Texas A&M
| Player | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| KJ Edwards | 8 | 43 | 0 |
| Marcel Reed | 17 | 23 | 1 |
| Jamarion Morrow | 10 | 22 | 0 |
| Rueben Owens II | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| Mario Craver | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| Team | 1 | −1 | 0 |
The result
Texas A&M led 20–17 entering the fourth quarter. Alabama scored the game’s last 14 points and held the Aggies to 15 yards in the final 15 minutes.
Final — Bryant-Denny Stadium
31—20
Alabama by eleven
Keelon Russell threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns, Rico Scott caught six passes for 156 yards, and Dijon Lee Jr. opened the scoring with a 39-yard pick-six as Alabama snapped a two-game losing streak on Homecoming.
How it happened
- 01Pick-six start, Aggie answer. Lee intercepted Marcel Reed on Texas A&M’s first possession and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. Reed answered with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mario Craver, and Conor Talty’s 47-yard field goal made it 10–7 Alabama after one quarter.
- 02Tied at the half. Reed ran 4 yards for a touchdown to put A&M ahead 14–10, Russell found Daniel Hill for a 3-yard score, and David Olano’s 32-yard field goal tied it 17–17 at halftime after Dezz Ricks intercepted Russell.
- 03A&M’s last lead. Olano’s 25-yard field goal on the first drive of the second half made it 20–17. Talty missed his second field goal of the day, but a Reed fumble on fourth-and-1 at the A&M 45, recovered by QB Reese, gave Alabama a short field late in the third quarter.
- 04All Alabama in the fourth. Russell hit Marshall Pritchett for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter and Kaleb Edwards for an 8-yard score with 10:01 left. Alabama outgained A&M 102–15 in the quarter, and all three Aggie drives ended in three-and-outs.
Records entering the game: Texas A&M 4–3 (1–3 SEC), unranked; Alabama 5–2 (3–2 SEC), No. 13. After: Alabama 6–2 (4–2 SEC), Texas A&M 4–4 (1–4 SEC). Alabama Athletics described the crowd as a sellout; the reported attendance was 100,077.
Scoring by quarter
Quarter lines cross-checked against Alabama Athletics, Texas A&M Athletics, Sportradar and theScore.
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Alabama | 10 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
Scoring summary
| Qtr | Time | A&M | Alabama | Scoring play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11:24 | 0 | 7 | Dijon Lee Jr. 39-yard interception return (Conor Talty kick) |
| 1 | 3:36 | 7 | 7 | Marcel Reed 9-yard touchdown pass to Mario Craver (David Olano kick) |
| 1 | 1:13 | 7 | 10 | Conor Talty 47-yard field goal |
| 2 | 10:14 | 14 | 10 | Marcel Reed 4-yard touchdown run (Olano kick) |
| 2 | 5:13 | 14 | 17 | Keelon Russell 3-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Hill (Talty kick) |
| 2 | 1:47 | 17 | 17 | David Olano 32-yard field goal |
| 3 | 8:38 | 20 | 17 | David Olano 25-yard field goal |
| 4 | 14:55 | 20 | 24 | Keelon Russell touchdown pass to Marshall Pritchett (Talty kick) — see caveat on yardage |
| 4 | 10:01 | 20 | 31 | Keelon Russell 8-yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Edwards (Talty kick) |
Team stats
Alabama won the game through the air: 311 passing yards to 163, and 379 total yards to 278, despite losing rushing, possession and the ground game.
| Category | Texas A&M | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 20 | 31 |
| 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th quarter | 7 / 10 / 3 / 0 | 10 / 7 / 0 / 14 |
| First downs (pass / rush / penalty) | 18 (9 / 5 / 4) | 20 (12 / 5 / 3) |
| Total yards (plays) | 278 (61) | 379 (58) |
| Yards per play | 4.6 | 6.5 |
| Passing yards (comp / att) | 163 (14 / 21) | 311 (19 / 30) |
| Rushing yards (attempts) | 115 (40) | 68 (28) |
| Sacks by defense (yards lost) | 2 (10) | 2 (17) |
| Third down | 4 / 11 | 5 / 12 |
| Fourth down | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 |
| Red zone | 4 / 4 | 3 / 5 |
| Turnovers (INT thrown / fumbles lost) | 3 (2 / 1) | 1 (1 / 0) |
| Penalties (yards) | 8 (74) | 7 (65) |
| Time of possession | 33:10 | 26:50 |
| Punts | 4 | 3 |
Kicking: Olano was 2-for-2 on field goals (32, 25) and 2-for-2 on PATs for Texas A&M. Talty was 1-for-3 on field goals (47 made) and 4-for-4 on PATs for Alabama.
