Steve Sarkisian on Alabama QB: ‘Jalen is a fantastic player’

Steve Sarkisian talks Jalen Milroe

The Week 2 matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns has college football fans around the country amped up and excited.

After Alabama QB [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] put together a strong performance in the season opener against Middle Tennessee, some folks have changed their tune on the Crimson Tide.

On Monday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian discussed Milroe and revealed what he considered to be his concern about defending him and the Alabama offense.

“Jalen is a fantastic player. I got a chance to recruit him out of high school. He’s got a dynamic arm. He can make every throw in the book: Off platform, on the run, doesn’t matter. He’s a tremendous runner. He’s an elite runner with the ball in his hand with his speed and his physicality. And he’s highly competitive. He’s a really good leader.”

Milroe is a Texas native and was actually committed to the Longhorns before ultimately deciding to play for [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Crimson Tide.

Aside from Milroe, the entire Alabama offense will be tough to defend according to Sark.

“The thing probably that concerns me the most about that is they’re very balanced,” Sarkisian said. “They can run the ball with a runner. They’ve got really good speed on the perimeter with Isaiah Bond and Jermaine Burton and that crew that they have there. They utilize their tight ends and they got a physical offensive line. You put all that together and then ultimately the threat of the quarterback run. They’ve got a multitude of quarterback runs, whether they’re zone reads, power reads, quarterback direct runs, quarterback scrambles on third downs.”

Despite all of the other weapons that Alabama has on offense, Sark believes defensively it all starts with containing No. 4 in Crimson.

“We’re gonna have to spend extra time on how do we control and contain the quarterback with his legs. The rest of the offense is the offense. It’s good and it’s very well designed and they’ve got really good pieces. But the quarterback run, they’re gonna run the quarterback. It’s not a secret what they did in Week 1. We’re gonna get something different and that’s okay. But making sure that we are accounting for No. 4 in all of the quarterback run games is going to be a real key.”

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire throughout the week as we continue our preview coverage of Alabama vs. Texas!

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Everything Nick Saban said on Monday of Texas game week

What Nick Saban had to say on Monday of Texas week!

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide are fresh off an impressive Week 1 win over the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders to move to 1-0 on the season.

The competition will get a little stiffer this weekend when the Tide will welcome in future SEC foe, the Texas Longhorns.

The marquee non-conference matchup is sure to draw the eyeballs of the college football world as Coach Saban matches up against one of his former assistants, Steve Sarkisian.

As the Crimson Tide began to prepare for the Longhorns on Monday, Coach Saban would speak to members of the media and discuss his team ahead of the pivotal matchup. Below is everything Saban had to say:

Storylines to watch in massive Week 2 showdown between Alabama and Texas

Five of the top storylines for the epic non-conference matchup between Alabama and Texas!

The Alabama Crimson Tide put its stamp on Week 1 of the college football season with a dominating 56-7 win over Middle Tennessee State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night.

Now, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Tide will host a completely different challenge in Week 2 when they welcome the Texas Longhorns to Tuscaloosa for one of the season’s most highly anticipated non-conference matchups.

Last year, Alabama escaped Austin with a nail-biting 20-19 win over the Longhorns, mainly behind the fourth quarterback magic of quarterback Bryce Young.

Now, Alabama will be led by a young QB making just his third collegiate start. [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] silenced some critics with his performance against MTSU, but the Longhorn defense will present a completely different challenge for the Texas native.

The storylines entering Alabama-Texas are endless, so we have put together a list of a handful that we feel are most important for the Crimson Tide.

Report Card: Grading Alabama’s narrow win over Texas

Alabama narrowly escaped Austin on Saturday with a win over Texas. Let’s take a look at how the Crimson Tide graded out in Week 2.

You could hear the collective sigh of relief from Crimson Tide fans when Will Reciahrd’s 33-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with just 10 seconds left to give Alabama a 20-19 lead over Texas on Saturday.

Despite 15 penalties and inconsistent play on both sides of the ball, Alabama was able to escape Austin with a win over the pesky Longhorns to improve to 2-0 on the young season, but with a lot of questions left to answer.

Now that we have all had time to reflect on Saturday’s performance, it is time for our weekly edition of the Alabama Report Card where we grade all three phases of the Tide’s previous contest.

First…the offense…

Postgame Thoughts: Alabama lucks past Texas, 20-19

Texas has a chance to be really good this year.

