It cannot be understated… No.1 ranked Alabama and legendary head coach, Nick Saban, will be in Austin this Saturday for a much-anticipated matchup against the Longhorns.
The upcoming game between Texas and Alabama is the first between the two teams since the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. Historically speaking, the Texas Longhorns have owned the Crimson Tide with a 7-1-1 record all time; however, Alabama will roll into DKR this year as a heavy favorite.
Photo of Rose Bowl matchup in 2010 by Texas Horns Fans
Prior to the 11 a.m. kickoff, Texas fans will have the chance to enjoy both ESPN College Gameday and FOX Big Noon Kickoff, as both crews will be presenting live from the University of Texas campus.
ESPN College Gameday, led by the likes of Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso, will be set up on the LBJ Lawn. FOX Big Noon Kickoff will host their show just northwest of the stadium with a cast of legends including Urban Meyer, Matt Leinart, and Reggie Bush.
Additionally, all 12 LHN viewers can enjoy the award-winning Longhorn Network pre-game telecast from the south endzone!
Bevo Boulevard is going to be absolutely ROCKING as Texas fans take in what may be the best part of our days (the pre-game festivities). All kidding aside, this weekend’s matchup against this Alabama team is going to be one for the ages!
So when game-time rolls around, what should the Texas Football team expect from Saban’s Alabama? Great football is definitely on the menu this Saturday.
Alabama started their season last week with an impressive 55-0 win against Utah State. The offense, led by junior Bryce Young, had racked up 350 yards before halftime. Young left the game early in the 3rd quarter after throwing 5 touchdowns and rushing for 1 touchdown. The reigning Heisman winner led the Crimson Tide in both passing and rushing in their home opener.
Defensively, Alabama dominated against Utah State. The Tide allowed 57 yards passing, 79 yards rushing, and a grand total of zero points. Nick Saban’s Alabama defense is led by linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who has Heisman-level expectations for this season.
Despite the big win in Week 1, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is not taking the Longhorns lightly in game preparation.
During a press conference earlier this week, Nick Saban commented on the Texas offense. Saban noted, “They’ve got some really good players on offense. You know, [Bijan] Robinson is an outstanding running back and [Xavier] Worthy is a great receiver.”
Saban continued his commentary with Texas running back Bijan Robinson by adding, “He can do everything you know, he’s got speed, he’s got power and he’s a very instinctive runner. … He’s as good an all-around running back as there probably is in the whole country.”
The Longhorns also got off to a comfortable start in the 2022 season with a 52-10 win over UL Monroe in Week 1. To no one’s surprise, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is not underestimating #1 Alabama in game preparation either.
Image of Texas vs ULM by Dallas News
During a September 5 media availability, Sarkisian implied that the coaching staff has been preparing for this matchup for quite a while.
Sarkisian stated, “This (Alabama) gameplan was done probably about three months ago.”
He continued to explain that the staff already “has a pretty good idea of what we want to do in this game.” Texas fans will be waiting to see what the Longhorns have up their sleeve in order to provide the Crimson Tide some discomfort this Saturday.
It is certainly possible that the Longhorns could win on Saturday. As Andrew pointed out on this week’s podcast, despite the Crimson Tide playing for a National Championship last year, they did not cruise through the 2021 season as smoothly as you may expect.
On this week’s episode of Football on the 40, Andrew said, “Alabama had six games last year where they did not win by more than 7 points. They lost a close game on the road against Texas A&M and had surprisingly close outcomes against Florida, LSU, Auburn in overtime, and Arkansas.”
Prior to the start of this season, the Football on the 40 crew unanimously picked a loss against Alabama. After immersing ourselves in Texas Football hype following the UL Monroe win, two of us are showing signs of buying into hopes of a monumental win. Both Jake and Bowen have placed bets on Texas to win the game for +800 odds. Andrew and Kevin also have positive expectations and have placed bets on Texas to cover the spread, which now stands at Alabama -20.
In order to win this game, Texas will need the ball to bounce their way. The Texas defense and special teams have already proven their ability to score touchdowns. Our Longhorns may need more of that on Saturday to provide a winning outcome.
Regardless of the outcome, we will enjoy taking it all in. The FB40 crew will break things down for Texas fans on next week’s edition of Football on the 40.