Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 2)

[satyanash 14281]

 Collecting post-game analysis articles regarding the Alabama game here:

(Taylor Estes) Final: No. 1 Alabama survives in 20-19 thriller over Texas

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AUSTIN, Texas — One of the most anticipated non-conference games of the 2022 college football season will kickoff in Austin, Texas Saturday morning when the Longhorns host the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide at home for a marquee Week 2 match up. Horns247 is live inside Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium and will be providing in-game updates as Texas takes on Alabama.

FIRST QUARTER UPDATES

8:47 left in Q1: Alabama won the opening toss and elected to take the field on offense first. While the Crimson Tide put together a lengthy opening drive that ate up 6:07 on the game clock, the Texas defense came up big with Ovie Oghoufo getting a huge third-down sack on QB Bryce Young to force Alabama to settle for a 52-yard field goal.

Alabama 3, Texas 0 (Crimson Tide scoring summary: 11 plays, 57 yards, 52-yard field goal, 6:07 used)

2:51 left in Q1: The Longhorns have tied it up with the Crimson Tide late in the third quarter. After Alabama took a 3-0 lead on Texas on the opening drive of the game, the Longhorns answered with a lengthy possession of their own when the Texas offense drove down into Alabama territory, but struggled to find the end zone, leading to Bert Auburn making a 26-yard field goal.

Texas 3, Alabama 3 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 15 plays, 67 yards, 26-yard field goal, 5:56 used)

2:34 left in Q1: Alabama answered in a big way on the first play of the Crimson Tide's second offensive series of the game when running back Jase McClellan took it 81 yards for the first touchdown of the ball game.

Alabama 10, Texas 3 (Crimson Tide scoring summary: 1 play, 81 yards, 81-yard touchdown, 13 seconds used)

END OF 1ST QUARTER: Alabama 10, Texas 3

SECOND QUARTER UPDATES

14:55 left in Q2: The Longhorns second possession on offense was going well until redshirt freshman QB Quinn Ewers took a hard hit from Alabama's Dallas Turner and left the game with what initially appeared to be a left shoulder injury. Backup Hudson Card got in the game and finished the Longhorns' drive when he handed it off to Bijan Robinson, who ran in a 1-yard touchdown to tie it up with the Crimson Tide.

Texas 10, Alabama 10 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1-yard touchdown run, 2:39 used)

HALFTIME: Texas 10, Alabama 10

THIRD QUARTER UPDATES

6:27 left in Q3: The Longhorns have taken the lead for the first time against the Crimson Tide. After tying it up 10-10 with Alabama to start the second quarter, it became more of a defensive bout inside Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium up until the Longhorns got into Alabama territory midway through the third quarter. While the Crimson Tide forced a field goal attempt, Texas kicker Auburn made a 33-yard field goal to take a 3-point lead over No. 1 ranked Alabama.

Texas 13, Alabama 10 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 6 plays, 25 yards, 33-yard field goal, 3:12 used)

END OF 3RD QUARTER: Texas 13, Alabama 10

FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES

12:55 left in Q4: The Longhorns have extended their lead on the Crimson Tide. The Texas offense once against drove the ball deep into Alabama territory, though the Crimson Tide defense held their own to force Texas kicker Auburn to settle for a field goal.

Texas 16, Alabama 10 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 12 plays, 65 yards, 24-yard field goal, 5:47 used)

8:29 left in Q4: Alabama is back on top midway through the fourth quarter. The Texas defense was holding its own against the Crimson Tide offense until Saban went for it on 4th and 3 to successfully move the chains on the defense and enter UT territory. Bryce Young followed it up when he connected with Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs for a 7-yard touchdown.

Alabama 17, Texas 16 (Crimson Tide scoring summary: 11 plays, 75 yards, 7-yard touchdown pass, 4:26 used)

1:29 left in Q4: The Longhorns have clawed their way back in to the game late in the fourth quarter. After trailing the Crimson Tide 17-16, the Texas offense drove down into Alabama territory but Card was sacked on 3rd and 3 from the Alabama 24-yard line, forcing Texas kicker Bert Auburn to attempt a 49-yard field goal, which he sailed through the uprights to take the lead with less than two minutes left in the game.

Texas 19, Alabama 17 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 8 plays, 44 yards, 49-yard field goal, 2:26 used)

00:10 left in Q4: Alabama has regained the lead after the Crimson Tide moved the ball down the field on the Texas defense, and while the Longhorns forced a field goal, Alabama kicker Will Reichard hit a 33-yarder to take a 1-point lead on Texas.

Alabama 20, Texas 19 (Crimson Tide scoring summary: 9 plays, 61 yards, 33-yard field goal, 1:19 used)

FINAL: Alabama 20, Texas 19

Scipio Tex: Gutshot & Proud

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It's going to take me a while to process this one. My postmortems may come from the bottom of a vodka bottle. A lot of "what ifs" and "could've beens" with a healthy Ewers, a sack on a blitz on Bama's last drive, more opportune officiating. Texas was the more composed football team. They came in with a superior game plan on both sides of the ball. The Longhorn players competed their asses off for four quarters against a high quality opponent that was more rattled by a big time environment than the young Horns were.

Friends and family at the game said the crowd was outstanding, boisterous and rowdy. Recruits had to feel it. The players had to feel it. This Longhorn team was excellently prepared to play today. Mentally, emotionally, schematically. 85 players fought like their state was on the front of the jersey and their family name was on the back. I don't know what the term is for wanting to throw up while also feeling proud and optimistic, but this is that feeling.

Watch the tape once, then burn it. Clean up a few things. Get Hudson Card ready to play. Tell the defense that this is what they can be when every man does his job and competes like he may not ever play a down again. Life and football are cruel. Wins and losses are binary. It didn't happen. There's a season to play. Attack it. On to UTSA. Hook 'em.

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts after Texas’ last-second 20-19 loss to No. 1 Alabama

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This is one the burnt orange nation will want back for obvious reasons. Just one missed play here or there ultimately made a the difference a 20-19 last-second loss and what could have been a building-block statement win over the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, but as least as far as the scoreboard is concerned, it’s an outcome the Texas Longhorns easily build from — especially in the confidence department. Here’s a few initial thoughts from Texas’ loss to the Tide.

The Texas defense might be a problem. I can’t remember the last time I’ve said that. Besides Jase McClellan’s explosive 81-yard touchdown and the critical late drive to end the game, the Longhorns defense mostly smothered Alabama, They played complementary football at all three levels — an aggressive pass rush and sticky in coverage, and imposing against the run. But more more, they were legitimately dominant for the majority of the contest, a performance headlined by several three-and-outs and key stops in the trenches. Of course, there’s that one stop they’ll wish they would have had back — the one to end the game in the final seconds — but the film will show an assertive, disciplined defense that played at an elite level. This is one one the defense and that staff will be proud of.

Hudson Card more than held his own. Just weeks after the confidence hit that comes with losing the quarterback battle, and then faced with the pressure of coming in against Alabama of all teams, Card displayed some notable toughness, hobbled but doing just enough to give Texas a chance to win late. The execution obviously needs to be better in a number of ways, but under the circumstances, Card deserves credit for sticking in and moving the ball just enough when needed. And with Quinn Ewers pictured on the sidelines wearing a sling after going down in the first quarter, Card might be needed for some time. He finished with 158 yards on 14-of-22 attempts.

