Texas vs. Alabama Keys To The Game In Week 2
In week two of the 2022 season, the Texas Longhorns gave the then-No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide a scare.
Texas came up just two points shy of a field storming at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, but it may have been the first example of last season's formula to beating Alabama.
Here's what both the No. 11 Longhorns and No. 3 Crimson Tide have to do if they want to emerge victorious in the rematch of last year's classic Saturday at Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, under the lights.
Texas wins if...
... it can throw the ball effectively.
Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers will get his shot at redemption against the Crimson Tide after leaving last year's contest with an injury.
He and former Texas quarterback Hudson Card combined for 292 yards on 23-of-34 passing.
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, who will co-host "College GameDay" in Tuscaloosa this weekend, said the ball was "flying around" in the first quarter and that Ewers "was in a real rhythm" before he got hurt. He thought head coach Steve Sarkisian had a beat on the blueprint to take down the Crimson Tide.
Last season when opponents threw for at least 200 yards against Alabama, the Crimson Tide outscored their opponents by 60 points and suffered one of their two losses — a stark contrast to the 241-point scoring advantage they have when holding the opposition below 200 yards through the air.
In six of Alabama's eight losses since 2017, opponents have thrown for at least 224 yards through the air.
Last week, Ewers had a slow start and some accuracy issues at times, but still rallied to throw for 260 yards and three touchdowns against the Rice Owls.
Alabama wins if...
... it runs the football.
The benchmark for the Crimson Tide is more than 140 rushing yards as a team.
In the past five seasons, in 20 of the Longhorns' 24 losses, opponents have ran for more than 140 yards. In the past two seasons, all of Texas' 12 losses have come when the opposition has surpassed that 140-yard threshold.
In 2021, Texas won three games against Rice, TCU and Kansas State when they ran for over 140 yards by a combined 68 points — 58 of which came against the Owls.
Alabama ran for more than 140 yards in nine contests last season and, despite losing running back Jahmyr Gibbs to the NFL Draft, the Crimson Tide return a deep backfield.
Running back Jase McClellan will likely shoulder the majority of Alabama's carries in 2023, but Justice Haynes, Roydell Williams and Jam Miller will all see their fair share of snaps Saturday. Six ball-carriers had at least four carries against Middle Tennessee.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe presents a threat on the ground that Texas' linebackers will have to account for. Milroe led Alabama's rushing attack against the Blue Raiders with 48 yards and two touchdowns. Co-defensive coordinators and linebackers coaches Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate will likely plan to plant a spy on Milroe to "make him pass."
If the Crimson Tide run the ball effectively, not only will they shorten the game with the running clock after first downs, but they'll wear down the Longhorns' defense in the expected 92-degree heat.
You can follow Casey Smith on Twitter @casey_smith2419
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter
Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here
Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.
Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.
