Tide Survive Texas Tussle, Top Longhorns 20-19
The showdown in Austin was much closer than expected as the Tide escape with a win.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Will Reichard prepares to make the winning kick (Photo: Alabama Athletics)
Alabama’s early season matchup with future SEC foe Texas was supposed to be an easy one for the Tide. A walk in the park in steamy Austin was predicted by almost everyone picking the winner of this one. You know, the sort where Big Bad Bama struts in, lays down the law, and leaves after routing the ‘Horns, teaching them a lesson or two about what life would be like in the SEC. The problem was someone forgot to tell Texas this was the way things were supposed to go.
In front of a record crowd of 105,213 at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, the inspired Texas Longhorns brought the top-ranked Crimson Tide to the brink before falling to Alabama, 20-19. Tide senior placekicker Will Reichard nailed a 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds to play that pushed Bama’s record to 2-0 on the young season. Make no mistake…Alabama was outplayed by the Horns and reached a level of sloppiness that was stunning to watch. At times, Bama looked unprepared and lacked the spark that has been a staple of the Saban era.
Rarely has a Nick Saban team looked so out of sorts as they did on Saturday. Concerning issues include fifteen penalties (a dubious record under Saban and one short of a program record) for 100 yards, numerous dropped passes by receivers, missed blocking assignments, and the corners going back to their ways of holding and grabbing opposing receivers. Overall, it was a forgettable performance in the same category as last year’s tight wins over Florida, LSU, and Arkansas (you could put Bama’s four-overtime thriller over Auburn in this category too, however any win over the Tigers is a celebratory one), yet like those tight victories, in the end, the Tide had enough character and competitive drive to win.
Bryce Young and the Alabama offense struggled mightily throughout the game. After starting off with a 52-yard Reichard field goal after the opening drive stalled and an 81-yard touchdown burst by Chase McClellan put the Tide up 10-3 with 2:34 left in the first quarter, the Tide offense went into hibernation mode, punting six straight times (with 5 three and outs) during the second and third quarters. Entering the 4th quarter, the vaunted Alabama offense was held to a total of 186 yards and 6 first downs. With the Bama offense stuck in the mud, the Tide defense hung tough after the first quarter. Ironically, standout linebacker Will Anderson had a rough day, recording a respectable 5 tackles and he did have one sack on Texas’ final drive on a crucial third down, yet he was flagged three times (2 offsides penalties and a bad late hit) and was not his usual presence in the opposing backfield.
Texas budding star freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers was tremendous in the first quarter, carving the Bama secondary to the tune of 134 yards on a 9 for 12 days. Unfortunately for Texas, the young gunslinger was knocked out of the game late in the first quarter and will miss the next 4-6 weeks with an SC sprain. His replacement, senior Hudson Card performed admirably on a bum ankle, going 14 for 22 for 158 yards. Star tailback Bijon Robinson scored the lone Texas touchdown that tied the game at 10 in the second quarter but was held in check much of the day, picking up only 57 yards on 21 carries. The story of the game was the red zone and Texas’ inability to produce touchdowns. The Longhorns were in the red zone five times only to come out with one touchdown, three field goals, and one badly missed field goal; a 20-yard chip shot at time expired in the second quarter that kept the score knotted at 10.
The third quarter was a slugfest as the only scoring was a Texas 33-yard field goal while the Tide offense failed to gain a single first down. Credit the Texas defense, who played lights out throughout the first three quarters. The Horn front seven controlled the line of scrimmage and Tide receivers, who were celebrated after a strong performance in the opener against Utah State, could not create separation. The lone bright spot for Bama was tailback Jahmyr Gibbs, who only carried the ball 9 times for 22 yards, yet was the Tide’s leading receiver, catching 9 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Despite the struggles, the Tide would turn in the 4th quarter as the Bama offense behind Young finally gained the advantage. Alabama topped off an impressive 11-play, 75-yard drive with Young scrambling to find Gibbs in the endzone from 7 yards out that gave Alabama a 17-16 lead with 8:29 to play. The defense responded with a three-and-out and the Tide offense had another impressive drive going that could have increased Bama’s lead, yet tailback Roydell Williams stumbled and was stopped on a 4th and inches from the Longhorns' 25 with 3:55 remaining. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien will be questioned why the Tide simply did not run a quarterback sneak or have Gibbs or Trey Saunders, both bruising backs, in the game instead of the slighter Williams. No matter, gaining a yard should not be a problem for the Tide offense, yet the Horn D stepped up and made their most important stop of the young season.
Card and Texas put together an impressive drive of their own that stalled on the Tide 31. Big plays on that drive included a Card to Casey Cain 29-yard completion to the Bama 31-yard line on a 2nd and 7 with 2:00 to play and Anderson’s lone sack on a 3rd and 3 for a loss of 7 yards with 1:34 to play. Texas placekicker Bert Auburn (ironic name indeed), who hit on 4 of 5 field goals on the day, coolly nailed a 49-yard field goal with 1:29 left to play to give Texas a 19-17 lead and send the Longhorn faithful into a frenzy. But Coach Sark had to have an uneasy feeling, as 1:29 is an eternity for Bryce Young.
Enter the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and an offense with renewed confidence. The Bama offense would take over at its 25 and would march 61 yards on 9 plays to set up Reichard’s game-winner. The play of the game occurred as the Tide sat 1st and 10 at the Texas 37 with 35 seconds remaining. Texas corner Ryan Watts blitzed Young and got to the quarterback untouched, yet Young sidestepped the speedy corner (Sark called it a “Houdini” move) and scampered down the right sideline for a 20-yard gain to the Texas 17 with 27 ticks remaining. Bama would set up Reichard, who has been steady and a star since he arrived on campus four years ago, and the senior nailed the 33-yarder with 10 seconds to play. Texas would return the ensuing kickoff to their own 24 and the game would end with a pass to the Tide 46. In the 4th quarter alone, Bama would gain 188 yards (compared to 186 in quarters 1-3) and would pick up 10 first downs (6 on quarters 1-3). Most importantly, the Tide was not flagged in the 4th quarter. Neither team committed a turnover on the day.
Much of the credit for this close game goes to Steve Sarkisian’s Texas squad, who outplayed the Tide up until the 4th quarter. It is obvious that Texas is well on its way toward joining the ranks of the elite once again. In addition, the atmosphere and energy in DKR Stadium made it difficult for the Tide all day. For the game, Young would finish 27-39 for 213 yards and a touchdown. Bama’s leading rusher was McClellan, who gained 91 yards on 4 carries that included his 81-yard touchdown run. It was the 54th regular season win for the Tide over a non-conference opponent.
Many questions remain for the Tide, as the uninspiring performance in Austin no doubt will raise concern. The entire offense did not look the part of a championship unit until late, many penalties against the Tide were attributed to mental errors, and the receiving corps looked extremely pedestrian. Perhaps Alabama became enamored by their press clippings and thought that they could not be touched, so the Texas game should serve as a wake-up call indeed. However, outside of the 2021 Mississippi State contest, a 49-9 Tide victory, Bama has struggled on the road in hostile environments throughout the past two seasons, and if a repeat performance of yesterday occurs against the likes of Tennessee, Arkansas, and even LSU, a few losses could be in the Tide’s future. The good news is that Saban has continuously praised this squad as a team of character and competitive drive, and no question that Saturday’s performance will be used to motivate the 2022 version of the Crimson Tide. Look for Bama to get its house in order the next two weeks as home games against Louisiana-Monroe and an improved Vanderbilt squad await.