Texas might have its kicker. Netting 4-of-5 attempts including a clutch kick to take a last minute lead certainly isn’t nothing, especially on that stage against Alabama in front of a record crowd. Factor in that Bert Auburn’s only miss looked like it might have been tipped and you’re that close to your kicker headlining a win over Alabama. If this is who he is consistently, Texas might have a damn good kicker on its hands.

Sark will undoubtedly be proud of the way his team played. As noted, the defense mostly overwhelmed the Crimson Tide, giving Texas much more than a puncher’s chance before understandably wearing down late. Special teams adjusted as well, specifically Daniel Trejo pinning some key punts to swing bigs of momentum in Texas favor. The offense, of course, wasn’t the same after the gut punch of losing Ewers as the were building momentum, but under the circumstances — including Card getting hobbled and battling through — provided just enough to give themselves an opportunity in the fourth. Simply put, they played well enough in all three phases and even great enough on special teams and defense to win the game. Sark often says he wants his team to play with fanatical effort, energy and enthusiasm, and they definitely checked that box today. Save for the final score, there’s likely relatively little Sark and his staff will be displeased with from this one.

 

[satyanash 14281]

Justin Wells: Texas QB Quinn Ewers suffers sprained clavicle

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It was a flashback of sorts when the Texas Longhorns watched Quinn Ewers hit the turf in the first quarter in a game with No. 1 Alabama on Saturday from DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Ewers suffered a sprained clavicle, per Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. They won’t know any more until he gets an MRI. Ewers was hit late by Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner late in the first quarter with the Longhorns driving and UT signal-caller was unable to return.

Texas junior Hudson Card will take over the snaps at quarterback for the Longhorns today. The Lake Travis native is 56-of-91 with 619 yards passing and five touchdowns in his Longhorn career. Ewers had beat out Card during fall camp to win the starting quarterback job in Austin. Card was named starter last season for Texas and played in five games. Ewers was having a great start to the contest including connecting with Xavier Worthy the play before the injury.

 

Barry Werner: Controversial call denies Texas safety against Alabama

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The big game apparently got to the officials Saturday in Austin. Only way to explain the inexplicable series of events that turned what looked like a safety for Texas into an incomplete pass and fourth down for Alabama. Bryce Young appears to be taken down in the end zone for what seemed like points that would have given Texas a 12-10 lead in the third quarter. However, the officials somehow turned it into a roughing the passer and targeting penalty for a few minutes. Then, the referee announced he had been mistakenly informed of the infractions and it was fourth down for the Tide.

    "If a quarterback throws an illegal forward pass in their own end zone, the play will cause a safety. Here, the team on defense receives 2 points, and the offensive team must put the ball back in play with a kick or punt from their 20-yard line."

The play turned into an incomplete pass although it looked as if Young was throwing it to absolutely nowhere. Just another huge game where the officials somehow inserted themselves into the action. Sad.

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: A narrow loss to Alabama

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Texas was the underdog but their gameplan appeared to be superior and they had a chance to take down Nick Saban’s mighty Alabama program if not for an early injury to the starting quarterback nearing the opposing goal line. The Longhorns inserted a highly touted back-up from Lake Travis high school who made some plays but ultimately came up short. Again.

That’s what happened last time too in the 2010 Rose Bowl and once again the Longhorns were unable to overcome the misfortune. They certainly seem to have zero luck when it comes to this interactions with this Nick Saban fellow. Nonetheless, it was a strong showing from the Horns and they were within a successful 3rd down sack on a corner blitz, or a better hold on an earlier field goal attempt, from executing the win. They’re 1-1 heading into a real game with plucky UTSA but surely will have drawn some confidence from taking the Tide down to the wire.

Quick thought no. 1: What a start for Quinn Ewers

We’re all thinking it so I’ll put it out there. Quinn Ewers and the Texas gameplan looked like they had Alabama right where they wanted them early. Ewers was 9-12 for 134 yards at 11.2 ypa when he was taken down hard by Dallas Turner on the Alabama goal line and knocked out for the game. In retrospect it seems that Texas defensive effort paired with the explosiveness the Longhorn offense showed early (and the lack of answers for Alabama defensive backs) might have lead to a big win.

Obviously any win in this game would be a big win but Texas looked like they could have put a surprise beating on the Tide with healthier quarterback play. The shot to Ewers wasn’t the only issue Texas had with quarterback injuries either, Hudson Card was also left limping from some early action and missed a few plays down the stretch due to a lack of base to either escape pressure or drive the ball down the field.

Ewers’ timing was terrific and he uncorked a few beautiful shots down the field which were obviously stressing Alabama’s secondary. The fade to Worthy 1-on-1 which preceded the play wherein Ewers was injured was exactly the kind of throw which could give Texas Big 12 Championship ceiling this season. Now it just remains to be seen what the extent of the injury is, as well as the injury to Card. If Texas needs Card for another game it’d be very helpful if his ability to run and drive his throws was at least partially restored. Give him credit for a gritty performance.

Quick thought no. 2: What a game by the defense

Texas’ improvements at executing match quarters coverage were apparent in open practices, but obviously everyone wanted to see it before believing this was a unit which could help Texas compete in big games. Bryce Young was 27-39 for 213 yards at 5.5 ypa with a touchdown and zero picks. He also ran it seven times for 38 yards at 5.4 ypc, obviously his last run stands out.

I actually got a 2009 Texas vibe from the Tide as well. They’re all in on their passing game and leaned on Young’s throwing and scrambling to bail them out of a disaster today. The Tide don’t have a Jordan Shipley to pair with their Colt McCoy though. Jahmyr Gibbs is probably their best skill player and he lead the way in their passing game with nine catches for 74 yards and a score.

Anyways, the Texas defense. They routinely forced Young to hold the ball past his first read, leading to two sacks by the defense (although the Jaylan Ford was more on Pete Kwiatkowski than the coverage) and seven quarterback hurries. Young was under duress throughout the game, including on a near safety which also would have offered the winning margin in this contest. More misfortune for Texas that the officials made an egregious targeting/roughing the passer call there (which was rightfully overturned) rather than a potential intentional grounding flag. In fact, had they reviewed for a safety it would have been two points for the Horns as Young’s shin was down.

Anthony Cook played terrific ball, as did the rest of the secondary, and had two tackles for loss including the 4th down stop which gave Texas the ball and a chance to go win the game late. The defensive line rotated through several pass-rushers and repeatedly hurried Young with their defensive tackles. T’Vondre Sweat and Moro Ojomo really flashed with their efforts. After an inauspicious start on the long scoring run by Jace McClellan, Mike linebacker Jaylan Ford finished the day with a team-leading 10 tackles including a sack, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hurry.

Quick thought no. 3: Red zone margin

Texas made it into the red zone five times and scored 19 points. Not ideal. The first trip should have resulted in points had the officials called defensive pass interference (or had Ewers noticed his slot receiver breaking free over the middle). The blown snap on the pre-halftime field goal was another tough blow to the effort.

Texas had a jumbo package for this contest, featuring Byron Murphy as a fullback, which we should see again as the season progresses. It’s a tough set to defend, they ran it as a lead play outside and Murphy would just clobber the first defender he found. The first time Bijan Robinson tried to cut inside and tripped up short but the second time he properly bounced around Murphy’s block for a score, the only touchdown of the day for Texas.

Steve Sarkisian had a lot drawn up for Alabama but they really struggled to run the football which made life difficult in a compressed field or when the quarterbacks were all dinged up. Bijan Robinson had 21 carries for 57 yards at 2.7 ypc. The last drive really stands out, obviously Texas has a better chance to win if they could have run for at least one more first down after Card’s strike down the field to Casey Cain which set up the final field goal.