Player stats
Complete box score for every player who threw a pass, carried the ball, or caught one — plus the defensive leaders.
Passing
| Quarterback | Cmp / Att | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) | 14 / 21 | 163 | 1 | 2 |
| Keelon Russell (Alabama) | 19 / 30 | 311 | 3 | 1 |
No other player attempted a pass for either team.
Rushing
Alabama
| Player | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Hill | 9 | 36 | 0 |
| Keelon Russell | 9 | 20 | 0 |
| Trae’shawn Brown | 7 | 11 | 0 |
| Kevin Riley | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Team | 2 | −3 | 0 |
Alabama scored no rushing touchdowns; all three offensive touchdowns came through the air, plus Lee’s pick-six.
Receiving
Texas A&M
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Craver | 6 | 45 | 1 |
| Isaiah Horton | 3 | 34 | 0 |
| Jamarion Morrow (RB) | 2 | 33 | 0 |
| Aaron Gregory | 1 | 31 | 0 |
| Kiotti Armstrong (TE) | 2 | 20 | 0 |
Alabama
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Scott | 6 | 156 | 0 |
| Lotzeir Brooks | 3 | 73 | 0 |
| Kaleb Edwards (TE) | 2 | 24 | 1 |
| Josh Ford (TE) | 2 | 23 | 0 |
| Marshall Pritchett (TE) | 3 | 18 | 1 |
| Daniel Hill (RB) | 2 | 17 | 1 |
| Trae’shawn Brown (RB) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Scott’s 156 yards were a career high and the most by an Alabama receiver this season, with 109 yards in the first half alone.
Defensive leaders
Texas A&M
| Player | Tackles | Also |
|---|---|---|
| Daymion Sanford | 8 | Team high, season high |
| Dalton Brooks | 7 | — |
| Noah Mikhail | 6 | — |
| Julio Humphrey | 5 | — |
| Ray Coney | 4 | — |
| Marco Jones | 4 | 0.5 sack |
| Tawfiq Byard | 4 | 1 tackle for loss |
| Landon Rink | 2 | 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss |
| Marcus Ratcliffe | 2 | 0.5 sack |
| CJ Mims | 1 | 1 tackle for loss |
| Dezz Ricks | 1 | 1 interception |
Texas A&M team totals: 2 sacks. No forced fumble was credited to a Texas A&M defender in the box scores reviewed.
Alabama
| Player | Tackles | Also |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Woodson | 10 | 1.5 tackles for loss |
| Luke Metz | 7 | — |
| Carmelo O’Neal | 6 | — |
| Dijon Lee Jr. | 5 | 1 interception, returned 39 yards for a touchdown |
| Bray Hubbard | 5 | — |
| Fatutoa Henry | 4 | 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss |
| London Simmons | 4 | 1 forced fumble |
| QB Reese | 4 | 1 fumble recovery |
| Chuck McDonald III | 3 | 1 interception |
| Jah-Marien Latham | 2 | 1 tackle for loss |
| Xavier Griffin | 2 | 0.5 tackle for loss |
Alabama team totals: 2 sacks (both by Henry, for 17 yards), 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery — three forced turnovers in all.
Key takeaways
What decided a game Texas A&M led after three quarters.
- 01Turnovers were the whole margin. Alabama forced three — Lee’s pick-six on the opening drive, McDonald’s interception, and Reese’s fumble recovery on the failed fourth-and-1 — and scored directly or off the short fields they created. A&M’s lone takeaway, Ricks’ pick, produced only a field goal.