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.

Alabama vs. Texas, live stream, preview, TV channel, time, how to watch college football

The Alabama Crimson Tide will meet the Texas Longhorns in Week 2 of the college football season on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will meet the Texas Longhorns in Week 2 of the college football season on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Alabama is coming off a 55-0 win over Utah State when they make the trip to Austin, Texas. Bryce Young threw for 5 touchdowns last week and will be looking for another solid week under center. Meanwhile, Texas is also coming off a blowout win against Louisiana-Monroe where they put up 52 points in a 52-10 rout. Can the Longhorns upset the number one ranked team in Alabama today?

Tune in and find out, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action on Saturday.

#1 Alabama at Texas

  • When: Saturday, September 10
  • Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

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NCAA Football Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were updated at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Alabama at Texas (-21.5)

O/U: 64.5

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Alabama vs. Texas: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

It’s a battle of future SEC rivals. It’s Alabama vs. Texas! Here is how you can watch the epic matchup between the two historic programs.

The epic non-conference matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns has finally arrived. The two teams will take the field in just a few hours for a battle of future SEC rivals.

Alabama head coach [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] will once again be coaching against one of his former assistants. Up until last season when he suffered two defeats from his former coordinators, the seven-time national championship-winning head coach was undefeated in such cases.

Alabama is a heavy road favorite over Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, and [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] and the Tide offense should be able to navigate their way into some scores against the average Texas defense. Defensively for Alabama, it will be a test. Coach Sarkisian is a phenomenal offensive mind and the Longhorns have plenty of offensive weapons.

The stage is set for the matchup of two historic programs in Austin and we are sure to find out a lot more about this 2022 Alabama football team after today!

Alabama vs Texas Prediction, Game Preview

Alabama vs Texas game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 2 game on Saturday, September 10

Alabama vs Texas prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 2, Saturday, September 10


Alabama vs Texas How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 10
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Darrell K Royal/Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX
How To Watch: FOX
Record: Alabama (1-0), Texas (1-0)
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Alabama vs Texas Game Preview

Why Alabama Will Win

New year, new players, new assistants, new chemistry, new lots of things, but Utah State won the Mountain West championship last year.

It came up with 11 wins, finishing off with a fantastic performance in a Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl win over Oregon State.

A slew of the key parts were back, it might have a shot at another conference title, and Alabama rolled right on over the Aggie speedbump for a 55-0 win, and that’s only because it didn’t want to hang 80.

The Tide didn’t score in the fourth quarter.

This is a fully-focused machine of a team that lost a slew of star parts, and yet still ran for 278 yards last week and threw for 281.

The offensive line has been worked on and tweaked to be better in pass protection, Bryce Young is going to spread it around more, and the defense is coming into the season looking like it took the national championship loss personally.

Texas might have the talent, but does it have the defense that can hold up against what’s coming? We’re not all that far removed from the Longhorns losing to Kansas.

However …

CFN Expert Picks, Week 2

Why Texas Will Win

This really is a different Longhorn team in a lot of ways.

Steve Sarkisian and the coaching staff have settled in, there’s a healthy Bijan Robinson in the backfield, Quinn Ewers – at least prospect-wise – is as promising as any quarterback in the country, and you’re not crazy to hype Xavier Worthy among the best wide receivers in college football.

The skill parts are there. There will be explosions from this attack to go along with the improved play from the lines and – if all goes well – a defense that’s going to be far more aggressive.

The Longhorns don’t have to be a brick wall on D, and they don’t have to pitch a shutout. They just have to get off the field once in a while.

And that goes to one of the key factors here – there’s almost no pressure.

Oh sure, everyone is waiting for Texas to be “back” to its national title-level self, and there’s no excuse for this program to be anything but great, and Sarkisian needs a gigantic win to get everything rolling, but Alabama is No. 1. It’s supposed to roll in, win by double-digits, and go home.

This will be a momentum game. Texas has the guys to at least hang with Bama at home, but it needs a good start and needs to believe it really can do this. It’s going to hit a few big scoring plays to get everyone hyped, and …

Week 2 Schedule, Predictions, Game Preview

What’s Going To Happen

You think Alabama is going to flinch for an instant when Texas connects on a 78-yard touchdown pass?

