Saturday, the college football world will be focused upon the matchup between the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns in Austin. Two tradition-rich programs and two of the winningest programs in college football have surprisingly only squared off nine times in their storied history. Texas holds an impressive 7-1-1 record all time against the the Crimson Tide. However, Alabama’s lone win came on the largest of stages – the Rose Bowl in 2010 for the national title.
In preparation for the much-anticipated contest, it is time to visit a couple of key matchups that will determine the outcome of the game.
1. Bijan Robinson vs. the Alabama front 7
Texas running back and preseason All-American Bijan Robinson is undoubtedly one of the best backs in the nation and will likely have his name called on Day 1 in next year’s NFL draft if he elects to turn pro. He is a true gamebreaker that has to be accounted for on every play as he can hurt a defense both on the ground and as a receiver. It will be incumbent upon the Alabama front 7 to keep him in check throughout the game.
Linebackers Henry To’oto’o and Jaylen Moody are going to be key pieces in bottling up and containing Robinson. Alabama’s defensive line should be able to get the necessary push to create negative plays and provide the opportunity for the Crimson Tide linebackers and safeties to have their fair share of shots at the All-American running back.
Look for the Longhorns to try to get Robinson out on the perimeter to try to test Alabama’s discipline and ability to tackle in space. The Texas offense is going to have to find creative ways to get him the football if they hope to have any chance at knocking off the Tide.
2. Pete Golding vs. Quinn Ewers
Freshman sensation Quinn Ewers is going to get his first real test of his college career, and he could not have drawn a worse opponent. Ewers, only 18 years old, is making his second career start on Saturday when the Tide, led by Will Anderson and Jordan Battle, come to Darrell K. Royal Stadium.
Pete Golding has an abundance of talent at his disposal, and he will try to confuse Ewers by running a number of unique personnel groupings. Additionally, the Tide will utilize a lot of pre-snap movement and dummy blitzes to force Ewers to misread the defense and, ultimately, make mistakes.
3. Will Anderson, Chris Braswell, and Dallas Turner vs. Texas Offensive Line
All eyes are going to be on an incredibly young Texas o-line as they face off against the best pass rush in college football. The Texas line consists of only one upperclassman — right tackle Christian Jones. The line will also have two true freshmen making only their second start.
Alabama is going to look to have a field day with the young Longhorns. Ewers is going to have to get the ball out of his hands fast as Anderson & Co. will be in his face every time he drops back to pass. Don’t be surprised to see personnel groupings that allow for Anderson, Turner, and Braswell to be on the field all at once. This group will have offensive coordinators around the country reeling.
4. Alabama Pass Catchers vs. Texas Secondary
Alabama is breaking in a new set of starters at the receiver position. In their Week 1 trouncing of Utah State, Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton found the end zone twice and Traeshon Holden added two scores. True freshman and Calera-native Kobe Prentice had an impressive debut as he hauled in five catches for 60 yards. There will be a lot of rotation as Alabama is incredibly deep in talent at the position, but the group lacks experience.
In addition to the receivers, Alabama and quarterback Bryce Young have heavily utilized their running backs in the pass game. Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs is an incredibly gifted receiver that has elite speed and route running. He is someone that could be in for an impressive game and state line. Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams, and Trey Sanders are all very effective in the pass game as well.
Head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide received some excellent news this week when tight end Cameron Latu was cleared to play against Texas. Latu is a proven receiving threat that has a real nose for the end zone. If Latu is 100%, the Young-Latu connection will be on full display much to the chagrin of the burnt orange faithful.
5. Steve Sarkisian vs. Nick Saban
Saban’s undefeated streak against former assistants came to an unexpected end when his Crimson Tide travelled to the state of Texas last year as a 20-plus point favorite and fell to Texas A&M and public enemy No. 1 Jimbo Fisher. Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian will have a chance to spoil his old boss’s season on Saturday.
Sarkisian was pivotal in Alabama’s 2020 historic national title run as the offensive coordinator on a team that boasted one of the most efficient and high power offenses in college football history. Unfortunately for Sarkisian, he does not have Mac Jones, Devonta Smith, and Najee Harris suiting up for his team Saturday. For his Longhorn team to pull off the upset, he is going to have to call the offensive game of a lifetime, and he will also need a lot of luck to break his way.
Ultimately, this will be a very exciting game for college football fans. There are a bounty of storylines that pundits have worn out in anticipation of this game. The expectation is that Alabama will continue to dispose of its opponents with ease, but Texas hopes to play the role of ungracious host and send the Tide back to Tuscaloosa licking its wounds.
Even without the Million Dollar Band, Alabama will be celebrating with “Rammer Jammer” when the clock strikes 0:00 Saturday.
Ben Richardson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News
