Legendary Alabama Football play-by-play voice Eli Gold previews matchup

Key notes from Eli Gold interview

• It’s going to be a great ballgame. Jimbo and Nick Saban growing up eight miles apart is a really good underlying story. A&M is a good team and the Tide respect every iota of the Aggies. Every team brings out their best to play the No. 1 team in the country.
   
• This is the youngest, least experienced defense that we have seen in a long time at Alabama. Now does least experienced automatically translate to lesser talent? No, but you do have to have those game reps. Look at Myles Garrett, he wasn’t the same guy when he was drafted as he was when he wandered into Kyle Field as a freshman. You look at what the defense did to Ole Miss last week, they pretty much throttled them. It’s a good Nick Saban defense that will only get better.
   
• Tua is very talented obviously. He can throw footballs into the smallest of spots with accuracy and a ton of mustard on the passes. The thing that you have to remember is that Jalen Hurts has come in and played a lot and has improved from one season to the next. It’s not all Tua but obviously he has a spectacular “It” factor in barrel-fulls.
   
• This is a very good team, the best Alabama team ever? Maybe that can be answered at the end of the season. I don’t know that you can say “the best ever” based on three games. The 2010 team that didn’t win the championship was probably better than the ’09 team that did win, so you can’t make those statements without the whole picture. The sample is just a little too small, but it is certainly a very good team.
   
• Jimbo is a great coach. You don’t have to look any further than your tight end in Jace Sternberger. Jimbo is a good recruiter, a good offense, and has a good style. When you have the talent that he has at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, not to mention the defensive side of the ball, there is no question that the Aggies are a good team.
   
• There have been some games against “lesser opponents” and maybe here and there they need a wakeup call but this Tide team will be prepared. The Arkansas State game was big for Alabama, if you don’t think so, then go out and lose it and see how big it was.
   
• You always are a better broadcaster when you have a good story to tell. It has been remarkable to watch Saban work. He isn’t old at 66, but he also isn’t 36. The way he can still relate and recruit and adjust himself to the changing society and young people of the day. The way he isn’t afraid to adjust his team to fit with the skills that he has available.