Alabama has one of the top-five nonconference games of the season
The Alabama Crimson Tide are looking to get the taste of the 2021 season finale out of their mouths quickly. Losing in the biggest game of the year isn’t the way you want to finish the season, but it’s a new year and a new team.
The Tide has plenty of questions to answer, specifically at wide receiver in the 2022 campaign. They lost John Metchie and Jameson Williams but added former Georgia wide receiver, Jermaine Burton. After hosting Utah State in the season opener at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Tide will travel down to Austin.
The biggest matchup of week 2 will feature Nick Saban taking on a former assistant coach in Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns. Sark finished last year 5-7 but a revamped team is hoping for better results. All I can say about this game is to get your popcorn ready. No this isn’t a shot at Lane Kiffin, not this time anyway.
According to On3’s list of nonconference games, the Alabama-Texas matchup is among the top five.
Alabama at Texas: Sept. 10 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
(Montgomery Advertiser)
What On3 Says…
This will be just the 10th meeting all-time between these storied programs — and the first-regular-season game since 1922. Yep, 100 years. The most recent meeting was the BCS Championship Game following the 2009 season, and that is the Tide’s lone win over the Longhorns. This will be Game 2 in Steve Sarkisian’s second season at Texas, and everyone knows how Nick Saban treats his former assistants. Texas has some interesting offensive pieces, but how good is the Longhorns’ offensive line? And can Texas’ defense slow Alabama’s offense?
We have all heard the argument ad nauseam in regards to the 2010 BCS Championship game. “What if Colt McCoy didn’t get hurt.” Well, he did and Saban won his first of six national championships on that day. Fast forward to the 2022 season and Saban is still in charge of the program. His former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is the third Longhorns’ head coach since Mack Brown left in 2012.
In the words of coach Bill Yoast of ‘Remember The Titans’, the Tide can “leave no doubt” in this early September matchup. It could also set the tone for both programs in 2022.
List
A look at Alabama's all-time winningest head coaches
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Patrick on Twitter @PatrickConnCFB.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
