After a dominant 55-0 win over Utah State, Alabama Football now hits the road in Week 2 for a highly-anticipated matchup in Austin against the Texas Longhorns. A game loaded with intriguing storylines, what are some of the biggest to know entering this matchup between two of college football’s biggest brands?
5 biggest Alabama Football storylines to watch for against Texas
Nick Saban vs Steve Sarkisian
Sarkisian, who is currently in his second season as the head coach at Texas, is a former offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2019-20, a span that included the Crimson Tide’s 2020 national championship. Under Sarkisian, Alabama’s offense averaged a combined 47.9 PPG across those two seasons, and this is the first ever head coaching matchup between Saban and Sarkisian.
Former Alabama players playing against the Crimson Tide
There are three notable former Alabama Football players who are now at Texas, with two of those names suiting up against their former team Saturday afternoon in running back Keilan Robinson and wide receiver Agiye Hall (tight end Jahleel Billingsley is suspended). Robinson, a redshirt junior, rushed for seven yards on one carry a week ago, while Hall will be making his Texas debut in Week 2.
Bryce Young vs Quinn Ewers
The quarterback matchup between Bryce Young and Quinn Ewers is one of the best in the country this week, pitting the No. 1 QB recruit in the 2020 class against the No. 1 QB recruit in the 2021 class. Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, threw for five touchdowns a week ago, while Ewers showed flashes in his collegiate debut last week, throwing for 225 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against UL-Monroe.
Heisman Trophy candidates
When looking at the talent that will be on the field Saturday in Austin, there are at-least three players that you could argue have a legit chance to be in New York later this year as a Heisman finalist, each of which will have a massive impact on this game. Young, the 2021 Heisman winner, is obviously one of those names, as is fellow Alabama teammate Will Anderson Jr, but Texas’ Bijan Robinson is also a name that could be in that conversation, a player who is one of the top running backs in the country.
Future SEC opponents
Not only does this mark the first meeting between the Crimson Tide and Longhorns since the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, but this is also only the tenth meeting ever between the two. With Texas and Oklahoma set to join the SEC in the coming years however, this could be a sign of things to come for both Alabama and Texas, two opponents that could see each other often going forward.