Texas fans give it up for “Sideshow” Bert Auburn btw, he nailed a 49-yard field goal with the game on the line and his miss included a bad snap and a partial block by Will Anderson. It was a winning effort by Auburn and punter Danny Trejo also had some brilliant moments.

Quick thought no. 4: What a game for the Texas O-line

Texas didn’t dominate the Alabama defensive front by any stretch of the imagination. The Tide managed three sacks (although partly due to Card’s immobility), got important hits in on both Texan quarterbacks, and shut down the run (79 rushing yards for Texas).

However, it wasn’t the story everyone was ready to write about this game given the matchup of Will Anderson and Dallas Turner against true freshman left tackle Kelvin Banks and “hasn’t put it together” senior right tackle Christian Jones. Texas’ gameplan relied on on getting the ball out quickly to their weapons in space but there was also no shortage of play-action shots and the protections on those shots was generally very good.

Credit for this also goes to the pulling guards Hayden Conner and Cole Hutson who look very comfortable in those play-action protections off the threat of the power run. The story after this game was supposed to be about how Bama’s legendary outside linebackers buried the Texas offense. Instead, they were overheated and getting flagged offsides or for needless late hits.

The pieces for a special Texas season are in place and a lot of the fundamentals have been successfully installed. When the opponent isn’t fielding as many blue chip, NFL-caliber defenders across the defense and the Horn O-line has had more practices to continue to grow, this unit could end up dominating some teams.

Quick thought no. 5: Now to press the advantage

Tom Herman’s year one Texas Longhorns nearly landed a season-defining upset victory over a hyped quarterback and top ranked opponent when they took the USC Trojans to overtime in 2017. They came up just short and it ultimately didn’t mean much.

The Longhorns have a tough UTSA team coming to town next week. The Roadrunners played a dangerous passing team in Week 1 in the Houston Cougars and played a lot of deeper safety coverage while trusting their front to rally and stop the run. It worked out well until Houston quarterback Clayton Tune burned them in the quarterback run game late.

Texas has a chance to blast some of these remaining teams on the schedule if they can maintain a deep passing threat with a healthy quarterback and then clean up with the run game against compromised defenses. Meanwhile, this Texas defense may be good enough to allow them to dominate some teams or have a chance every week. Buckle up, the season starts now. The narrow, misfortune-filled Alabama loss won’t count for anything if they can’t maintain momentum.

 

[satyanash 14281]

 

[Post Oak 20187]

@satyanash got this?  Thanks

 

[satyanash 14281]

3 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

@satyanash got this?  Thanks

 

It's the same 'Gutshot & Proud' article in the top post, just with a changed title

[Post Oak 20187]

10 minutes ago, satyanash said:

It's the same 'Gutshot & Proud' article in the top post, just with a changed title

Thanks. Missed it 

[satyanash 14281]

Joe Cook: Texas showed plenty of progress against Alabama, but Bryce Young showed the Longhorns the loss

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Texas had a chance to prove that all the talk in the offseason about changing the culture, improving after a 5-7 2021 season, and turning the program into a conference title competitor was for real on Saturday when the Alabama Crimson Tide traveled to Austin.

And for most of the game, it seemed real. Steve Sarkisian’s offense moved the ball with success. Uncharacteristically, Nick Saban’s team showed little discipline, committing a whopping 15 penalties. Pete Kwiatkowski’s much maligned UT defense stifled Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and the Tide offense for much of the contest. With the game in question until the final minute, Texas showed concrete evidence of their offseason work.

STATISTICS: Alabama vs. Texas

Then on top of all that, they had a chance to win. An upset victory was in grasp. Young took it away for the Tide to take home.

Young, the first reigning Heisman winner to play at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium, surged in the fourth quarter. He piloted the Bama offense in two separate go-ahead scoring drives, including the one that set up Will Reichard’s game-winning 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left. His performance sent most of a stadium-record 105,213 home wondering what could have been after a 20-19 Longhorn defeat.

The fact that Young was forced to lead a game-winning drive was a sign of progress for the Longhorns. Sarkisian, with a little righteous indignation, called out local and national media for almost universally picking Alabama to win and win easily. He viewed how his team battled versus the reigning SEC champion as a step in the right direction. “As I told the team, I don’t look at this as ‘we lost,'” Sarkisian said postgame. “We ran out of time.”

His team’s record may disagree with the Longhorns now 1-1, but signs of progress were everywhere on Saturday. Save for Jase McClellan’s first-quarter 81-yard run, the Longhorns played stout defense in the game’s first three quarters. Young had only 77 yards through the air through 45 minutes. Take away McClellan’s mad dash, and Bama only tallied 103 total yards.

The Crimson Tide tried to help the Longhorns, too. Despite being known for his attention to detail, Saban’s team was penalized for the most times in one game since 2002. And maybe more impressive than anything else, Sarkisian’s offense with Quinn Ewers leading the way looked like it would be able to give the star-studded Crimson Tide defense all it could handle.

That is, until Ewers was forced to leave the contest. A hit on Ewers at the end of the first quarter from Dallas Turner that drew a roughing the passer flag knocked him out of the game and thrust Hudson Card into action.

Card, who looked dinged up in his own right, battled and kept Texas in contention, indicative of the rest of the team. While that was happening, the defense kept Young and the rest of the Alabama offense in check. Between McClellan’s run and a touchdown pass to Jamhyr Gibbs in the fourth, the Longhorns forced Bama to punt on six consecutive drives.

“I give our players a lot of credit for having belief and trust in their coaches to execute the plan and go out and do it at a really high level,” Sarkisian said of the defense. “I thought we played tough. I thought we played physical. I thought we played hard.”

When the Longhorns trailed 17-16 late after Gibbs’ score, it presented Sarkisian’s team its best opportunity to show all the offseason talk and effort about finishing and overcoming adversity wasn’t just talk. It was a chance to show progress in an area that in 2021 was filled with failure. Texas had to make a fourth-down stop in order to have a chance. They did with 3:55 left.

Texas had to make a field goal to take a late lead. They did when Bert Auburn hit a 49-yard field goal, his third of the day, to make it 19-17. If it weren’t for Young, Texas would have shown all the effort put forth toward finishing in late game situations was REALLY real. But Young is the Heisman winner for a reason, and once he eluded Ryan Watts’ corner blitz to put the Tide in position for the game-winning field goal, Texas’ hopes for victory were wiped away. “Bryce Young, Houdini act getting out of the sack to scramble down the sideline and put them in field goal range,” Sarkisian said.

Was it a complete wash for Texas? Sarkisian didn’t believe so, and with good reason. His defense played its best game in over a year. His offense, even without Ewers, held its own against Turner, Will Anderson, and Jordan Battle. His team battled to the end. “We believed in our locker room we could go win this game, and we played like a team that believed they could win this game,” Sarkisian said. “And we played like a team that thought they were going to win the game.”

All of those things were signs of true progress made in the offseason, and evidence all the talk about being an improved team was more than just talk. But it wasn’t enough progress to result in a win. After all, the Tide are No. 1 for a reason. “I think we played Texas football today, but in the end it still stings,” Sarkisian said.

