To add insult to injury, star slugger Ivan Melendez left Thursday’s game with a shoulder injury and never returned in the series. Texas needs both Melendez and Eric Kennedy back in a major way. The Wildcats shocked the Longhorns with an 8-5 comeback victory to open the series followed by a dominant 8-1 performance. Texas bounced back to salvage game three on Saturday.
The Horns are now 26-12 overall and 6-6 in Big 12 conference play.
Two midweek games against Air Force and a three-game set vs. Baylor present Texas a chance to get back on track in front of a home crowd this week.
Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.
The Alabama Crimson Tide wrapped up ‘A-Day’ on Saturday. This means they will shift their focus to recruiting and preseason conditioning ahead of the 2022 college football season.
Head coach Nick Saban is looking to break the tie with Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant for most national championships as the Crimson Tide’s head coach. Each has six, Saban has a total of seven in his career.
For Saban to win another title, they have a few things to figure out. Mainly their offensive line and the wide receiver rotation. They do get the benefit of a tune-up game prior to heading to Austin for a showdown with the Texas Longhorns. The first regular-season matchup between these two storied programs since 1922.
With the offseason in full swing, PFF released their way-too-early top 25 rankings. Where are Alabama and Nick Saban viewed among their peers?
Surprise, surprise. The Tide takes the top spot according to the top 25 early rankings from Pro Football Focus.
What Pro Football Focus Say…
AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
There’s an argument to be made that Alabama has the best offensive and defensive player in college football with quarterback Bryce Young and edge defender Will Anderson Jr. Young tied for the highest PFF grade (92.2) among FBS quarterbacks in 2021, showcasing elite processing and playmaking ability when knocked off rhythm. Considering he was a true sophomore in his first year as a starter, that’s incredible. Anderson, meanwhile, leads the FBS in pressures generated (81) since 2020, and he did that as an underclassman.
Head coach Nick Saban went out and plucked a couple of All-American caliber players out of the transfer portal with running back Jahmyr Gibbs and cornerback Eli Ricks. Transfer wide receiver Jermaine Burton may not have elite play on his resume, but the former Georgia product looks like a promising breakout for 2022.
The only thing in the way of this team avenging their 2021 national title loss is the offensive line. Left tackle Evan Neal was the only offensive lineman on the Tide’s roster in 2021 who earned a 70.0-plus single-season pass-blocking grade, and he’s now off to the NFL. In replacement, Alabama brought in Vanderbilt transfer Tyler Steen, but he has yet to crack a 70.0 pass-blocking grade in three years playing in the collegiate ranks.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Patrick on Twitter @PatrickConnCFB.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
What did USA TODAY Sports have to say about the Texas Longhorns being ranked in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll?
Fall camp is finally here and with that it feels like Texas Longhorns football is so close we can almost taste it. One of the annual events of the preseason are the rankings. Media and fans alike love to pick apart the rankings with how they feel each college football team should be ranked. Texas came in 14th in the initial Amway Coaches Poll.
The first reaction by many is of course, who is overrated? According to Paul Myerburg, one of those teams would in fact be the Longhorns. Sure one could point to what the Longhorns lost and claim that they are overrated but they return their senior quarterback and key pieces around him. Factor in the new coordinators in Mike Yurcich and Chris Ash and that gives promise. Not to mention they added five-star recruits on both sides of the ball.
What USA TODAY Sports says about the Longhorns outlook
It’s the question asked, mostly facetiously now, every August: Is Texas back? After a step back – the wrong way, in this sense — in 2019 compared to a Sugar Bowl win the season before, Tom Herman shook things up this offseason by firing his offensive and defensive coordinator, meaning Longhorns players are learning new schemes on both sides of the ball. QB Sam Ehlinger has thrown more yards than any other Power Five quarterback in the last two years, and there’s no shortage of receiving talent for him to target. LB Joseph Ossai returns after leading the team with 90 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. A trip to the Big 12 title game will be expected or pressure will mount on Herman.
The Longhorns head coach Tom Herman isn’t in the hot seat yet but if he fumbles the season (provided they play) then it will heat up.
