In one of the more surprising matchups of the weekend, Alabama football and Texas went right down to the wire. The Crimson Tide ultimately secured the 20-19 victory, but it took a late field goal to secure this result.
It was a game that went far off the script that Nick Saban and Alabama football fans likely envisioned for the game. Even with Texas QB Quinn Ewers leaving the game in the first the Longhorns , Texas managed to hang on and make it a game for the top-ranked squad. The matchup was filled with penalties but neither team secured a turnover.
While Alabama was certainly hoping for a more convincing result, here are three reasons for optimism following the victory.
3. Penalties Can't Get Worse For Alabama Football
One of the expectations for a Nick Saban-led Alabama team is that they will be well-disciplined. This was far from the case in the Week 2 matchup. The Crimson Tide tallied 15 total penalties in the matchup which is the most that have ever occurred under any of Saban's teams at Alabama or LSU. Will Anderson Jr., who is one of the best players in college football and an expected top NFL pick next season, tallied four costly penalties and only had five tackles in the matchup. Giving up 100 yards in penalties is extremely detrimental to the team and it is impressive that Alabama still managed to clear this hurdle.
While you never want to see so many penalties, it is difficult to imagine this will become a pattern. Cutting out these mistakes is sure to be on the top of Saban's to-do list this week. The focus will certainly be on fixing the mistakes, but managing to secure the win while all these flags occurred should be looked at as a success for Alabama. If they can just cut down on the number of penalties moving forward, it will increase the team's chances greatly.
2. Alabama Wide Receiver Struggles
It became a major issue last year when Alabama was without wide receivers John Metchie III and Jameson Williams in the college football playoffs. Despite an offseason focused on young receiver development and a pair of big-name wide receiver transfers, it still looks like the position is not settled. It has become expected that Alabama will have one of the best receiving cores in college football and there still is time for this to take shape.
The reason for optimism with this is it does not appear to be a lack of talent, but rather the wide receivers and Bryce Young not being on the same page. There were a number of passes in the matchup that fell in a place where no wide receiver was present. Based on Saban's shouting at the young pass catchers, it seems they have not been running the proper routes. There also were issues with dropped passes and failure to create separation. Through two weeks, Alabama has not had a wide receiver record over 75 yards in the air.
While this should be high on the list of concerns for the Crimson Tide, the wide receiver performance will surely get better. The more reps the better right now and this can be improved as the season moves on. Finding a way to win while the struggles occur is important, and it sets the offense up to be much more dynamic once things begin to click. Alabama football's next two matchups will be against ULM and Vanderbilt which will provide them a chance to work through these hiccups.
1. Bryce Young Is HIM
The biggest reason for optimism surrounding the Crimson Tide will continue to be Bryce Young. The Heisman winner has a true star feeling to his play and showed this in the matchup with Texas. Young led the team to two key drives in the fourth quarter which each produced points and led to the win. With little help from his wide receivers or offensive line, Bryce Young found a way to win.
In total, he completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts for 213 yards and a touchdown in the matchup. He also ran the ball seven times for 38 yards. He looked unshaken in the big moments and had his best stretch of play when the game was on the line. Young does seem to have a growing chemistry with Jahmyr Gibbs. While he spent most of his time as a running back, Gibbs led Alabama in receiving in the matchup with his nine catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. He is a dynamic playmaker and played a major role in the victory and the team should look to get him further involved moving forward.
Getting a scare is not a bad thing this early in the season. Expect Nick Saban and the Alabama roster to start back at square one and put forth a more focused effort in future games. With the best quarterback in college football and the rest of the team still looking to find their stride, there are reasons for optimism with Alabama. Expect some of the mistakes to be cut out and for Alabama to get closer to the powerhouse they are capable of in the coming weeks.
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