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10/24 19:35 CDT Keelon Russell throws 3 TD passes and No. 13 Alabama ends skid with 31-20 win over Texas A&M Keelon Russell throws 3 TD passes and No. 13 Alabama ends skid with 31-20 win over Texas A&M By HENRY SKLAR Associated Press TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) --- Keelon Russell threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of fourth-quarter scores that helped Alabama pull away, and the 13th-ranked Crimson Tide beat Texas A&M 31-20 on Saturday to end a two-game skid. The Tide (6-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) entered the teams' first meeting since 2023 coming off losses to Georgia and Tennessee. Alabama trailed 20-17 in the second half before taking control with a fourth-down stop and two scoring drives. Russell completed 19 of 30 passes with an interception, and he found Daniel Hill, Marshall Pritchett and Kalen Edwards for TDs. His No. 1 target was Rico Scott, who finished with six receptions for 156 yards as Alabama played a second consecutive game without Ryan Coleman-Williams (knee). "Rico came up in a big way," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. "He's developed those expectations for himself above and beyond. Keelon has a lot of confidence in him." Alabama's defense came through, too, with no play bigger than Dijon Lee Jr.'s 39-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Sophomore Chuck McDonald III also recorded his first career interception. The Tide allowed 278 total yards. Along with the two picks, Texas A&M's Marcel Reed also lost a fumble. He finished with 163 yards passing and a touchdown, and he ran for a score. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said after the game that he considered a change at quarterback but was proud of how Reed responded. "Yeah, absolutely. It was for sure a thought," Elko said. "Obviously, it couldn't continue to go that way. So we were ready to do that. And then Marcel obviously went back out and played probably his best football for the rest of the first half." Reed bounced back from his rough start with a TD pass to Mario Craver and a scoring run that put Texas A&M ahead 14-10. The Aggies (4-4, 1-4) were up 20-17 to start the fourth, but then Alabama took over. Reed lost the ball on a fourth-and-1 sneak attempt, which allowed Alabama to take over at midfield. Three plays later, Russell connected with Scott for 38 yards, moving Alabama to the Texas A&M 5. Russell found Marshall Pritchett to put Alabama ahead for good. A&M had a chance to retake the lead, but Fatutoa Henry got home for Alabama's first sack of the day. "I'm really proud of (Henry). He had just an injury earlier in the week that, you know, I wasn't even sure what his production would be for us come Saturday," DeBoer said. "I couldn't be more proud of guys like him, and specifically him, on the way that they just continue to push forward, and he did that exactly, that exact thing all week, getting himself ready." Russell created a cushion with a TD pass to Kaleb Edwards.

Alabama's thin secondary takes two more hits Alabama's secondary got thinner with the suspension of Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and the ejection of Red Morgan. Just before kickoff, the Tide confirmed that Kirkpatrick was suspended for violating team rules. It was his second suspension at Alabama; he missed the final seven games of the 2025 season after an on-campus arrest. Morgan was ejected for targeting midway through the second quarter. Morgan threw his gloves and had to be consoled on the bench by Coleman-Williams. Alabama already was playing without top cornerback Zabien Brown because of a leg injury.

The takeaway Texas A&M: The Aggies have lost of five in SEC play after making the College Football Playoff last season and bringing back Reed and Craver. Alabama: DeBoer's program staved off its first three-game losing streak since 2007, Nick Saban's first season as coach. If the Crimson Tide don't lose again, a playoff spot is well within reach.

Up next Texas A&M has an open date before playing at South Carolina on Nov. 7. Alabama also has a week off before playing at No. 18 LSU on Nov. 7. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here

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