Yes, Texas will have its moments that will meltdown social media and make Gus Johnson take his game up a few octaves, but Bama will keep on coming. Texas will connect on a few big plays. Alabama will connect on all the little ones, and for a full 60 minutes.

It’ll keep Robinson bottled up, the running game will take over in the third quarter, and Bryce Young will come up with an ultra-efficient, workmanlike performance with two excellent scoring marches in the second half to end any dreams of this being when Texas becomes Texas again.

CFN Week 2 Predictions

Alabama vs Texas Prediction, Line

Alabama 41, Texas 20
Line: Alabama -20, o/u: 61.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Alabama vs Texas Must See Rating (out of 5): 5

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Roll Tide Wire staff predictions for Alabama vs. Texas

The staff at Roll Tide Wire dishes out their predictions for Alabama’s matchup with the Texas Longhorns.

Saturday’s matchup between Alabama and Texas is sure to receive plenty of attention across the country. [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Tide will travel to Austin to take on Steve Sarkisian, a former Saban assistant, and the Texas Longhorns.

As much attention as the master versus the disciple received, once the players step between the lines, those are the ones who will decide the outcome.

Alabama clearly is ahead of Texas when it comes to players on the field. You could make the argument that the 2022 squad is as talented a team that coach Saban has had in his time in Tuscaloosa.

Despite being a heavy road favorite over the Longhorns, the Crimson Tide has seemed to take this game and the opponent very seriously. We are likely to learn a great deal about this year’s version of the Tide come Saturday.

Staff predicts the game

Alabama (-19.5) Record ATS Winner Record Overall
AJ Spurr Alabama 1-0 Alabama 1-0
Stacey Blackwood Alabama 1-0 Alabama 1-0
Sam Murphy Texas 0-1 Alabama 1-0
Brody Smoot Alabama 1-0 Alabama 1-0

AJ Spurr

Texas has the honor of being the first team to score against Alabama; the Crimson Tide shut out Utah State in Week 1. There’s plenty of offensive power on this Longhorns team to test the Alabama defense, but it’s far too young in crucial positions to do damage against an experienced Crimson Tide defense. Bryce Young and the offense will likely have some fun against the Texas secondary. I don’t anticipate too much action from running back Jahmyr Gibbs after the Longhorns’ defensive front flexed some muscles against Week 1 opponent Louisiana-Monroe.

Alabama 45, Texas 20

Stacey Blackwood

Despite demolishing Utah State last week, this Alabama team still seems hungry. Bryce Young, Will Anderson, and the rest of the Tide are eager to prove that last season’s failure is a thing of the past. With the opportunity on a national stage, I expect the Tide to make a statement against the Longhorns.

Alabama 42, Texas 17

Sam Murphy

The Crimson Tide looked like the best team in the country in Week 1 as they easily covered the massive 41.5-point spread against Utah State. Alabama is not known to shy away from big games, while the Longhorns still have a lot of questions to answer. How will Ewers look in a real game? Can Sarkisian keep up with Saban? How will the Texas offensive line stop Will Anderson and Dallas Turner? I think Texas has too many questions, and the Tide have all the answers. Tide run away with this one.

Alabama 49, Texas 21

Brody Smoot

Alabama has been waiting to make a statement ever since the loss to Georgia in the College Football Playoff. This will be its first opportunity, and it is a very good one. I fully expect the Crimson Tide to click on all cylinders on the offensive side of the ball. Traeshon Holden, Kobe Prentice and Jermaine Burton all had big games last week, and the expectation is that it will continue into Week 2’s matchup. I also expect the defense to create substantial pressure and limit the Longhorns’ explosive offense. In the end, Alabama is too much to handle on offense on Saturday afternoon.

Alabama 45, Texas 17

All Betting Lines are courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.

5 things Alabama football fans should know about the Texas Longhorns

Five things every Alabama football fan should know about the Texas Longhorns heading into the Week 2 matchup of the historic programs.

Alabama’s high-profile non-conference matchup with the Texas Longhorns is set to unfold this Saturday in Austin. The battle will take place on FOX at 11:00 a.m. CT.

Each week at Roll Tide Wire we do our best to give Alabama fans as close as a look into the opponent as possible. We have already gone behind enemy lines with Longhorns Wire to give you a Texas side of things but we are going to take it a step further today and give you even more information on the Longhorn program.

Here are five important facts that every Alabama football fan should know leading into the contest.