Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold read Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher’s lips to perfection, as he knew the ball was going to Aggies wide receiver Evan Stewart on the final play.
While it remains to be seen if Terrion Arnold is a genius or not, the Alabama defensive back can read lips better and more effectively than most people.
The redshirt freshman told Michael Casagrande of AL.com he picked Alabama for moments like these, ones where crucial wins and losses hang in the balances. Texas A&M and Alabama have quickly become rivals since the Aggies joined the SEC a decade ago. Fate would have it that on the final play of the game with goal to go, Arnold did read Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher’s lips.
"“He’s going ‘Evan, Evan, Evan,’” said Arnold. “If they throw it my way, I don’t want to be the most hated man at Alabama.”"
Arnold was tasked with guarding Texas A&M’s five-star freshman. He knew that big time players have to make big time plays in moments like these. Although it wasn’t pretty, Alabama stayed perfect after nearly getting upset at home by Texas A&M. This hitch pass to the corner of the end zone was called by Fisher. Aggies fans, including Johnny Manziel, knew this was a horrid play call.
Alabama may have survived to beat Texas A&M 24-20, but the Crimson Tide dropped to No. 3…
Alabama DB read Jimbo Fisher’s lips to foresee where the final play was going
There are three factors that played into the almost upset for the Aggies. The first is the Crimson Tide had to roll with backup quarterback Jalen Milroe over last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. While this was a big spot for Milroe, it was abundantly clear by the end of the night why he typically backs up Young. Milroe had issues with ball security vs. the Texas A&M defense.
The second is Texas A&M is starting to recruit on Alabama and Georgia’s level in the SEC. The Aggies ended up with the No. 1 overall class in 2022 by getting players like Stewart to come to College Station. Stewart being asked to not only play right away, but to be the guy in the final moments of an SEC game says everything about the talent the true freshman receiver possesses.
And third, this is a rivalry game for both teams. It may mean more to Texas A&M, as Alabama has rivalries with seemingly everyone in the SEC. However, emotions are always the highest in big spots like these, especially in primetime. While it had been a decade since the Aggies won at Bryant-Denny, they were two yards short of doing seemingly the impossible. They almost had it!
Inexperience and lousy play-calling are what ultimately did Fisher and the Aggies in on Saturday.
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