How to Watch No. 1 Alabama at Texas
When it comes to two juggernaut college football programs facing each other on the gridiron, it doesn't get much better than this.
On Saturday, No. 1 Alabama will travel to Austin, Texas to take on the storied Texas Longhorns. The last time the two programs faced each other was all the way back on Jan. 7, 2010 when they met in Pasadena, Calif. in the Rose Bowl for the BCS title.
Combine that with the fact that Texas is slated to join the Southeastern Conference along with rival Oklahoma in the next couple of years, and the storylines are seemingly endless.
Aside from the Crimson Tide's 2010 national championship victory over the Longhorns, Alabama hasn't had much luck. All-time, Texas boasts a 7-1-1 record over the Crimson Tide.
Another storyline is Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian who formerly served as Alabama's offensive coordinator from 2019-20 before departing Tuscaloosa for Austin. While Texas had just a 5-7 record in 2021 during the first season of Sarkisian's tenure, the improvements that the team made — particularly offensively — show what this team is truly capable of.
In Week 1, Alabama handled Utah State with ease, defeating the Aggies 55-0 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Texas had a similar performance against Louisiana-Monroe, downing the Warhawks 52-0 at Texas Memorial Stadium.
In this game, there's a lot more than just a 2-0 record on the line. It's about two historic programs fighting for bragging rights as well as serving as a sort of welcome party for Texas to the SEC. Regardless of who wins, it's sure to be one of the best games of Week 2.
Here's everything you need to know about No. 1 Alabama's trip to Texas:
How to Watch No. 1 Alabama at Texas
Who: Alabama at Texas
When: 11 a.m. CT, Saturday
Where: DKR Texas Memorial Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network. Play-By-Play Chris Stewart, Analyst John Parker Wilson, Sideline Roger Hoover, Host Cory Reamer. Sirius/XM: 81 (Alabama)/199 (Texas)
Opening line per SI Sportsbook: TBD
2022 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview: Texas
Series: Texas leads 7-1-1
Last Meeting: Jan. 7, 2010 in the BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, where Alabama defeated Texas 37-21 and brought Nick Saban his first national title with the Crimson Tide.
Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Second-string running back Trent Richardson was equally impressive, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Ingram and Richardson also tied for the team-lead in receptions with two apiece.
Quarterback Greg McElroy completed 6-of-11 passes for 58 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Wide receiver Julio Jones caught just one pass for 23 yards, while Marquise Maize had one reception for four yards.
While the passing game was rather lackluster, Alabama's defense was what truly won the night for the Crimson Tide. In total, Alabama recorded four interceptions — including two by defensive back Javier Arenas. While defensive back Tyrone King also had an interception, the defensive highlight of the night came when defensive lineman Marcell Dareus caught a batted shovel pass and ran the ball back 28 yards for a pick-six.
Dareus was issued a flag for excessive celebration on the play when he threw the football in the end zone. Nevertheless, it was the highlight of the night for the Crimson Tide.
Last Time Out: No. 1 Alabama trounced Utah State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium 55-0 to start the season 1-0.
Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young was the star of the show, completing 18-of-28 passes for 195 passing yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Young was also Alabama's leading rusher with 100 yards on five carries as well as a rushing touchdown.
In total, Alabama's offense recorded 559 yards — 281 in the air and 278 on the ground. Utah State, on the other hand, finished the game with 57 passing yards and 79 rushing for a total of 136. The Aggies finished with just seven first downs compared to 30 for the Crimson Tide.
Utah State finished with six three-and-outs on the game and was also stopped two of four attempts on fourth down. Meanwhile, Alabama punted the ball on just two occasions on the night.
"I was really pleased with the way the players approached this game," Saban said after the game. "I thought we had good energy, I thought we had good intensity. We had good preparation throughout this week. They're sort of challenging with some of the things they do. I thought the first group did a really good job and we had a lot of intensity."
On defense, linebacker Jaylen Moody led Alabama with six total tackles, with defensive back Brian Branch and outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. finishing second with five tackles each. While no Crimson Tide player was able to record a sack on the game, Alabama totaled five tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries.
About Texas: The Longhorns finished 2021 with a record of 5-7, failing to reach a bowl game for the first time since the 2016 season. After starting the season 4-1, Texas proceeded to lose six games in a row — including a 57-56 overtime loss at home to Kansas — before salvaging one final win over Kansas State.
Texas fans might not have gotten all that they had hoped for in head coach Steve Sarkisian's first season, but there were still some noticeable improvements. The Longhorns averaged 424 yards and 35 points per game. While it wasn't enough to improve its record, Texas was put on track to progress heading into 2022.
All-time, the Longhorns rank as the sixth-winningest program in the FBS, with an overall record of 928-385-33. Alongside four national championships, Texas boasts an FBS third-best bowl appearances with 57.
When it comes to storied programs, Texas is undoubtedly near the top of the list.
SEC Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022
No. 1 Alabama at Texas, 11 a.m. CT, FOX
South Carolina at No. 19 Arkansas, 11 a.m. CT, ESPN
No. 22 Wake Forest at Vanderbilt, 11 a.m. CT, SEC Network
Missouri at Kansas State, 11 a.m. CT, ESPN2
Appalachian State at No. 6 Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2
Tennessee at No. 17 Pitt, 2:30 p.m. CT, ABC
Samford at No. 3 Georgia, 3 p.m. CT, SEC Network
No. 20 Kentucky at Florida, 6 p.m. CT, ESPN
Central Arkansas at No. 21 Ole Miss, 6 p.m. CT, SEC Network+/ESPN+
San José State at Auburn, 6:30 p.m. CT, ESPNU
Southern at LSU, 6:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network
Mississippi State at Arizona, 10 p.m. CT, FS1
*Rankings at time of publishing
