COLLEGE STATION, Texas — After putting the finishing touches on Alabama’s third pick-six of the day and celebrating in the end zone with fewer than six minutes to play, true freshman defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick ran back to the Crimson Tide sideline to claim the prize that awaited him.
As teammates congratulated him, a staff member draped a wrestling-style championship belt on his shoulder. Fitzpatrick, who had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in Alabama’s 41-23 win over Texas A&M on Saturday at Kyle Field, found a seat on the bench for a well-deserved rest while fellow defensive backs Eddie Jackson, Marlon Humphrey, Maurice Smith and defensive lineman Jarran Reed arrived to offer their kudos. The belt, which features a football and a centered Alabama “script A,” rested comfortably on his lap while the Tide basked in the glory of imminent victory.
The Aggies’ passing attack was thought to be a matchup problem for this Alabama secondary; instead it was the Tide defensive backs who stole the show.
“It was fun,” Jackson said afterward. “We knew we had to come out and play hard. They have a great receiving corps. So we just had to execute well.”
That they did.
It wasn’t long ago that the Alabama secondary was considered a weak link in the Crimson Tide defense and matching up against a receiving corps. They were by no means perfect -- the Aggies did have some big plays, including a 44-yard catch by Ricky Seals-Jones that set up a touchdown – but holding Texas A&M quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray to a 50 percent completion rate with the help of their relentless front seven and garnering four interceptions is a banner day for the group. The three pick-sixes were the most by an FBS team in a game since Oct. 19, 2012 when SMU had three in a win over Houston.
“We made some mistakes and [the Aggies] made some plays,“ Alabama coach Nick Saban said Saturday. “We were prepared for the fact that they were going to make some plays. When they spread you out like they do and they have really good skill guys are going to make some plays.
“I thought the defensive backs overall did a good job….Those guys have been playing pretty well back there for about three weeks in a row now. I know they had some yards [Saturday] but when you throw it that much, that's what happens.”
Turning the interceptions directly into points was huge for Alabama, giving the Tide 21 points in a game they won by 18. Jackson said the team works on blocking during turnovers.
“We actually practice that,” said Jackson, who had two interceptions including 93-yard interception return for a touchdown. “When somebody catches an interception, we turn it up the field. First block the nearest receiver, turn up the field and block somebody.”
The championship belt, which goes to defensive players who come up with turnovers, was passed back-and-forth between Fitzpatrick, who returned picks for 33 and 55 yards for scores, and Jackson. Because Fitzpatrick had the last pick, the belt ended the day in his hands.
“Whoever gets the turnover, gets the belt,” Jackson said. “We have a lot of conversation [about it]. We have goals every game to get a certain amount of turnovers. This was a big factor for us because we knew they had an all-out receiving corps. The secondary had to step it up big time.”
There have been times in the past where the secondary has been the focal point after a game because of the big plays it yielded, so it was a nice change of pace to be the story line in a positive way.
“It's pretty good, but the job isn't done yet,” Jackson said. “We have a long stretch ahead of us. We just want to come out every game and compete and play our best.”