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Who will win this massive showdown in Week 2?
One of the top college football games of the entire season will take place in Week 2. Continue reading “No. 11 Texas vs. No. 3 Alabama: Who the experts are predicting to win”
“I think Sark is one of the best coaches we’ve ever been around when it comes to offense.”
Steve Sarkisian received high praise from Nick Saban ahead of Texas and Alabama’s matchup in Week 2. Continue reading “Nick Saban praises Steve Sarkisian ahead of Week 2 matchup”
Roll Tide Wire’s Stacey Blackwood gives insight into Saturday’s game.
We are over halfway through ’Bama week. With that, anticipation builds towards what could be ESPN’s biggest regular season event of 2023.
The game features arguably the two biggest brands in college football. The Tide have done more to earn that distinction on the field in recent seasons. Albeit, plenty of viewers will tune in to watch Texas play in the prime time showdown.
There are several storylines heading into the matchup. Most notably, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe gets his shot against the team that showed preferential treatment to another quarterback. That quarterback lines up on the other side for Texas in Quinn Ewers.
We talked with Roll Tide Wire’s Stacey Blackwood to get insight into the Alabama side of the game. He shared the following thoughts on the monumental event.
Cole Hutson is in line to start against Alabama.
In what should have been a high-flying offensive display and thrashing of Rice, Week 1 turned into questions surrounding the offensive unit for Texas.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was missing on the deep ball throughout the game, going 0-of-7 on passes beyond 25 yards. It didn’t help that the offensive line, which is supposed to be one of the strongest units in the country, was giving up pressure, allowing Ewers to get hit, and looked inferior against Rice.
According to Inside Texas, there may be a solution in place for this shocking lackluster performance. Cole Hutson has been taking reps with the starters at right guard. He appears to be replacing DJ Campbell, who started in place of him during Week 1.
Hutson and the rest of the offensive line started all but one game together last season.
“We’re past the point of moral victories. Texas needs to win games like these.”
The No. 11 Texas Longhorns (1-0) face the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) on Saturday evening. It poses an opportunity to prove plenty for the current squad. We’re past the point of moral victories. Texas needs to win games like these.
The Longhorns have finished a close second far too often in these games. In 2019, head coach Tom Herman threw everything at the eventual national champion, LSU. Texas fell short by 7 points.
Last season, the Longhorns came within one point of upsetting the Tide. It was a nice story last year, albeit “almost” is no longer good enough.
After watching Texas’ first half struggles against Rice, many are probably wanting to lower the expectations for Texas in the game. There aren’t many teams that will go into Tuscaloosa and leave with a win. Certainly, they likely aren’t securing a win after playing like the Longhorns did last week.
The expectations, however, have not fallen based on last week’s performance. Texas has the five-star talent all over the field this season that opposing fans falsely suggest it always has present. This Longhorns squad is good enough to play its game and beat Alabama. It must play sharper to do so.
There is help on the way for the offensive line. The same five aren’t lining up on Saturday. With that, the high degree of offensive line woes could significantly diminish. The defensive front is primed for a big night. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy looks as good as he ever has in burnt orange.
It’s put up or shut up time in Austin. The team will look to shock the world on Saturday night.
These could be the difference between a huge win for Texas or a devastating loss.
If you had asked most Texas fans a week ago how they felt about their Week 2 matchup against Alabama, they’d be more on the side of confidence. A mood that might have changed since.
The confidence this offseason surrounded the Longhorns returning an extremely experienced team, Quinn Ewers supposedly playing at an elite level, and Alabama’s quarterback situation was as murky as it gets.
The Crimson Tide eventually figured out who their quarterback was in Jalen Milroe who accounted for five touchdowns in their Week 1 win after beating out Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner for the gig.
As for Texas?
The Longhorns won their Week 1 game against Rice pretty handily, but the energy around the program has somewhat changed. While the defense looked as stout as ever, the offense was not nearly as good as many expected.
Based off of Week 1 there are now three major reasons to be concerned about No. 11 Texas ahead of their matchup against No. 3 Alabama.
