No. 1 Alabama escapes upset, defeats Texas 20-19
No. 1 Alabama escapes, beats Texas 20-19
Alabama QB Bryce Young helps lift team to win over Texas.
Bryce Young's late-game heroics saved No. 1 Alabama with a 20-19 road win at Texas. Alabama kicker Will Reichard sealed the victory with a 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the game. The kick came at the end of a wild fourth quarter which featured two field goals for Texas, Bryce Young's first passing touchdown and a turnover on downs for Alabama with less than four minutes to go.
š„¶š„¶š„¶š„¶ @WillReichard
ā Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 10, 2022
šŗ: @CFBonFOXpic.twitter.com/07RPRPxMjt
Though Young was less than stellar through the first three quarters of the game, in part due to drops, his fourth quarter play was just enough to secure the victory. On an 11-play, 75-yard drive ā the only fourth quarter possession to end in a touchdown ā Young worked magic by going 6 for 8, passing for 51 yards with 17 yards rushing, one fourth down conversion and a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jahmyr Gibbs. Youngās magical fourth quarter helped redeem his stats as he finished the game with 251 total yards and one touchdown.
Gibbs finished with 74 yards on a team high nine catches, while RB Jase McClellan, who scored Alabamaās only other touchdown during the day, finished with a game-high 97 rushing yards.
Though Alabama escaped with the victory, it wasnāt pretty. Alabama charted 15 penalties during the game, the most ever during the Saban era, and narrowly escaped an upset due to a valiant effort from Texas.
Despite this loss, the Longhorns put the world on notice. QB Quinn Ewers went down early with an apparent left shoulder injury after throwing an impressive 9 for 12 for 134 yards. But then his back up stepped up. Sophomore QB Hudson Card led the Longhorns to multiple scoring drives and finished the game going 14 for 22 for 158 yards. Kicker Bert Auburn, who contributed four field goals, kicked the go-ahead field goal with 1:29 left.
This addition to the stat sheet, however, left too much time on the clock for Nick Saban and the Tide, who ultimately charged down the field and notched a game-winning field goal from Reichard, taking the opportunity for a ā(Bert) Auburn seals upset over No. 1 Alabamaā headline with it. Instead, Alabama took the win in the programs' first regular season meeting since 1922.
Texas will look to bounce back from todayās loss next week in another home game against UT San Antonio. Alabama moves to 2-0 on the year and heads back to Tuscaloosa for a Week 3 matchup against UL Monroe.Ā
š Texas positions for upset, leads 13-10 entering 4th quarter
The referees in this Texas vs. Alabama battle have certainly gotten their fair share of camera time as the penalties continue to roll in for the Tide. 'Bama tacked on five more penalties in the third quarter bringing their total to 16 on the day, the most ever for Alabama in the Nick Saban era. Meanwhile, the Texas defense kept Alabama off the board completely in the third period forcing No. 1 to punt at the end of every drive. Reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young has gone cold for Alabama and enters the fourth quarter without a touchdown or breaking triple digits in total yards.
Texas sophomore quarterback Hudson Card has begun sporting a limp in today's action, but has shown a level of leadership beyond his years as he's kept the Longhorns advancing down the field on the ground and in the air. Despite missing almost the entire first quarter, he enters the 4th quarter with more yards than his Alabama counterpart (81 to his 77). Running back Bijan Robinson has charted 18 rushes for a team-high 51 yards.
The only offensive highlight during this quarter came on 33-yard field goal from Bert Auburn to give Texas its first lead of the game.
The kick is good! @TexasFootball takes the lead! š¤ pic.twitter.com/jgkpMNLBrN
ā FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 10, 2022
We have a game, folks! Texas surprising Alabama 10-10 at the half
Texas RB Bijan Robinson scores the Longhorns first touchdown from the goal line
Despite losing starting quarterback Quinn Ewers Texas is keeping up with No. 1 Alabama, as it's 10-10 at the half. Ewers was off to a promising start, throwing for 134 yards on 9-for-12 passing, before he left the game due to an apparent left shoulder injury in the first quarter.Ā Texas head coachĀ Steve Sarkisian told FOX'sĀ Jenny Taft that he is "unsure" of Ewers return.Ā
The Longhorns are opting to still rely on their passing game as acting field general Hudson Card is throwing an efficient 4 for 6 for 59 yards so far. Texas' first touchdown came early in the second quarter on a goal line rush from RB Bijan Robinson, who ran for a team high 45 yards on 12 rushes through the first two quarters. Texas could have been an even stronger position at the break, but kicker Burt Auburn missed a short field goal to end the half.
The main headline for the Crimson Tide? Penalties.Ā Alabama finished the first 30 minutes of play with more penalties than points (11 to 10). Their lack of offensive production can be attributed to dropped passes and inconsistency. The Crimson Tide has chosen to only run the ball 12 times, including Alabama's only touchdown of the game on an 81-yard run from RB Jase McClellan in the first quarter.Ā Quarterback Bryce Young went 9 for 14 for just 78 yards in the first half.
Alabama will aim to tighten up and keep flags off the gridiron as the Texas offense takes the field first in the second half. The Longhorns will look to put up some points early and keep the game close down the stretch to pull the upset.
