Alabama's Ryan Grubb faces Texas A&M after two straight scoreless second halves

Alabama has lost two straight games, and the same problem showed up in both. The Crimson Tide did not score a point after halftime against Georgia or Tennessee. That puts offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb under real pressure going into Saturday's home game against Texas A&M at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Roundtable Sports laid out how bad the 26-10 loss in Knoxville was. Alabama gained 201 total yards, with 54 of them on the ground. It converted two of 13 third downs and turned the ball over four times. Grubb took responsibility this week for the offense's failures, especially in the second half. Roundtable's Hannah Stephens wrote that "acknowledging a problem and correcting it are two very different things." Her column argues that the line's uneven protection is leaving quarterback Keelon Russell to make something out of broken plays. She wants quicker passing concepts and enough of a running game to keep defenses honest.

Grubb will also be without one of his best receivers again. On3 reports that Ryan Coleman-Williams has been ruled out for the Aggies game, which will be his second straight absence. That means Derek Meadows, Rico Scott and Lotzeir Brooks will need to supply the big plays Coleman-Williams usually provides.

The drop-off is clear in the scores. Through its first five games, Alabama scored at least 45 points every time and averaged almost 50 a game. It beat Florida State 50-36 and won 56-23 at then-No. 16 Mississippi State. Since then it has scored 27 points in two weeks: 17 in the 20-17 loss to then-No. 2 Georgia and 10 at then-No. 14 Tennessee. Kalen DeBoer's team is 5-2 and ranked No. 13. A third loss would leave it with almost no room for error in the second half of the season.

What it means for Saturday

Texas A&M is 4-3, and its offense has had trouble against good teams. The Aggies lost 31-21 at home to Kentucky. They scored six points in a 35-6 loss at No. 10 LSU and six more in a 27-6 loss at No. 14 Missouri. Their wins came against Missouri State, Arizona State, Arkansas and The Citadel, whom they beat 41-0 last week. They have not won a road game against a ranked team this season. Alabama's defense has given up 20 or fewer points in four of seven games, so this is a good chance for Grubb's offense to steady itself, as long as it stops turning the ball over.

The board for the game does not expect an upset. Alabama is favored by 13.5 points across 12 venues. On Novig, Alabama is -525 on the moneyline and -113 on the spread. Pinnacle has the best Alabama spread price at -108. Texas A&M is +488 to win outright on Novig, almost the same as the best price anywhere, +490 at Kalshi. Hard Rock Bet offers the Aggies at +14.5, a point more than Novig's +13.5. The total is 49.5 at most venues, and Pinnacle has the highest at 50.5. Sportsbook hold on the spread runs from 3.4% to 6.7%, so prices for the same side can vary noticeably from venue to venue.

A two-touchdown spread assumes Alabama's offense looks like it did in September. To cover it, the Tide will likely have to score in the second half for the first time in three weeks. The game kicks off Saturday on ABC.