We look at where Texas could have success against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Texas Longhorns (1-0) take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) this week. While it’s unlikely to be a Top 10 matchup, it has the makings of a great game.
The Longhorns enter the game licking their wounds after an exceptionally poor performance on Saturday. It all starts with the offensive line in pass protection where the Rice Owls picked on first time starter DJ Campbell. It is unlikely Texas will put Campbell in that position again this week.
The offensive performance was ugly all around. Receivers ran into receivers, running backs missed blocking assignments and dropped touchdowns and Quinn Ewers continued to struggle to hit the downfield pass at quarterback.
Texas can win most games without connecting on the deep ball. We saw the 2018 squad win 10 games and beat Oklahoma and Georgia without it. That said, it might need to hit a downfield pass or two in this game.
Let’s look at what the team needs to accomplish to defeat the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
Based on what we saw this week, Alabama could roll Texas in Week 2.
Texas is ranked No. 11 nationally. It would surprise if they are ranked that high next week. The team put up an abominable performance in its season opener against Rice.
Many are putting it all on Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. It’s the outgrowth of expectations that were way too high for the Longhorns starter this offseason. The expectations were not consistent with his 2022 performance.
I never bought that Ewers was going to win the Heisman Trophy. I stated as much this offseason, though I still believe he will have a good season for Texas. He’s not a legitimate Heisman contender. He’s a good quarterback with great potential.
There were several more glaringly poor performers for Texas. The offensive line in particular looked more like Rice’s equal than the powerhouse it should have been at this point. The unit slept through the first half on its way to putting its quarterback in harm’s way far too often.
Running backs didn’t do Ewers many favors in blitz pickup or pass catching save for one touchdown reception by Jonathon Brooks. The game featured too many drops along with instances of skill players not looking for the ball.
At receiver, Xavier Worthy shined and Jordan Whittington was respectable, but I’m not sure anyone else would receive a high grade for their performance. It was sloppy, ugly and undisciplined. It wasn’t the type of team that beats Alabama next week.
Despite the above realities, it’s a new week of game prep for Texas football. It will need to be far more intense, focused and motivated for all 7 days of preparation for Alabama. Preparation should start now.
On3 Sports founder Shannon Terry says Texas defeats ‘Bama by 10 or more points.
Everybody has a strong take on the Week 2 matchup between Texas and Alabama. You might want to take the following take seriously. On3 Sports founder and CEO Shannon Terry has the Texas Longhorns defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide by 10 or more points.
Admittedly it is going to be an emotionally charged battle on both ends of the budding rivalry. Texas faithful hate Alabama and the feeling is mutual from the ‘Bama side. What is for certain is nobody has any clue what the Crimson Tide is rolling out against the Longhorns. While some view that as an advantage, it seems an indication that Alabama is still finding itself after losing starting quarterback Bryce Young.
We feel confident in the Longhorns. It’s not just how good we feel about the Texas roster or how the team played in the matchup with Alabama last season. Texas knows who it is this season. Alabama does not appear to have the same feeling about its team.
The Tide is set to roll out at least two quarterbacks to start the season. That’s not exactly a winning formula. You want your starting quarterback getting all the reps during game week. Will the Tide split those reps evenly between its three quarterbacks? It will be difficult to win that way.
Knowing your quarterback is essential to feeling confident in your team. Alabama has no clue who that is this season. And if the team plays two quarterbacks against Texas, it might have to figure out who leads a game-winning drive on the fly.
Texas knows all of its players’ roles. The team will look to make that advantage count in the big showdown on Sept. 9.
Co-sign. JD nails it. Prediction. Texas beats Alabama by 10+ in Tuscaloosa. https://t.co/HhBw8ZFjje
— Shannon Terry (@ShannonTerry) August 24, 2023
Don’t get caught up in these storylines in 2023.
The college football season is just around the corner but it is only causing those of us who love the sport to get that much more antsy. Continue reading “Three storylines regarding Texas that fans should ignore”
