Saturday Night Special: Alabama vs Texas Game Preview
Week 2: (3) Alabama vs (11) Texas
In this Week 2 matchup, Texas looks to finally beat Alabama in a game that has playoff implications. Both teams are 1-0 and look nearly even in terms of talent. With Texas sitting at #11 and Alabama sitting nicely at #3, the stakes of this game are incredibly high.
The most evident gap is in the front 7, with Alabama being an experienced group with talent depth. DE Justin Eboigbe is an experienced starter. He is relentless off the edge and heavy enough to play interior. He is extremely powerful at the point of attack and has crazy speed on the perimeter. The front rotates heavily with not much drop-off to the next group. Jaheim Oates is a hoss upfront. As a freshman in 2022, Oates saw significant playing time.
The offensive line for Texas is good, but not great. They have a few young starters playing with the strength of the line coming from the right side. The rotation and multiple front defense that Alabama shows will be a challenge for Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense. Ewers will likely have to get the ball in playmakers' hands fast and lean on his running backs in the run-and-pass game.
The WR/DB matchup seems even with both teams having a pair of good receivers. Texas has the upper hand in terms of dynamic receivers with Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy being two of the top receivers in the nation. These guys are explosive and can carry an offense if given the opportunity. Ewers will need these two to come up big.
When I am evaluating a matchup, if the teams seem evenly matched in terms of ability, I will default to the strength of the QB play. Jalen Milroe is not a better quarterback than Ewers, but he has more ability in terms of extending plays. In this matchup, I will defer to Alabama. If this game becomes a heavily contested defensive battle, the playmaking ability of Milroe will be the X-Factor. If Milroe is able to protect the ball, I see Alabama winning this game by way of constant ball movement and clock control. If this becomes a passing battle, I do not think that strategy works to Alabama’s strengths.