Bobby Burton: Some thoughts

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The Texas Longhorns came to play. A 20-point underdog in Vegas (and more than that by myself), Texas produced one of the more gutty team performances we've seen in DKR in recent memory. With Quinn Ewers sidelined at the end of the first quarter after going 9-12 for 134 yards, back-up Hudson Card played through a foot injury sustained in the third quarter and led Texas to the brink of victory.

But it wasn't just Card who played with a backbone. It was a Texas offensive line that refused to give any quarter to an Alabama defensive front considered one of the best in the country. It was the Texas defense holding Bama to just 374 yards of total offense and 5-of-15 on their third-down conversion attempts. It was a special teams unit that in the second half connected on a 49-yard field goal with less than two-minutes remaining and a punt unit that downed the ball inside the Alabama 1-yard line.

Texas, like its crowd, came to play today. The players, the coaches, they all gave it everything they had. The offense did not give up despite losing its QB. The defense probably played its best ball in the last three or four years. The team looked well coached, prepared and played hard. If you're a Texas fan, the only things that could have gone better about today is a victory and a healthy Ewers.

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Ewers was extremely impressive. He looked calm in the pocket and got the ball out on time, almost every time. Of his three incompletions one was even a drop, another was uncalled interference in the end zone and the other he purposely threw the ball away. Of the 12 balls Ewers threw today, I don't think there was one where he made a wrong decision. That's impressive going up against the nation's no. 1 team.

**

Outside of a long touchdown run in the first quarter, the Texas defense had its way with Alabama for three quarters. The Texas D pushed Alabama into counter-attack mode in the fourth quarter. Not getting anything done on the ground, the Tide O decided to go "empty" for much of the fourth quarter with five wide receivers, and put the game in the hands of Bryce Young. Young obliged.

But even after the TD engineered by Young in the fourth quarter, the Texas staff had a counter-attack of its own planned. Texas deployed 21 personnel most of the very next drive, using both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnston together more than anytime prior in the game, before kicking the field goal to give the Horns a 19-17 lead.

In other words, Texas not only took a punch to the face, but they countered with a blow of their own. Hats off to the coaches for that. A year ago, Texas too often didn't have that sort of answer for its opponents. On a day where we saw many noticeable signs of improvement year-over-year, it's yet another one.

**

I gave my offensive MVP to Card. I know others played well, too. But the guy was demoted a year ago, lost the starting QB competition this off-season, yet still played well enough to give his team a chance late in the fourth. On defense, I would not give a single player the MVP. Instead, I'd give it to the entire unit. They played fast and together. That is exactly what Texas fans have been wanting to see for what seems like years.

 

[WBT 20422]

Max Olson on The Athletic

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Olson: Texas pushing Alabama to the brink offers a preview of the progress in its long road back

By Max Olson

1h ago

10

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AUSTIN, Texas — It wouldn’t have been close.

That’s the old Mack Brown line, the one you never really forget if you’re a Texas fan whose heart broke in January 2010. If Alabama hadn’t knocked Colt McCoy out of the BCS National Championship Game, Texas football might be in a totally different place today. We’ll never know.

We don’t need to say that this time. Steve Sarkisian didn’t go there. Sure, it probably is the way most of the school-record 105,213 in attendance will remember what they watched on Saturday: Texas would’ve stunned No. 1 Alabama if Quinn Ewers hadn’t been hurt.

Ewers was not supposed to be ready for a game like this, not at this stage of his career. When the redshirt freshman started off the way he did, hitting nine of his 12 passes for 134 yards and guiding the Horns on back-to-back scoring drives in the first quarter, the game suddenly felt more like a fair fight.

But when Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner slammed Ewers into the turf, brutally ending his day, you could see where this was heading.

That blow should’ve begun the blowout. Senior running back Roschon Johnson knows how the 2021 Longhorns would’ve reacted.

“Last year, I think that game wouldn’t have been close around the third quarter,” Johnson said. “They probably would’ve separated.”

But that didn’t happen on Saturday. Bryce Young had to earn it the hard way with a heroic fourth-quarter performance, reminding everyone why he has a Heisman at home, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide escaped with a 20-19 victory thanks to Will Reichard’s 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left.

Nick Saban has coached 205 games at Alabama. This was just the second he’s had to win by one.

What matters in the grand scheme of things for Texas is not the Ewers what-if or any moral victories, not really. What we witnessed was a preview of what it looks like when Texas football plays to its vast potential. That’s what it felt like. An extremely well-coached team that is fast, physical and disciplined for four quarters. A group that can handle the pressure and heat. An organization where everyone is pulling in the same direction.

That’s the aspiration. It has been for a long time. The Longhorns have done a better job than any blueblood of making that look extremely difficult over the past decade. What Sarkisian pulled off Saturday was a terrific plan paired with relentless effort for four quarters. Doing that against any foe would be a positive development for this latest Longhorn rebuild. But they did it against the No. 1 team in the country.

“Let’s call it like it is: Nobody gave us a chance in this game,” Sarkisian said. “None of you. None of the national media. Nobody gave us a chance, OK? But we believed in our locker room we could go win this game, and we played like a team that believed they could win this game.”

“Texas is back” didn’t just turn into a meme because the Longhorns didn’t make good on it. It lingers on because people here are still desperate to believe it. They wanted it to be true in 2016. They really thought it might be in 2019. It’s hard not to be jaded and feel a little foolish if you say this time felt different.

But this time did.

“The past five years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen a team just grind as hard throughout the whole game,” senior defensive tackle Keondre Coburn said.

Texas’ defensive staff deserves so much credit for having its unit extremely well-prepared to challenge Young and the Alabama offense. This defense forced six punts in a row entering the fourth quarter. It tackled in the open field. It put up a real fight up front. And it didn’t allow a single play of 25-plus yards after Jase McClellan burned it for an 81-yard score early.

You knew Sarkisian was saving his best stuff for this showdown with his former squad. He had the right calls early, and he adjusted on the fly when Hudson Card stepped in but couldn’t move well on an injured ankle. Bijan Robinson and Johnson hustled for each of their 73 rushing yards, and a young O-line that should’ve been overmatched had to rise to the occasion.

It’s remarkable how you have to do everything right while Alabama has to do a lot wrong and even then it’s still a uniquely tough game. But Texas did enough to put itself one play away from an unbelievable upset. The painful thing is there were at least four different plays that could’ve been the one it needed.

It could’ve been Ewers’ 48-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy on the opening drive, just barely dropped. It could’ve been Bert Auburn’s missed 20-yard field goal attempt before halftime, mishandled and then deflected by Will Anderson Jr. It could’ve been Ryan Watts’ corner blitz and missed sack on Young, which would’ve pushed the Tide back to Texas’ 43-yard line with 30 seconds left and the clock ticking.

And it most definitely could’ve been the safety that never was. The T’Vondre Sweat takedown of Young in the end zone that resulted in intentional grounding, which officials missed because they were focused on whether they ought to incorrectly flag DeMarvion Overshown for targeting. Those two points change everything.

But Texas fans shouldn’t get too hung up on what this could’ve been that they miss what this was.

This was a Longhorn team that had a sharp plan and executed to the best of its ability, that didn’t beat itself with mistakes. A defense that was a disaster last year but can now hold one of the nation’s best players and offenses to 20 points. An offense that didn’t surrender because its QB got knocked out. A Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium crowd that was as electric as we’ve seen it in a long time.

“I think we played Texas football today,” Sarkisian said.

Now maybe all of this is because Sark and his staff know Alabama so well. Maybe it’s because they spent more time preparing for this game than they will any game on their Big 12 schedule. Maybe it was just the perfect day, perfect opponent and perfect opportunity to be at their best.

