toe without an asterisk next to the final score.