Trevor Knight’s redshirt senior season has come with mixed results. He has proven that he possesses a unique blend of gritty leadership and a productive rushing ability that has repeatedly been enough to win games, but he has not shown that he can complete much more than half his passes.
When A&M heads to Tuscaloosa to square off against No. 1 Alabama Saturday, Knight has a prime opportunity to show the country what he is made of.
Alabama’s secondary has shown plenty of vulnerability to this point in the season, but it is unknown yet whether or not Knight will be able to exploit that weakness.
Knight has had a ton of success on the ground so far in 2016, particularly zone-read plays with freshman running back Trayveon Williams. Nick Saban defenses always have a dominant front seven, and this year is no different. If Knight is not efficient in the passing game from the onset against the Tide, I don’t expect there to be a ton of running room for Knight or Williams, and that would put the Aggie offense in a difficult situation.
However, if Knight can complete some passes early in the game and soften up the Alabama defense, that will likely open up some lanes for him and Williams to run through and the Aggies will have a shot to pull the upset.
The Crimson Tide is certainly a great team, but I don’t see in them the same type of overpowering defense that they’ve been in the past. This is why Knight’s performance is so crucial and him having success through the air would do wonders for A&M’s chances of keeping its season unblemished.