That’s what we’re about to find out. Can Texas actually keep this up? It’s unknown how long Ewers will be out with what Sarkisian initially called a clavicle sprain, and that verdict matters a great deal. But if this is real, if this program is actually changing under this coaching staff, the proof won’t just be in how many games they win. It’ll be in how they play every week.

“When we practice really well, when we prepare really well, when we go into games with the right state of mind, we can play with about anybody,” Sarkisian said.

Texas doesn’t match Alabama in the talent department. Sarkisian doesn’t pretend it does. He acknowledges he has a young roster and a lot more elite-level recruiting to do before this team looks the way he wants. But when you have great scheme and effort, talent gaps don’t look quite so severe on Saturdays.

And it didn’t against No. 1 Alabama. But that’s not because Texas might’ve finally found a savior QB to make up the difference. It’s because they’re finally starting to get everything else right. That’s how you get back, whatever that means, and the head coach knows it.

“I don’t think we’re that far off,” Sarkisian said.

 

[TwiceHorn 31282]

6 hours ago, satyanash said:

 

It was loud af on the radio.  I couldn't hear the broadcast hardly at all.  How'd it compare to UH 1990?

[The Dog 43805]

Just now, TwiceHorn said:

It was loud af on the radio.  I couldn't hear the broadcast hardly at all.  How'd it compare to UH 1990?

I was at both games.

This was louder. 

[burdine 522]

56 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

It was loud af on the radio.  I couldn't hear the broadcast hardly at all.  How'd it compare to UH 1990?

I was there in 90. I felt this was loudest I have heard. 
 

our fans gave it their all. 

[Hank Scorpio 17723]

Card played his ass off on one leg and he deserves huge props. He’s also got a fucking noodle arm and every 99.5er pumping him up before the season is a dumb bitch. 

[Slacks 6791]

1 hour ago, The Dog said:

I was at both games.

This was louder. 

About 25,000 more people... It was loud on TV.

[closetojumping 62246]

It was as loud as Nebraska 1999 and I think that is the loudest one I have ever seen in person. The experience was head spinning yesterday. 

13 hours ago, satyanash said:

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: A narrow loss to Alabama

 

Just for my own personal entertainment, I expanded on this spoiler to see whether or not there was anything “quick” about his thoughts. To my delight, there was indeed nothing quick about anything he wrote. I never read his drivel, but Ian Boyd remains one of my favorite longhorn writers. Hahahahahaha

[TwiceHorn 31282]

7 hours ago, burdine said:

I was there in 90. I felt this was loudest I have heard. 
 

our fans gave it their all. 

Gat damn.  I just did the math.  Thirty-two years ago.  Seems like five or maybe 10.

[LTtxfan 48979]

After game Chat and Analysis -- Saturday

 

Sunday

Rapid Reaction to Longhorns' 20-19 loss to Alabama | Quinn Ewers | On Texas Football

[dcar00 14035]

11 hours ago, The Dog said:

I was at both games.

This was louder. 

I was at 1990.  This was louder.  given the stadium and 23K fewer fans 90 couldn't be as loud but it was close.  part of that was the cathartic experience at the end when we knew we were winning it.  that last 10 minutes of the 90 game was off the charts.

If this had been a night game like it should have been...holy shit.

Edited September 11, 2022 by dcar00

[GreenspointTexas 9567]

I havent missed a Longhorn home game in 17 years. Been to every Horn game inside the state of Texas since 2004.

 

The loudest stadium/experience ive ever been a part of as a sports fan was 2008 Tech game…… until yesterday

 

easily the loudest sports enviroment ive ever witnessed

[Wally Pryor 5244]

Crowd was fantastic yesterday. Felt just like Missouri 2008.

[satyanash 14281]

Dave Wilson: A new page in Austin? Texas sees its future in close loss to Alabama

Quote

In the past, any celebration of moral victories for the Texas Longhorns would be met with a syrupy "bless your heart," in Austin, dripping with the kind of disdain generally reserved for a newly arrived Californian who complains about the heat. Not at Texas, the program with the fourth-most victories -- and not the moral kind -- in college football history.

But a funny thing happened on Saturday, after a 20-19 loss to No. 1 Alabama in Game 14 of the Steve Sarkisian era. The burnt orange faithful were imbued with the rarest of gifts: perspective.

Consider that the Longhorns lost starting quarterback Quinn Ewers in the first quarter, an injury that conjured up haunting images for Longhorns fans of quarterback Colt McCoy's injury on the sixth play of the 2010 national title game against the Crimson Tide. Consider that Hudson Card, who came on in relief of Ewers, ended up hobbling around on a bad ankle, so much so that Sarkisian said the game plan had to be changed to protect him. Consider that Alabama took away stellar running back Bijan Robinson for much of the day.

And still, at the end, the Longhorns went to the wire against Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, foiled perhaps only by what Sarkisian called a "Houdini act" by Bryce Young. Last year's Heisman winner escaped a sack when he ducked under a blitzing defensive back and ran 20 yards to the Longhorns' 17-yard line, setting up the game-winning field goal four plays later with 10 seconds left on the clock.

The end result was a loss, and nobody was happy about it, to be clear. It felt like Texas was the best team on the field on Saturday and still came up short. But there weren't a lot of heads hanging by those in burnt orange -- players or fans.

A vast majority of the record crowd of 105,213 that packed Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium stayed behind afterward to sing "The Eyes of Texas" with the players. They, too, deserved to take a bow. DKR was raucous, defying an ages-old reputation that Texas crowds don't get rowdy. The fans earned a chunk of credit for Alabama's 15 penalties for 100 yards that were the most in Saban's Tide tenure.

A Texas team that closed as a 21.5-point underdog -- the largest point spread for a game in Austin since the 1978 FBS/FCS split -- ended up being just the second team ever to lose by a single point to a Saban-coached Alabama team (Arkansas was the first, with a 14-13 loss in 2014). Could this be the rare loss that actually gives a team confidence and a springboard moving forward?

"That's the best team in the country," Sarkisian said. "In a weird way, we kind of feel pretty good about ourselves, kind of where we're at in the state of our program." Obviously, after Sarkisian's first season, a 5-7 campaign filled with calamities, beginning with snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Oklahoma, to a shocking home loss to Kansas, there were plenty of questions on whether Texas was ready for a move to the SEC.

On this day, however, even Saban was a believer. "This is like playing an SEC game on the road," he said. "If they were in the SEC now, they'd probably be in the top half of the league." Chalk it up to coachspeak, perhaps, a coach complimenting a former assistant. But Sarkisian spent three seasons in Tuscaloosa, two as Saban's offensive coordinator, and said he thought the performance was a preview of a Texas SEC game.

"That's kind of what it looks like," Sarkisian said. "You know, there's a lot of big people, a lot of fast people that run in it. And that's kind of what it takes."

A much-maligned Texas defense that finished 99th nationally last season instead put those big people to use, with the Longhorns' defensive line pushing the Alabama offensive line around all day. Alabama running backs carried the ball 17 times for just 123 yards, with 81 of those coming on a touchdown run by Jase McClellan in the first quarter. Following McClellan's score, Alabama punted on six straight drives and didn't score again until a fourth-quarter flurry.

"Throughout the game, our big boys up front were giving their big boys hell," linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said.