- 02Russell’s slump ended in the fourth. After one touchdown and two interceptions across the Georgia and Tennessee losses, Russell went 19-of-30 for 311 yards and three scores, with two of the touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Scott’s 156 yards replaced the absent Ryan Coleman-Williams.
- 03A&M finally scored on the road — then stopped. The Aggies, held to six points in each of their previous SEC road games, put up 20 in three quarters behind Reed’s passing and rushing touchdowns. They gained 15 yards in the fourth, went three-and-out three times, and never crossed midfield again with the game in reach.
- 04Alabama won with almost no run game. The Tide rushed for 68 yards at 2.4 per carry and lost time of possession 33:10 to 26:50, but averaged 6.5 yards per play to A&M’s 4.6. Henry’s two fourth-quarter sacks closed the door.
Against the call
The preview called Alabama by eleven. The final margin was Alabama by eleven — by a very different route.
Preview call
Alabama 24 – 13 Texas A&M
The preview projected Alabama by eleven, leaning on the Tide defense forcing Reed into the mistakes that decide it, and on A&M’s road offense — two offensive touchdowns across three conference losses — staying broken.
Actual final
Alabama 31 – 20 Texas A&M
Alabama won, and by exactly the projected eleven points, but both teams scored seven more than projected. Reed did throw the two interceptions the preview counted on, including the pick-six, yet A&M still led 20–17 after three quarters before Alabama’s 14–0 fourth.
Verdict: correct winner and correct margin, wrong path — the preview expected a defensive grind at 24–13, and got a 31–20 game that A&M led entering the fourth quarter.
Sources & caveats
Final score and box score verified October 25, 2026, against at least two independent sources. Where sources disagreed, the discrepancy is noted rather than smoothed over.
- Alabama Athletics recapNo. 13/13 Alabama 31, Texas A&M 20; 379 total yards; Russell 19-of-30 / 311 / 3 TD / 1 INT; Scott 6–156; Woodson 10 tackles; Henry 2 sacks; scoring by quarter in the How It Happened section; sellout at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
- Texas A&M Athletics recap31–20 final; Reed 14-of-21 / 163 / 1 TD passing and 23 yards / 1 TD rushing; Edwards 43 rushing yards; Craver 6–45 / 1 TD; Sanford 8 tackles; Ricks interception.
- Sportradar game pageFinal, quarters, full team stats, full player box score including defense, all scoring plays, and reported conditions (sunny, 76°F, wind ENE 6 mph).
- Sports Wire Live (Source: ESPN)ESPN-sourced box score: team stats, passing, rushing, receiving, Alabama defense (Woodson 1.5 TFL, Henry 2 sacks / 2 TFL), interceptions and kicking.
- theScore game pageTeam stats, quarter lines, attendance 100,077, and game conditions (76°F, sunny, wind 6 mph ENE).
- Deadspin / Field Level Media recap31–20 final; Russell 311 yards / 3 TD; Reed 14-of-21 / 163 / 1 TD / 2 INT; Talty 1-for-3 on field goals; fourth-quarter sequence.
- Saturday Down South recap31–20 final; 14–0 fourth quarter; 102–15 fourth-quarter yardage; rushing split 115 to 68.
- On3 / Aggie Yell takeaways31–20 final before a sellout crowd of 100,077 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Caveats — read before citing
- Pritchett touchdown yardage: Alabama Athletics’ scoring summary lists Russell’s go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Marshall Pritchett as 3 yards; Sportradar’s scoring list and Deadspin list it as 5 yards. The yardage is omitted above; the touchdown, scorer and time (14:55, fourth quarter) agree across sources.
- Weather: Reported game conditions were sunny, 76°F, wind ENE 6 mph (Sportradar / theScore). The Open-Meteo archive for Bryant-Denny Stadium at the 2 p.m. CT kickoff hour read 74.7°F, clear (code 0), wind 5.2 mph — not a material disagreement, so the reported game figure is used in the game bar.
- Solo tackle splits differed between the ESPN-sourced box score and Sportradar for several defenders, while total tackles agreed. Only total tackles are shown.
- Records and ranks shown are game-time figures (Alabama No. 13, Texas A&M unranked); postgame records are Alabama 6–2 (4–2 SEC) and Texas A&M 4–4 (1–4 SEC).