Something surprising has already happened to Nick Saban and his No. 3 Alabama football team just a couple of weeks into their 2023 campaign. They now have their first loss of the season.

The Crimson Tide faced a big matchup in Week 2. They played against former assistant coach Steve Sarkisian and his No. 10 Texas Longhorns. Unfortunately for Alabama football, they didn't perform well and made a lot of mistakes. This led to a 34-24 loss. This defeat was not only unexpected but also a rare occurrence for the team. It marked only the ninth time that Alabama football had lost a game at home during Saban's time as the head coach in Tuscaloosa. What's even more remarkable is that it was the first time they lost by more than ten points at home.

Jalen Milroe was in his second game as Alabama's starting quarterback. He clearly faced some big challenges in this game. He completed 14 of 27 passes for 255 yards and managed to score two touchdowns. However, he also threw two interceptions and was sacked five times by the Longhorns. On the defensive side of things, Kevin Steele was in charge. That said, his unit struggled to stop big plays and committed costly penalties.

Broken Streak

Keep in mind that Alabama football had been on a remarkable 21-game winning streak at home. They they hadn't lost a regular-season game to a nonconference team in 57 games. That dated back to Nick Saban's debut season in 2007. Losing this game was a big blow to their winning streaks and to their season moving forward.

“This was a test for us,” Saban commented after the loss. “I told the players early in the week that this was going to be a test, that we were playing a really good team, and that we would find out where we were as a team. It was a test for everybody. It was a test for the coaches, it was a test for me, it was a test for all the players. And we obviously didn't do very well. But it's the mid-term, it's not the final.”

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Last year, Alabama football had two of the top three picks in the NFL draft with Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. Despite that, they were essentially eliminated from the College Football Playoff in early November. This season doesn't seem to be off to a much better start, especially after this painful loss to Texas. In this game, the Longhorns clearly outperformed Alabama on both offense and defense. They could have scored even more points if not for a few mistakes in Alabama football's territory.

The issues for Alabama in this game were evident. Milroe threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The offensive line struggled. They allowed Texas to sack Milroe five times, and the rushing game was limited to just 107 yards at an average of 3.1 yards per carry. In the secondary, the Longhorns passed for 349 yards.

Sound the Alarm?

However, it's important to note that this loss doesn't mean that Saban has completely lost his coaching prowess. Alabama football still has a lot of talented players, including many who were highly rated four- and five-star recruits. It's unlikely that Alabama football will suddenly start losing four or five games in a season. Having said that, making it to the playoff will now be a tougher challenge for them. Remember that a two-loss team has never been selected among the final four.

In order for Alabama football to have a shot at the playoff, they will need to perform flawlessly for the rest of the season. This means minimizing mistakes, improving the quarterback play, strengthening the offensive line, and shoring up the defense. It won't be easy, of course. Still, with Saban's coaching expertise and the team's talent, it's not an impossible task.

The loss to Texas should serve as a wake-up call for Alabama football. It's a reminder that they can't take any opponent lightly, no matter how talented they are on paper. Every game in college football is a test, and Alabama football will need to pass every one of them if they want to make it to the playoffs and contend for a national championship.