There is absolutely no way around it. Alabama did not beat Texas. Bad luck defeated Texas today.
For starters, Texas lost their starting quarterback after two drives. And there is no doubt about it, Ewers was ripping the Alabama secondary to shreds.
Through two drives, Ewers amassed 134 yards passing. He threw only three incompletions. One of those attempts should have been a touchdown, while the other was blatant missed interference call in the end zone, as noted by in-game analyst Joel Klatt.
In the end, Texas had the chance to win and they didn’t finish. Nevertheless, something tells me this team has unfinished business when they travel to Tuscaloosa next year.
As for this year, Texas looks like a vastly improved team overall. The defense, though it certainly missed opportunities and allowed big plays, kept their struggling offense in the game.
I don’t believe the game is fools gold either. Texas should be a good team even with Hudson Card at quarterback. Unfortunately, they will always have questions of what could have been.
With Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns looked like a playoff contender. That’s not hyperbole. Steve Sarkisian’s squad thoroughly outclassed the Tide with Ewers facilitating the offense. How many games they can win with Card leading the team is still to be seen.