Robinson, the focus of Alabama's defense, was held to 57 yards on 21 carries, an average of just 2.7 yards per rush, but added a career-high 73 receiving yards and said he felt a new mentality in Austin. "I know we didn't come out with a win, but it just showed in people's eyes," Robinson said. "We're not the team that'll back down anymore. We're gonna bring the fight the whole game, throughout the whole season. And we're ready to go against anybody."

Still, the Longhorns came unwound after losing a double-digit lead to Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl last season, losing their next five games, the longest losing streak at Texas since 1956. Sarkisian has said all offseason that he felt this team was different.

Fifth-year senior defensive lineman Keondre Coburn draws a lot of attention on and off the field at 6-foot-3 and 344 pounds, and as one of the Longhorns' best quote machines. After starting 34 games for the Longhorns over his career, he's able to see the big picture. "The past five years I've been here I've never seen the team just grind as hard throughout the whole game," he said. "We played our butts off. Obviously I'm frustrated we didn't get the job done. But there's so much we can look forward to."

Senior defensive back Anthony Cook echoed Coburn's sentiments. "We definitely learned something about ourselves," he said. "We're going to use this as a springboard, a catapult for the rest of the season." The first step will be Saturday, when a tough, motivated UTSA team will come to Austin to test the Longhorns' mettle.

Coburn stressed that was next on his list, promising he is zeroed in on the one-week-at-a-time mantra that has been drilled into him by his coaches. But he still couldn't help but think bigger after helping to push around an Alabama team that suddenly didn't look like world-beaters. He cited another team that lost to Alabama last season and how they were able to avenge it.

"I just preached to the boys after the game that this was just one game," Coburn said. "Georgia won a national championship with one loss. ... We've got a chance to still see those guys again. All we have to do is do everything right."

 

[satyanash 14281]

Gerry Hamilton: Quinn Ewers expected to miss several games

Quote

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to miss several games with a shoulder injury to his non-throwing shoulder, sources told Inside Texas. Ewers was injured late in the first quarter of Saturday’s game with the Alabama Crimson Tide when Dallas Turner drove the Longhorn quarterback into the ground after a throwaway. Turner was penalized for the play. Hudson Card was forced into action. Ewers entered the locker room before halftime with a towel draped over his head, and he did not return to the field until after the rest of the team had left the locker room. He was wearing street clothes and had a sling on his arm Ewers was 14-of-22 for 158 yards prior to exiting the game. Card went 9-of-12 for 134 yards in his stead during Texas’ 20-19 loss to the Crimson Tide.

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Bobby Burton) Sunday: The Day After

Quote

Quick catch-up on the Big 12. Baylor lost 26-23 in OT to BYU. The Bears are really good on both lines but lack the playmakers they had a year ago. Iowa State went on the road to defeat Iowa 10-7. Xavier Hutchinson, the Cyclones wide receiver, had 11 catches and is their featured player. K-State pummeled Mizzou 40-12 even though the Wildcats QB completed fewer than 50-percent of his pass attempts.

OU’s offense sputtered in the first half before getting on track in the second to beat Kent State 33-3. An improving Kansas program went to Morgantown and beat West Virginia in OT. Texas Tech fans tore down the goalposts with a 33-30 double OT win against a ranked Houston team. Tech’s QB is more of a running threat than previous Red Raider QB’s. Oklahoma State rolled along to a 34-17 home win over Arizona State. The game was never really in doubt.

**

If I’m handicapping the Big 12 right now, it’s wide open. Oklahoma State may look the best but they don’t appear to be a juggernaut. Something’s missing in their run game. Baylor’s line play is outstanding but their running backs are not as good as last year’s and neither are their defensive playmakers. OU is OU. A new system on both sides of the ball is going to sputter at times even against klunkers like Kent State.

Kansas State and Iowa State probably looked the best of the rest of the Big 12. Tech will surprise some folks but I don’t know that they have the line depth or offensive precision to be a factor for a conference title.

**

Getting back to Texas. What were the major takeaways for Texas against Alabama?

The offense:

- a better OL, particularly in pass protection
- more weapons generally (with a healthy Whittington and the addition of JT Sanders)
- no wilting in the third and fourth quarters
- better game-planning in second half from Sark

The defense:

- a better pass rush/push
- better team coverage in the secondary
- better linebacker play
- no major busts
- in total, the defense is simply playing like a better, more cohesive unit than a year ago.

Those are the hard facts around the team’s play yesterday. But I think there was also something you can’t really quantify. And that’s the sustained effort we saw. Texas didn’t give up, give in or stop because of injury to its 1st string QB, starting corner or even an injury to its second string QB. That’s a fight, if the Horns can show it every week, that will help this team maximize its opportunities.

(Scipio Tex) 2022 Alabama Post Mortem: Defense & Special Teams

Quote

The Texas defense clawed and fought for four quarters, even dominating for a good stretch of the game. Over a time span encompassing the entire 2nd and 3rd quarters, Alabama had 6 drives for a total of 23 yards on 25 plays. Texas held Alabama to 20 points and brought a level of physicality that the Tide hadn't seen since they faced Georgia in the national title game. The Longhorn defensive line won many more fights than it lost while the Texas secondary demonstrated a coordinated cohesiveness that I haven't seen in Austin against a quality opponent since 2017. The Texas secondary created some terrific combination coverages out of quarters variants, keeping eyes on the quarterback and attacking patterns instead of stubbornly defending grass. That's what it's supposed to look like and good zone secondary play has as much to do with preparation, decisiveness, focus and communication than 40 times in shorts or your high school star rankings. Hey, why not both?

Alabama also helped with a few timely drops and a receiving corps that, while still very fast, doesn't have anything comparable to the skill level of prior units. I was even more impressed with the Longhorn defense on the rewatch. Tackling was largely good and there were some serious licks being doled out.

I have to give a special mention to Alabama QB Bryce Young. He's a resilient mental stud who endured a ton of physical punishment, receiver drops, penalties and covered targets only to persevere and pull out the win with excellent throws and timely scrambles. 95% of the QBs in college football would've wilted physically or mentally in Austin. He's an absolute gamer and winner.

The play that killed Texas early - the McClellan 81 yard touchdown run - was one of the few fundamental lapses from the defense in the game.

Outside zone. Sorrell gets reached playside - which is the beginning of the negative cascade - and it goes from poor to very bad as Jaylan Ford blows his key with a bad angle, getting lost in the confusion. It gets to dire 81 yard untouched touchdown territory as Guilbeau gets physically controlled by a TE while Cook gets sealed. This was a commonplace occurrence last year, but Bama made Texas pay for one lapse and it was an uncharacteristic one contrasted to their 61 other plays from scrimmage. Oddly enough, Sorrell played this exact same play perfectly a few snaps before and notched a tackle for loss.

DL

A personal source of irritation for me has been my stubborn notion that the Texas defensive line is actually talented and they were being held back by a number of factors, some outside of their control, which led to them playing with a dutiful listlessness instead of energized athletic joy. Not to mention some fairly awful fundamentals and occasionally questionable effort. Well, we just saw what this unit can look like, even if against a less than classic Bama offensive line. The defensive staff kept up a relentless rotation inside while shortening the bench outside to pretty much just Ovie and Sorrell. They also employed creative twists and stunts while varying alignments, assignments and, yes, even let them pin back their ears and go from time to time.

Vernon Broughton is a feast or famine guy. He's taking a gap - even swim moving on a running play - and he's trying for a tfl or a QB pressure or getting blown out. A good change up and he had two QB hits, including a big pop on Bryce Young that got his attention early.