Alabama strikes first, leads 10-3 after first period
Alabama RB Jase McClellan scores first touchdown of the game
After Alabama won the coin toss and chose to receive, the Texas defense contained Alabama's run-heavy opening drive, forcing the Tide to kick a long field goal; kicker WillĀ Reichard put his team on the board with a 52-yarder. Texas responded with three points of their own, controlling the ball for the majority of the first period with their aggressive passing game.Ā
The first touchdown of the game came from Alabama RB Jase McClellan, who took an 81-yard run to the house on a possession that lasted 14 seconds.Ā
The Longhorns were poised to respond when their offense took the field late in the quarter, and continued to rely on the strength of their passing. Quarterback Quinn Ewers completed a long, 46-yard pass to receiver Xavier Worthy putting his team in the red zone. But his next snap brought bad news for the 'Horns. Ewers was hit hard on a throw away pass through the back of the end zone and delayed getting up before exiting the game. Backup quarterback Hudson Card entered the game with Texas needing just a short gain for a score. They'll look to complete the drive at the start of the next period.
Texas QB Quin Ewers goes down late in the first quarter
Texas QB Quinn Ewers exits game with injury
During a promising drive down the field late in the first quarter, quarterback Quinn Ewers went down hard after being hit throwing the ball away in the red zone. A roughing the passer flag was thrown on the hit. The injury comes after Ewers completed a long, 46 yard gain through the air to receiver Xavier Worthy to put the Longhorns in excellent field position to score. Ewers exited the game on his own strength, but has been replaced by back-up quarterback Hudson Card.Ā
How to watch No. 1 Alabama face off against Texas
No. 1 ranked Alabama takes on Texas in Week 2 action
The No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide roll into Texas for Saturday's matchup against the unranked Longhorns. The two teams will battle on Texas' home turf in Austin as each program looks to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Here's how to watch:
- Time:Ā 12 p.m.Ā Eastern
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 10
- TV Channel: FOX
- Location:Ā DKR Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas
Alabama vs. Texas, previewed
No. 1 Alabama and unranked Texas will play a regular season game for the first time in almost 100 years (!) Saturday in Austin.
It's the first meeting between the two teams since the BCS Championship game in 2010. Alabama won that one, 37-21, to cap off a 14-0 season and give coach Nick Saban his first national title. The last regular season game between these two teams was way back on Oct. 28, 1922. Host Texas won that game 19-10, and is 7-1-1 all-time against Alabama. These teams will play more often when Texas joins the SEC in 2025.
Here's a selection of what some reporters from around the country are writing about this game:
- NCAA.com's Mike Lopresti writesĀ "There are more questions to this game than a 60 Minutes episode." Among them: Will Bryce Young have another big day and can Sarkisian avoid the fate of former Saban assistants, who are 2-25 against their former boss?
- The AP's Jim VertunoĀ reports that Texas and coach Steve Sarkisian said the game plan for Alabama was done "about three months ago."
- The Tuscaloosa News' Nick Kelly points out why Alabama players will want to stay away from a "horn's down" gestureĀ and looks at questions about this Alabama team that might be answered against Texas.
- The Austin American-Statesman's Danny Davis points out the shared recruiting history between many Alabama and Texas players.
Both teams are coming off lopsided wins in Week 1.
Alabama junior quarterback Bryce Young had a monster Week 1 performance in which he charted 295 total yards and six total touchdowns en route to the Crimson Tide's 55-0 victory over Utah State. Alabama held Utah State to just 136 total offensive yards, forcing three fumbles and one interception. The Tide finished the game with 559 total yards and took care of the ball well with zero turnovers.
The Longhorns will look to build on their dominant success in their season opener last week, torching the UL Monroe 52-10. Redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start at Texas. Senior defensive back D'Shawn Jamison was electric in the win, adding six points to the scoreboard after returning an interception to the house in the third quarter.
This shot of @D_JAMISON5 pick 6 š„ pic.twitter.com/ea4NbaEruF
ā Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 4, 2022
The 100-year plus history of Texas and Alabama
The last time these two teams tussled in the regular season was 1922.
Texas is 7-1-1 all-time against. Here'sĀ the full history of the series below, per winsipedia.com:Ā
| DateĀ | WinnerĀ | score | location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/7/2010 | Alabama | 37-21 (BCS Championship) | Pasadena, CA |
| 1/1/1982 | Texas | 14-12 (Cotton Bowl) | Dallas, TX |
| 1/1/1973 | Texas | 17-13 (Cotton Bowl) | Dallas, TX |
| 1/1/1965 | Texas | 21-17 (Orange Bowl) | Miami, FL |
| 12/17/1960 | Tie | 3-3 (Bluebonnet Bowl) | Houston, TX |
| 1/1/1948 | Texas | 27-7 (Sugar Bowl) | New Orleans, LA |
| 10/28/1922 | Texas | 19-10 | Austin, TX |
| 11/13/1915 | Texas | 20-0 | Austin, TX |
| 11/18/1902 | Texas | 10-0 | Tuscaloosa, AL |
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