By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
McALLEN, Texas | This early in the 2023 season, it would be almost too easy to go with recent history and say that perennial college football power Alabama will blow out the visiting Texas Longhorns in Saturday night's meeting, the second game of the season for both teams.
Oh, but this one has Upset City written all over it.
The somewhat experienced Horns come into the game after beating a woeful Rice Owls squad in Austin last weekend, 37-10. Alabama, behind QB Jalen Milroe (of Katy, Texas) whipped Middle Tennessee 56-7.
So, is it a competitive matchup we're getting, or what?
If you look at the first game of the 2023 season for both teams and compare the outcomes, they are extremely close side-by-side. Texas had 458 total yards, Alabama 431 yards. Texas QB Quinn Ewers threw 260 yards passing, Bama QB Jalen Milroe had 194 yards with a better completion rate, 63% and 72% respectively, though Ewers threw almost twice as many passes.
The two teams met last season in Austin, where Bama pulled out a surprisingly tough 20-19 victory.
Something tells us Saturday's game will be more wide-open, as both squads seem to be favoring pass over the run. Texas lost star running back Bijan Robinson to the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) and Bama lost QB Bryce Young to the Carolina Panthers.
The game is being played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and broadcast by ESPN. (Note: There are problems with some of ESPN's Cable-TV providers, such as Spectrum. Hopefully, that will be resolved before kickoff.)
The Longhorns stroll into the game ranked #11 in the NCAA Division 1 rankings.
Alabama is at #3.
Texas needs this game. Once a premier football program, the Horns have fallen on hard times steadily since last winning the national championship in 2005, when Vince Young quarterbacked the team. It needs to beat Alabama.
Beating Rice last weekend and playing Wyoming next week won't cut it for the Horns faithful. Not yet another year, no.
Game time is 7:00 P.M. on ESPN and fuboTV.
Vegas line: Alabama -7.
The Sun prediction: Texas 28 Alabama 20...
-30-
i'm picking Alabama. it's a home game for them.
ReplyDeleteAlabama 37 Texas 20
ReplyDeleteI see a close tight game. Texas will eke it out. Eke is the key word there. LOL
ReplyDeleteit's looking shaky for getting the game on TV. Crossing my fingers, tho. Go Horns!
ReplyDelete