Well, that's some officiating right there. T'vondre Sweat showed why he has NFL potential with that devastating inside rush on the goal line, only to be robbed of a safety as the officials disgraced themselves fabricating and then picking up a targeting/roughing penalty. Moro Ojomo was everywhere in a way that the box score does not reflect and he played with his best leverage and pad level I've seen in years. Consequently, he's no longer shooting his hands too high and drawing hands to the face penalties. Collins is still getting into the swing of things, but had a nice QB hit while dominating the Bama center on a pass rush in the 4th quarter. Byron Murphy continues to be Mr Hustle and had an amazing play running down Bryce Young on a scramble to prevent a first down in the 2nd half. I think he's more 3 than a nose, but his energy anywhere on the field is a boon. Oghoufo earned a persistence coverage sack, fighting through a Bama tackle with dogged effort and made several solid edge sets. Sorrell had some good plays as well, despite getting reached on that fateful outside zone run. Coburn had some good moments, most notably holding firm against a double team on a 4th and short.

Well done by all. They notched six HARD hits on the QB and were consistently disruptive. You don't have to just eat blocks to set up the safeties and linebackers. These guys got to taste some blood. No turning back.

LB

Jaylan Ford rallied after the 81 yard TD run miscue and led the team in tackles with 10, including 2 tackles for loss and an untouched sack that was more on Bama blowing their blocking assignments than Ford going off, but we'll take it. Overshown had a ton of hustle plays, but he's not a true edge rusher. In limited snaps there, he's just not strong or skilled enough to mount an honest pass rush off of the edge. Gotta run him through gaps and bring him on delays. They got the lion's share of LB snaps, though I saw a little of DTT and a Jett Bush appearance early.

DB

Great total unit play despite losing their most experienced starter fairly early in the contest. Defensive backs are not required to be a bunch of islands. They can link up and play team defense. Like OL, DBs who are all on the same page can operate at a level that is greater than the sum of their parts and it's a pleasure to watch when it happens. Safeties Anthony Cook and Jerrin Thompson were the lynchpins to that effort. Whatever Cook's deficiencies as a pure coverage dude, he is a good tackler, he sees what's developing, and he commits. 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss. I didn't realize how many Bama guys Jerrin Thompson absolutely popped until the rewatch. His weight gain has been good for him and he's a much more decisive and effective football player than last year. 7 tackles, many of them from depth. Kitan Crawford is a better athlete than both of the aforementioned, but knowing your job and doing it consistently always takes primacy at safety.

D'shawn Jamison had a near INT that would have gone for six and then missed a good portion of the game with a foot injury. Texas filled in with Austin Jordan and Jamier Johnson who performed admirably, though Jamison's absence was really felt late. Ryan Watts played a very strong game as a tackler and zone presence until the 0:32 mark of the 4th quarter. An expertly timed Watts blitz had Young dead to rights, but Bryce got small and performed a Houdini escape, transforming a sack with Bama in big trouble having to squander their last timeout on a running clock to a 19 yard scramble first down and guaranteed field goal territory. Games can turn just like that. Watts is probably just sick right now. He had a great hit on Young on the same blitz earlier in the game. Jahdae Barron played really well and secured the primary role over Guilbeau at nickel. At least in my eyes. The freshman played his hardest, but you saw the difference in athleticism on some missed tackles both early and late.

Special Teams

On balance, Texas played well. Unfortunately, a missed chip shot field goal at the end of the 1st half haunted the Horns. More promisingly, Bert Auburn drilled four other kicks, including a pressure packed 49 yarder to put Texas up 19-17 deep in the 4th. If you were offered 80% from our field goal kicker before this game, you'd take it.

Danny Trejo punted really well, particularly in the second half, notching a 61 yard booming effort then a gorgeous 50 yarder that pinned Bama on the 1 yard line. Trejo had dinner plates for eyes against ULM and though Bama didn't try to pressure him, it was nice to see the young man step up. Will Stone had 4 touchbacks in 6 kickoffs. Return games were negligible for both teams.

Final

The Texas staff created a terrific game plan and the Longhorn players battled for four quarters playing smart, fundamental football on 95% of their snaps. This game had to instill some much-needed confidence in Longhorn athletes and some sorely needed mutual belief between players and staff. A staff that trusts their athletes to let it go and athletes who trust that they're being put in a position to succeed are an absolute virtuous circle. It's how you eradicate underperformance and feed decisive aggression. The Texas D learned some things about itself against the Crimson Tide.

Now do it again.

 

[NoName 16305]

Football Outsiders Weekend Review:

Text:

 

Spoiler

Alabama Survives Brawl, but Four Upsets Define Week 2

19 hours ago

1

Alabama Crimson Tide K Will Reichard

Photo: USA Today Sports Images

NCAA Week 2 - The Alabama Crimson Tide went into Austin and took a game from the Texas Longhorns that was far closer than the models and the experts expected. Meanwhile, four upsets of 17-plus-point favorites shook up the second and third tiers of the sport. Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin all harbored aspirations for at least New Year's Six Bowls, but those hopes took huge hits. Nebraska's upset loss led to a Sunday morning firing that will help define the college football coaching cycle for months to come.

Notes:

• All rankings referenced are from Brian Fremeau's FEI numbers heading into the weekend.
• In the advanced box scores, EPA/play includes special teams and penalties, so combining EPA/rush and EPA/pass numbers won't give the same total as what the top line number shows.

Marquee Game

No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 20, No. 15 Texas Longhorns 19

Alabama went into Austin as a 20-point favorite and came out with a hard-fought victory that the Houndstooth-clad Tide fans need to savor. The Texas defense held the Crimson Tide offense in check in a way that only 2021 Georgia has done in recent years.

Bryce Young opened the game with ease, finding Jahmyr Gibbs over and over in space to produce an opening field goal. After an explosive touchdown run from Jase McClellan made it 10-3, however, Alabama was hapless on offense until the fourth quarter. Texas was running a nice blend of defensive concepts, sometimes dropping eight and blanketing the struggling Tide receiving corps while other times bringing five or six and managing to generate disruptive pressure on Young. The running back Gibbs ended the day with nine targets, five more than any Alabama receiver.

Texas started out with fireworks on offense as quarterback Quinn Ewers generated 8.0 EPA on the first few drives. Texas was committed to giving him max protection and letting two receivers find space against the Alabama secondary. His mastery was cut short by a shoulder injury late in the first quarter that is expected to keep him out a month. Backup Hudson Card did not have the arm talent to challenge the Tide in the same way, and he finished with -3.7 EPA in the passing game the rest of the way.

The Texas defense made sure that the game stayed tight throughout, though, and Card managed to lead a drive to give the Longhorns a two-point lead with just about a minute and a half remaining. The reigning Heisman Trophy-winner, Young, would not let those be the final points. After the drive crossed into Texas territory, Young's magical escape from Texas pressure kept the Tide alive and allowed them to set up a chip-shot field goal to win the game with less than 10 seconds left.

Texas acquitted itself beautifully in this game; the hope is that the defense can carry the team through an interesting stretch of three games against UT San Antonio, Texas Tech, and West Virginia and that Ewers will be ready for the showdown against Oklahoma on October 8. Right now, Alabama is still clearly a top-three team, but Nick Saban has questions to answer along the offensive line, in the receiving corps, and potentially in the secondary that will determine what caliber Alabama team this ends up being.

more advanced stats

-

-

Game stuff with Alabama: Game on Paper

https://gameonpaper.com/cfb/game/401403868

Texas was really bad on defensive run stuff rate, 1st percentile!

here is how it looked in the first half for comparison - went from 98th percentile for EPA/Play in first quarter down to 41st percentile. Success rate fell off the map. EPA/drop back did as well. REALLY did well in the first half, even better than the halftime score.
 

