Alabama Suspends Player Hours Before Texas A&M Game

The No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide are trying to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff after losing two straight games when they host 3-3 Texas A&M on Saturday. The Crimson Tide will be down a defender for the contest.

With hours to go before kickoff against Texas A&M, Alabama made the decision to suspend defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. for a violation of team rules, per Charlie Potter of On3. This is the second time Kirkpatrick has been suspended by the Crimson Tide.

"Alabama DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. has been suspended for a violation of team rules, per a UA spokesperson," Potter posted on X. "Kirkpatrick was ruled out on the Tide's final availability report for today's game vs. Texas A&M."

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Kirkpatrick has made four tackles and recorded one forced fumble this season. It's a frustrating development for a Crimson Tide team that needs their players focused.

The Crimson Tide started the season 5-0 but suffered back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee. Alabama needs to take advantage of a down Texas A&M team to stop the losing streak and gain some momentum before they go into a bye next week and prepare for No. 18 LSU on Nov. 7.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer suggested after the loss to Tennessee that things would be "uncomfortable" for Alabama after suffering a second loss in October.

“I just said it’s going to be really uncomfortable,” DeBoer said, via Touchdown Alabama. “Again, everything I said to those guys, it’s not like I didn’t feel like they practiced. We had a lot of motivation to come back and have a great week and prepare for this game, but moving forward, it’s going to be another level of uncomfortable.

"A lot of guys haven’t been through the last year or the last two. I know they feel it, and our older guys mentioned that even a couple weeks ago and what it’s going to be like on this stretch. The key is that you just hone in on one game. Don’t look at the big picture. Just hone in on one game and believe that you have a team that can get it done.”

For Alabama, that means just looking to take care of business against the Aggies.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.