All the buzzwords are in play with this Alabama offensive line in Texas A&M week.

The search for “continuity” resumes with a starter questionable for the 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday game in College Station. Regardless of who’s playing center with Chris Owen’s nursing an injured knee, Nick Saban said the focus is on “finishing blocks” coming off an open date.

And he’d like to get a “hat on a hat” and “create balance” against a 3-2 Aggie team that’s lost to both Clemson and Auburn to date.

The dynamic begins with the five who’ll get the start Saturday afternoon. Should Owens be unable to go, it appears as if Landon Dickerson would slide over from guard like he did in Game 2 when Owens was hurt for New Mexico State. It was the first time Dickerson had played center, a move made more challenging with the near-exclusive use of the shotgun in Alabama’s offense.

The logical replacement for Dickerson at right guard would be Deonte Brown -- a starter last year who was suspended for the first four games this fall. Starting right tackle Jedrick Wills said Monday that Brown “didn’t miss a heartbeat” during the NCAA suspension as he worked as a second-team understudy. Matt Womack started for Dickerson in the NMSU game but Brown developed a reputation as a presence in the run game that Saban noted as a crucial next step.

“I think the big focus has been to finish blocks,” Saban said Monday, “finish plays so that we can finish runs and create the kind of balance that we’d like to have offensively. I think we’ve been pretty good at getting a hat on a hat, but the big emphasis has been to finish the defensive players so we have more positive runs.”

Alabama had positive momentum in the ground game in wins over Southern Miss and Ole Miss after running for just 76 yards against South Carolina. The Tide averaged just 3.0 yards a carry in Columbia before getting 5.0 per run in the Southern Miss game and 5.2 in the win over Ole Miss.

Wills quickly defined his interpretation of Saban’s charge to finish blocks.

“Have your hat on the guy and moving your feet with a violent shove at the whistle,” Wills said.

The issue Wills sees in the film room when running plays bust isn’t overly complicated. It’s a factor in Alabama’s top two running backs Najee Harris and Brian Robinson not having a carry of longer than 19 yards in five games.

“We’re still working on trying to find all five guys doing the same thing on every play,” Wills said. “That’s what develops that. Or just trying to develop those explosive plays rather than trying to worry about if it’s 19 or five yards. Just play by play and see if we can break a big one.”

Alabama’s running game ranks 55th to this point with 174.0 yards a game. Comparing this season to last at the five-game mark, the Tide averages the same 5.3 yards a carry while attempting 40 fewer runs.

“I’m not disappointed in any way, shape or form with the offensive line and the progress they’ve made,” Saban said, “but as every group on our team would say, there are obviously things we can do better.”

Texas A&M has the nation’s No. 29 run defense allowing 108.4 of the 299.8 total yards opponents average on the ground. Clemson’s No. 25 ground game was held 101 yards below its weekly average while getting 3.7 yards per attempt in a Sept. 7 loss for the Aggies.

Pass protection has been solid, Saban said. The 6.0 sacks allowed in five games ranks 16th-fewest in the FBS while opponents have seven quarterback hurries compared to the 21 recorded by the Tide defense. The Aggies defense’s 8.0 sacks rank 97th in the country.

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.