1. The re-emergence of the tight end. Jalen Wydermyer played virtually the whole game and ended up becoming a big part of the offense after halftime, catching three passes and two touchdowns. One thing this offense has missed terribly is a safety valve in the seam, and it looks like Wydermyer has developed to the point he can be that.

2. Kellen Mond running. Hopefully this isn’t just an Alabama thing, because Mond started to seriously damage the Crimson Tide defense with his feet. Some of it may have been running for his life, but seeing him take off and run when the opportunity presented itself was something that provided a spark of hope.

3. Far fewer drops. I can only think of one, and that was a tough catch for Quartney Davis. A&M had been bedeviled by drops through the first half of the season, but the wideouts, Wydermyer and Isaiah Spiller did a whole lot better in that department yesterday.

4. The emergence of Demani Richardson. The secondary was brutal yesterday, but you can argue Richardson was the exception. He had 11 tackles, an interception and handled his pass coverage responsibilities better than he has. If he’s starting to get comfortable, he can be a force.

5. The defensive front seven holding up against the run (mostly). The Aggies did a good job getting to the edges and holding up, something they hadn’t done since week 2. Alabama couldn’t run in the middle at all and didn’t have much luck off tackle until late in the game. The Tide’s biggest run came when Tyree Johnson slanted inside and took himself out of the play, allowing for a free run off left tackle.

1. Special teams. That was the worst performance in decades. 311 total yards given up in returns and a blocked punt on a completely blown assignment (and the punt before that looked like it was tipped). Nothing was even close to ok.

2. Missed tackles. Clifford Chattman diving at air and Leon O’Neal spinning off of Najee Harris were two of the most memorable, but the Aggies were just bad tackling all day. There were too many players out of position and trying for arm tackles. They were overly aggressive and it was costly.

3. The corners and nickels. It was a bad showing against an elite wideout unit and the best QB in America. They were outclassed and compounded it with mental blunders. They looked, at times, like they had no idea what Alabama ran, and they weren’t doing much new.

4. The lack of pass rush. This one is confounding. A&M’s front four has been good stopping the run for the most part, but almost non-existent as a pass rushing group. The refusal to blitz didn’t help. I get trying to protect your corners, but if you give Tua all day to throw, it won’t matter.

5. The lack of a running game. They had success early, then went away from it. But the O-line isn’t quick enough to effectively run counters and they’re not pushing people off the ball well it comes time to put a hat on a hat. This is becoming both frustrating and commonplace.