Spoiler

 

really like that view/advanced data from the link.

Edited September 12, 2022 by NoName

[Bodacious Bevo 3576]

Is scipio tex's post-mortem for offense out yet? Looking forward to that one

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) Texas-Alabama Post Mortem: Offense

Quote

Steve Sarkisian had a terrific offensive game plan dialed in for Pete Golding and the Alabama defense, but unfortunately the loss of starting quarterback Quinn Ewers depleted Longhorn upside and took a lot of potential points and passing yards off of the board. Sark hit Bama’s schemes hard with misdirection and routinely isolated Alabama defenders into disadvantage through simple manipulation by formation. He knew their rules intimately and used them against Nick Saban’s defenders. If there were any doubts about which 2020 Alabama assistant could exploit the other’s tendencies better, Sark put that to rest in the first quarter.

In the preseason, I promised that this would be one of the most formationally diverse Texas offenses in some time and it was all there early Saturday, ranging from 12 to 21 to even a diamond formation. Tackle Andrej Karic, sporting #92, drew significant snaps at tight end to help nullify Bama’s edge rushers. Still, Sark needs a vehicle to deliver on the matchups he creates. He lost the keys to the sports car at the end of the 1st quarter.

Alabama’s best pass defender was pass interference and its second best pass defender was uncalled pass interference. In a quarter of play, a red hot Quinn Ewers was 9 of 12 for 134 yards passing, but an unprotected landing courtesy of edge Dallas Turner in the red zone at the end of the first quarter put a damper on Longhorn pyrotechnics and forced Sark into a different game plan. Hudson Card came on and after a cautious start, he made a few throws and exhibited grit after he fell victim to his own injury, leaving him largely immobile for the remainder of the contest. Card put it on the line for Texas and he deserves our appreciation. Unfortunately, my preseason guarantee that both quarterbacks would have to play due to injury came to fruition earlier than anticipated.

There’s a lot of what-might-have-beens, ranging from a healthy Ewers slicing up the Bama defense for 350+ yards to Texas getting proper pass interference and face mask calls, but I’ll leave the speculative Kool-Aid to Alabama and, unlike McKinstry, hope you won’t interfere with considering the post-Ewers immediate future.

QB

Quinn Ewers was dealing early and often and looked to be in total command. 9 of 12 for 134 yards, including a long dropped touchdown by Worthy and several outstanding throws that he made look ho-hum routine. My favorites came back-to-back starting around the 1:10 mark in the 1st quarter. Facing strong pressure in his face, an off balance Ewers slides laterally in the pocket while throwing only with his arm for a 17 yard strike to Whittington who is running against the grain of his natural release point. NFL stuff. The next throw was this perfect anticipatory go route to Worthy for an easy 46 out of max protection.

The nerves revealed against ULM vanished and his emotionless affect suggested that he was throwing the ball around with some trainers before a 7 on 7 drill. Ewers looked like he was going to put it on Bama in a big way until…

Card came in and Sark eased him in with a risk averse game plan throughout most of the 2nd quarter. While frustrating, it was the correct approach. Card deserves major plaudits for how he handled his ensuing ankle sprain, gutting through pain and immobility to keep answering the bell. That appreciation expressed, the differences between the two quarterbacks with respect to anticipation, recognition, and quick mindedness were evident. Even on this very positive throw:

Card knows where the ball is going before the snap and threw it just behind Bijan, who turns in stride to snag it. Hit him clean in stride and he may be able to carry up the sideline or cut back against the grain for 6.

I actually thought Card’s best throw of the game was a 3rd quarter strike to Whittington in double coverage that was just barely broken up by a Tide defender. Card finished 14 of 22 for 158 yards (30 on his final throw with Bama in prevent) and his timely and gimpy 19 yard scramble for a first down on a bad ankle was a testament to his competitiveness. Texas can absolutely win games with Card…if he can play.

WR/TE

Xavier Worthy dropped a sure TD from Ewers, but he did some really good things as well, totaling 97 yards on 5 catches. Worthy has to stop quitting and pulling up on routes that he perceives as inaccurately thrown or when he loses sight of the ball in the air. He has to see the play through.

Jordan Whittington was absolutely terrific, making several hard grabs to help his QB, both high and low. He finished with 7 balls for 64 yards. He had four catches from Ewers in the first quarter. I’m pretty sure he catches 12 or more receptions if Ewers completes the game. Good blocking and you count on him to find the open spot in the defense and settle down.

Casey Cain caught a wide open 29 yard Card pass late to set up the go ahead Texas field goal and also drew a PI near the end zone. Of course, what Texas pass catcher didn’t?

Sanders was good, drawing multiple PIs that belie his seemingly mundane 3 catch, 4 yard stat line. Karic drew the lion’s share of TE2 snaps. Watch he and Sanders double team the Bama edge on the 46 yard Worthy completion. Unfortunately, no Texas edge blockers — tackle, running back, or tight end — could handle the Bama edge personnel in the run game and this was key to their ability to constrain Bijan and keep the lid on run game diversity.

RB

Bijan contributed a tough 130 total yards on 24 touches for a touchdown, but Bama bottled him up as runner with only 57 yards on 21 carries. Robinson’s major damage was done through the air. Bijan’s shoulder got dinged and it appeared to bother him a couple of times. Keep an eye on that. Roschon chipped in some hard runs and was effective as a pass catcher, notching three receptions. Keilan Robinson should’ve drawn a late face mask in the Tide red zone, but the officials swallowed their whistles.

OL

They did a good job in pass protection, aided by some excellent play calling and scheming, but the strength and experience deficit vis a vis the Alabama front was fairly evident over time. While Texas did a fine job holding down Turner and Anderson as pass rushers, the stats don’t show how dominant the duo were in setting the edge in the running game, turning Texas ball carriers back inside where the big Tide interior could squat on gaps and demand that Texas move ‘em out. Texas couldn’t. If you want to see Turner absolutely stone Kelvin Banks, watch the first Texas running play after the half. Turner gets the perfect amount of penetration against outside zone without overshooting, jacks the young freshman up, and allows the trailing unblocked Will Anderson to notch a 4 yard loss. Once the diversity in the Longhorn running game was squashed, Bama’s interior defensive line could excel at their only core competency of run stopping and eating space. Don’t get me wrong, the offensive line competed hard and had a very game performance, but they have deficits in strength and experience to surmount across the board.

Final

In the first quarter, I saw the offense that was promised and hoped for. One that could propel the Longhorns to a victory over Alabama and to the Big 12 title game in Dallas. After the first quarter, I saw a Texas offense that will need to play a different way and find its own footing until a healthy Quinn Ewers can return.

Saturday is over. Burn the tape and move on. What happened offensively in the first quarter against Bama is not very useful for projecting forward beyond the competitiveness we saw from the Longhorns and what a motivated Texas crowd can do to elevate their team. The Texas offense we saw in the first quarter no longer exists. In the coming weeks, Texas will need to win some hard and dirty football games that go to the wire. Anyone fretting about style points over the next few games has lost the plot. Just win, baby.