Facing serious pressure from the Alabama defense on the second play from scrimmage, A&M quarterback Kellen Mond threw a pass up for grabs as he was going down that was picked off by linebacker Mack Wilson at the Aggie 30. One play later, Crimson Tide QB Tua Tagovailoa hit Devonta Smith in the left side of the end zone to give Alabama a 7-0 lead.

"Definitely a poor decision by me," Mond said. "One of the defensive linemen had me and I thought Jace (Sternberger) was open."

For Tagovailoa, it would be the start of a personal best day. For the Aggies, it would be the first of a number of mistakes that would overshadow some positives that came from a 45-23 loss to the nation's top team.

Facing adversity almost immediately, the Aggies could have folded but didn't. Two possessions later, A&M was pinned at their own 1 and facing a defense that had given up 4 yards on the Aggies' first two possessions. A&M responded by doing something that hadn't been done in 21: went 99 yards against the Crimson Tide defense. After completions to Quartney Davis and Kendrick Rogers, Mond (16-33, 196 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT passing; 98 yards, 1 TD rushing) broke free through the center of the Alabama defense for a 54 yard gain. Two plays later, Mond found a wide open Jace Sternberger (3 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD) for a 15-yard score to tie the game.

It didn't stay that way for long. Tagovialoa (22-30, 387 yards, 4 TD; 1 TD rushing) marched the Alabama offense 75 yards in 6 plays, a drive helped by a targeting penalty on senior safety Donovan Wilson that led to his ejection. Tagovialoa would cap the drive with a one-yard run, giving the Crimson Tide a lead they would not relinquish.

"They did a great job making plays when momentum was shifting," A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said.

The Aggies were forced to punt on their next possession, but punter Braden Mann slammed a 65-yard punt that forced Alabama to start from their own 20. A hold and three quality plays by the Aggie defense forced an Alabama punt, and A&M took over at their own 40. The Aggie drive only racked up 22 yards -- 15 on a pass interference penalty -- but that was enough for freshman kicker Seth Small, who hit a field goal from 53 yards away to cut the Alabama lead to 14-10.

Both teams scored on their next possessions, but the Tide got the better of things. Tagovailoa threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to a wide open TE Hale Hentges, while the Aggies added a 33-yard field goal from Small after a 60-yard A&M drive highlighted by a 34-yard run by Mond and a 16-yard rush from RB Trayveon Williams.

"Those guys were rushing so hard, they created rush lanes (for Mond)," Fisher said.

After trading punches with Alabama for 27 minutes, the Aggies were finally staggered in the final minutes of the half. A busted assignment left running back Damien Harris wide open for a 51-yard catch and run aided by several missed tackles. Hentges scored second touchdown of the game from 6 yards out came three plays later.

"We didn't tackle well," Fisher said. "They had a lot of YAC (yards after the catch) yards."

With 1:09 to go on the half, A&M got the ball at their 25 but quickly moved it close to midfield after runs of 16 and 9 yards by Mond. He then threw a deep pass to Davis (5 catches, 59 yards) that was picked off by Patrick Surtain II, who returned the ball to the Alabama 40. After a personal foul on A&M offensive lineman Jared Hocker for a late hit, the Tide were in business on the A&M side of the field with 19 seconds left in the half.

"When (Mond) let the ball go, that was the throw we wanted," Fisher said. "(Surtain) made a heck of a play."

Alabama picked up 17 yards in two plays, ending the half with a 47-yard field goal from Joseph Bulovas to stretch the Alabama lead to 31-13.

The Aggies had a chance to start the second half in a big way after Skyler DeLong shanked a 13-yard punt to cap Alabama's first possession, giving the ball to A&M at midfield. Instead, Alabama cranked up the heat and sacked Mond for a 10-yard loss on 3rd down to short-circuit the drive.

Tagovailoa put the game on ice on the next possession, passing for 75 yards on a 7-play, 80 yard touchdown drive. A&M would score twice more, with another field goal from Small and a 9-yard run by Mond, but the stellar performance from the left-handed Hawaiian had put the game out of reach.

After the game, Fisher said there were a number of positives to take away from the game, even if he wasn't happy with the result.

"I thought our kids played hard. They fought," Fisher said. "We've got to play better."

Mond said the Aggies had to bear at least some of the blame for their demise.

"I thought we played with them," he said. "Then we got sloppy, got inconsistent."