Alabama’s defensive consistency in short yardage altered how Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher managed the end of Saturday’s game.

It was midway through the third quarter and the Crimson Tide had tied the game at 17 apiece and forced the Aggies to a fourth-and-1 near midfield. The previous play was a third-and-2 run by Le’veon Moss that returning UA linebacker Deontae Lawson swallowed. Somehwat surprisingly, Fisher sent punter Nik Constantinou onto the field. Six plays later, Alabama had a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Speaking to the media following Texas A&M’s 26-20 defeat, Fisher explained his thought process:

“They just had momentum in the game,” Fisher said. “… If it wasn’t a full yard, inside a yard, we probably would have went. We didn’t get it. I said, ‘Listen, we can pin ‘em back’. Our punter does a great job. Unfortunately, that’s the one he kicked just a little bit long. They got it at the 20, but it was a tied game. I thought our defense played great the whole time. I thought we would get the ball back and play. And we got stopped earlier on two third-and-1s.”

The decision-making of both offenses was questioned at times on Saturday. With a chance to kneel the clock out, Alabama attempted a pass that prompted confusion from some. It was a sloppy game overall with some big offensive plays, but mostly two dominant defensive fronts. The teams combined 11 sacks for -74 yards of offense.

Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe was mostly contained in the pocket but set a career-high with 321 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Jermaine Burton also set his personal best with 11 catches and matched a career-best 197 passing yards and two touchdowns.

“They were taking shots and getting the ball downfield,” said Fisher. “We still got some pressure on him, but he was doing a good job of getting in a rhythm and he got it out a little bit quicker and they changed up what they were doing a little bit.

“A couple times we were there making the plays, (Burton) made one or two really nice contested catches on deep balls. The other one he had a double move. He’s explosive. He got us on a double move, and I think he had a nice corner route right there. … He’s a big, strong, good player, man. That boundary guy can get isolated sometimes, and that’s what they did.”

Both Fisher and UA coach Nick Saban agreed that a turning point in the game was freshman safety Caleb Downs’ interception in the third quarter. It triggered a game-deciding 16-3 run for the visitors and bailed out Milroe, who had thrown a bad interception moments earlier. Like he was for most of the game, A&M quarterback Max Johnson faced constant pressure.

“We get it back and then on second down, we were throwing it and they bring a blitz,” said Fisher. “Max throws to the right guy. He has got a hot route to the tight end. He’s got to get it out in front of him just a little bit more. Guy came from behind and made a heck of a play. Got the turnover right back, and that was a big momentum swing in the game. We have got to help him a little better.”

The end of the game featured more split-second decisions that will be dissected in the days to come. The Aggies thought they had a quick score down 10 with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but Ainias Smith stepped out of bounds while tip-toeing the sideline. A&M would settle for a field goal and then attempt an onside kick as opposed to kicking deep and trying to force an Alabama punt.

“With two (timeouts), it’s hard right there,” Fisher said of the choice, “And they got the first down. They got it coming off. I wanted to take a chance in getting it back. I wanted one more opportunity to get it back. We worked on them hard. That one didn’t get the hop. We had been working on it and getting a lot of good ones in camp and practice. I wanted to give us a chance to get the ball.”

Instead, Alabama was able to ice the final 2:11 with seven plays and 13 yards gained. On the final snap of the game, Milroe ran toward the A&M sideline and chucked a pass downfield to burn the final seconds. The Texas A&M fans in attendance booed when the officials announced the game had ended.

“Could have been. I thought so too. I thought there was one (second) when the ball hits (the ground). That’s a play everyone works on,” Fisher said. “You run down there and you do it. It takes seven or eight seconds. I thought there was one, but, I mean, I can’t see.

“Our guys played hard. The kids played hard. They played physical. It is a hurt locker room. They felt very good about how they were playing in the game.”

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].