Bryce Young Talks Win Over Texas: 'We've Got To Play The Next Play'

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young no doubt made the difference in the top-ranked Crimson Tide avoiding an upset to get out of Austin with a 20-19 win over the unranked Texas Longhorns.

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But it was his kicker — Will Reichard — who received high praise to begin Young's postgame press conference after he sank a field goal in the final seconds to give Alabama the win. The victory was the first regular season win over the Longhorns in Alabama football history and only the second win in 10 meetings of the two schools.

"To have a kicker like we have ... it gives us so much confidence," Young said. "When we were there charting out the field goal, the team had all the confidence in the world, already knew he was going to hit it. When you have that feeling, knowing, especially in that range and even deeper. Automatic: That's what Will is for us."

Despite one daunting stretch where the Crimson Tide offense was held to five consecutive three-and-outs, Young managed to protect the football and avoid turnovers to go 27-for-39 for 214 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also added 38 yards on seven carries.

Young cited a lack of execution when making sense of the Tide's offensive struggles, which were made no easier when considering the hostile confines of Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium and a talented defense on the other side of the football.

"It's not the ideal scenario, but we understand through what Coach Saban has taught us and everyone in the building teaches us ... we've got to play the next play," he said. "Coach Saban's saying that all the time.

"There's a lot of stuff that we wish we executed better, a lot of ways we can improve," Young added. "But I think in the end, when you get tested like this, you get in these positions ... you learn about yourself as a team. You go as a team. So, we want to make sure that we're improving all we didn't do as well."

Young was sacked twice during a game where the Texas defensive line maintained consistent pressure on the athletic quarterback, forcing him to use his legs to move the Tide offense forward.

While the Crimson Tide might have been favored to win the game by more than 20 points, Young said the talent of a physical Texas defense did not come as a surprise and will serve as a valuable experience as the team gears up for SEC play.

"They had great players in the defensive line," he said. "They work really hard. They look good on film, they looked good today, so we want to execute being a little bit cleaner. But at the end of the day, when the defensive line has success, it's not the o-line. A lot of the stuff I have to do a better job of, making sure we're going to the right people, making sure we're sliding to where we have the right help ... making sure me and the backs are communicating and making sure they know where to go. So a lot of that rests on me as well."

Alabama (2-0) will host Louisiana-Monroe (0-1) at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 17, with kickoff set for 3 p.m.

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