Alabama Overcomes Penalties, Sloppy Play For First-Ever Regular Season Win Over Texas

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Few experts and fans likely expected top-ranked, undefeated Alabama to play as sloppy as it did on Saturday in a highly-anticipated road matchup against unranked Texas and former Nick Saban assistant coach Steve Sarkisian.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young ultimately made the difference with his arm and legs in the game's final drive to set up a 32-yard Will Reichard field goal with 0:15 left to give the Tide a 20-17 lead it would not relinquish.

Despite securing the program's first-ever regular season win over the Longhorns, the frustrations were on display for most of the day as the Crimson Tide (2-0) committed more penalties in a single game than any other contest during the Nick Saban Era. This was in a game the Tide entered as 20-point favorites — a notion Saban cautioned against putting stock in late this week.

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Alabama's first points of the game by way of a 52-yard field goal from Will Reichard to close out an 11-play, 57-yard opening drive. The Longhorns, however, answered on the following possession with a 26-yard-old field goal of their own.

The longest single play of the first half came with 2:34 left in the opening quarter when Alabama junior running back Jase McClellan weaved through Longhorn defenders for an 81-yard touchdown run — the longest of his career.

Despite not turning the ball over on Saturday, Young fell victim to an inexperienced wide receiver corps that dropped numerous passes in the first three quarters. He was also pressured the entire game by a fast and physical Texas defensive line.

Young finished 27-for-39 for 214 yards and a touchdown through the air, along with adding 38 yards on seven carries on the ground.

Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs proved one of the only bright spots for the Tide on offense, leading the team with 79 receiving yards on nine catches. His biggest of the day would come with 8:29 left in the game and Alabama down 16-10, when he snagged a touchdown pass from Young to put the Tide up 17-16.

It's worth noting that Gibbs' touchdown reception was made possible thanks to back-to-back clutch receptions by sophomore Ja'Corey Brooks

Still, the first half was a frustrating one for the Tide, with the team flagged for 11 penalties. The mental breakdowns on offsides penalties were compounded by Sarkisian exploiting mismatches in the secondary, resulting in one drive that saw sophomore cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry flagged on consecutive plays for pass interference in the red zone.

Luckily for the Tide, Will Anderson, Jr. managed to get a piece of the ensuing field goal attempted on the same drive, which kept the game tied going into the half.

After logging two offside penalties in the first half, the mental mistakes were also visible for Anderson, who was flagged for a blatant late hit on a Texas running back who had fallen to the ground attempting to run around the end on a handoff. The play, in a way, embodied the frustrations displayed by the Tide on Saturday in front of 89,422 attendees at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

Texas would get its first lead of the game on a 32-yard field goal with 6:57 to play in a third quarter that saw Alabama's offense sputter and fail to log any meaningful gains before being forced to punt.

Alabama was shut down on offense in the third quarter, as Texas extended its lead to 16-10 with a field goal on its first drive of the game's final frame, before Gibbs put the Tide out front on the Bryce Young scoring toss.

But in a crucial moment up 17-16 with 3:55 left to play, Alabama attempted to convert on fourth down and saw the Longhorns stop running back Roydell Williams short of a first down.

After another Bert Auburn field goal put the Longhorns up 19-17, Young's heroic final drive and Reichard's field goal gave the Tide the win to remain undefeated.

The game brings the all-time series between the two 7-2-1 as Texas holds the lead by a wide margin, despite the loss on Saturday.

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

Be sure to check back in with us for more from Coach Saban's postgame press conference.

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