Bevo is smiling. Texas is back!
The phrase was famously said after a big Longhorns opening win over Notre Dame several years ago, and Texas went on to have a terrible season. However, this feels different.
Last year, Texas battled Alabama to the very end of the game. They fell short, but it showed that the program was on the rise and could compete again with the top teams in the country. In that game vs Alabama last year, the Longhorns took the early lead, led by Quinn Ewers, the former Southlake Carroll QB, who came out on fire. However, he got hurt early and missed the rest of the game. In this year’s game, he showed that he deserves his spot amongst the top QBs in college football and as a (all be it way too early) Heisman candidate.
Texas traveled to Tuscaloosa to face the #3 ranked Alabama Tide. Alabama has some question marks on their team, mostly on offense, after losing several key players, like QB Bryce Young. But, their defense was said to be even better than last year, and the collective wisdom of college football commentators was that Texas would be able to hang with Alabama for a while, but that the Tide would eventually pull away. They were wrong.
First Half
The Longhorns showed they could move the ball against Alabama early. They drove down the field, but a dropped catch for what would have been a touchdown forced Texas to kick a field goal. Former Flower Mound kicker Bert Auburn connected on a 22-yard field goal to take the early 3-0 lead. Bama responded early in the second quarter with a field goal of their own. Texas responded less than 2 minutes later when Ewers found Worthy for a 44-yard touchdown. After a defensive stop, Texas once again drove the field, and once again, a dropped pass near the goalline caused Texas to settle for a field goal. Auburn connected on his second field goal, this time from 29 yards.
Texas took a 13-3 lead late into the second quarter, but Alabama connected on a field goal as the first half ran out to cut the lead to 13-6. As well as Texas played, it felt like they left points out there, and it felt like Nick Saban and the Tide had some momentum going into the second half.
Second Half
Alabama controlled the third quarter. Their defense seemed to lock in, and their offense, though far from the high-powered Alabama offense of the past several years, was moving the ball better. They connected on an early field goal to cut the Texas lead to 13-9, then took at 16-13 lead on a 49-yard pass from Jalen Milroe to Jermaine Burton.
Texas got the offense back on track in the 4th quarter. Ewers found Adonai Mitchel for a 7-yard touchdown to take a 20-16 lead. Then, just 15 seconds later, after an Alabama turnover, Texas scored again on a Jonathon Brooks run to push the lead to 27-16.
However, Bama didn’t go away yet. With 11:08 to go in the 4th, Milroe threw another touchdown pass, this time a 39-yard pass to Amari Niblack. The Longhorn lead was back down to 3. But, just a few minutes later, Ewers connected with Mitchell again for a 39-yard touchdown to put the Longhorns up 34-24. Then, after Alabama came up short on their next drive, the Longhorns controlled the ball and ran out the clock.
Final Score: Texas 34 / Alabama 24
Quinn Ewers finished 24/38 for 349 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ewers looked impressive and looks like he is stepping into the potential that saw him be one of the highest-rated QBs ever coming out of high school. With the Longhorns likely moving into the top 5 now, the spotlight will be on Ewers. If he puts up a few more performances like this, his name will start to be in Heisman conservation, and his draft stock will rise.
Another former Texas high school football player also stood out on offense for the Longhorns. While it was Mitchel that found the endzone twice as a wide receiver, it was the former Denton Ryan standout, Ja’Tavion Sanders, who made several big catches in the game. He finished as the game-leading receiver, with 5 catches for 114 yards.
Texas, now 2-0, should move into the Top 5 in most polls. Next up, they face a 2-0 Wyoming that beat Texas Tech in their opener. The schedule is promising for Texas. They have only two teams on their remaining schedule that are currently ranked, Oklahoma and Kansas State. They face both of those teams at home. If the Longhorns can run the table, with this win over Alabama, they should in the College Football Playoff. But for now, Longhorn fans can enjoy having a team near the top of the rankings and cheering for a team with realistic CFP chances.
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