Alt will join the Los Angeles Chargers after turning in back-to-back First Team All-American seasons with the Fighting Irish. He and Notre Dame’s offense posted an average of 39.1 points per game last year, good for second-best in program history.

Taken as the first offensive lineman at No. 5 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Alt cherished his three seasons at Notre Dame under head coaches Brian Kelly, who later took the job at LSU in 2022, and Marcus Freeman.

“Extremely grateful for that opportunity to be in that position,” Alt said. “There’s a lot of great people at Notre Dame who have allowed me to come this far. I was able to have two great head coaches, three great offensive line coaches and two great offensive coordinators who I think allowed me to excel, taught me a lot and allowed me to kind of go put my best foot forward. So at the end of the day, I’m extremely grateful for those coaches and people who allowed me to grow at Notre Dame and be able to have this opportunity become reality.”

READ: Former Penn State SAF King Mack transfers to Alabama

READ: Conference USA expanding to add Missouri State in 2025

It didn’t always begin along the offensive line for Alt. He played quarterback growing up and during his junior year at Totino-Grace High School in Minnesota he moved to tight end. The 6-foot-8, 322-pound tackle even appeared at tight end and offensive line his freshman year at Notre Dame in 2021, playing in all 13 games.

Alt anchored the left side of the line at tackle for the Fighting Irish, even starting a span of 21-straight games across the 2021-22 seasons.

Alt might get a shot at right tackle with the Chargers in the NFL, and he said the biggest thing for him is “just getting comfortable.” He’s confident in his ability to progress at the position.

“Being able to set both on my left and right hand stance, being just as comfortable as I was at the left at the right hand side,” Alt said. “Did a lot of drills: pass pro, run blocking. Just to make sure I was comfortable there, and I thought we put a lot of good work in from then.”

READ: Former Colorado, Houston RB Alton McCaskill IV transfers to Arizona State

Alt will also be part of former Michigan head coach and new Chargers skipper Jim Harbaugh’s first year back in the NFL in 10 years, and he said he met the former head coach of college football’s defending national champion for the first time during the pre-draft process. 

Alt said he trained with Alex Boone in Minnesota preparing for the scouting combine where he recorded a 5.05 time in the 40-yard dash and 7.31 clock in the 3-cone drill, which was third-best among offensive linemen.

Having earned a role as one of Notre Dame’s team captains in 2023, Alt understands the expectations from being a team leader.

“You got a job to do and you have to hold up your bargain,” Alt said. “One of the five, one of the 11. And you know if you don’t do your job it’s going to hurt the offensive line, hurt the entire offense, so I think that’s why I love it. And, yeah, that’s kind of why I fell in love with the position and just really the camaraderie of the group in the offensive line group. I think it’s a special group.”

READ: Former Mississippi State, Vanderbilt QB Mike Wright transfers to Northwestern

The Alt family has a history of success on the playing field at the highest levels. Alt’s father John Alt earned two Pro Bowl selections after also being picked in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984, and brother Mark Alt played in five seasons in the NHL.

Joe Alt described his mindset as one that allows him to “dominate.” He said he takes the field “refusing to lose and taking it one play at a time” capitalizing on “trying to do your best each and every play,” and in the NFL, that’s what he plans to do.

“Being wanted is one of the best feelings in the world,” Joe Alt said. “Being at a position that the coaches and people feel matters, it just makes you want to do it that much more and want to do it for them because they care so much about it. So now it’s my job to go get back to work and go home my best foot forward and do the best I can for whatever this team asks of me.”

The post Joe Alt cherishes Notre Dame career, hopes to put ‘best foot forward’ with Los Angeles after No. 5 overall NFL Draft selection appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Alabama announced Wednesday that head coach Nick Saban is retiring.

“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban stated in a release. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”

According to Chris Low of ESPN, Saban is retiring immediately. He informed the Crimson Tide team today, according to Low. 

READ: Denzel Burke, Donovan Jackson among returners to Ohio State in 2024

Saban won six national championships Alabama since taking over prior to the 2007 season. Across his 17 years with the Crimson Tide, Saban won nine Southeastern Conference championships. 

Saban and Alabama most recently competed in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Rose Bowl against eventual-champion No. 1 Michigan. It marked Alabama’s eighth CFP appearance under Saban. 

READ: Jacksonville State hires Rhode Island’s Brandon Napoleon as safeties coach 

“Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and The University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons,” Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne stated in a release. “Throughout his career as a head coach, his teams have won seven national championships, 11 conference championships and 312 games, and he’s developed an NCAA-record 49 NFL first-round draft picks and, most importantly, hundreds of college graduates. He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field.”

Saban has been named coach of the year nine times in his career. He’s earned a 35-12 record against top-10 teams since 2008, and he owns an 87.7% winning mark at Alabama. 

Saban won the CFP National Championship in 2015, 2017 and 2020. He has seven total national championships, tied with legend Paul “Bear” Bryant for most in history. 

READ: No. 1 Michigan ‘couldn’t be in a better spot’ after winning College Football Playoff National Championship 

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, among the candidates to succeed Saban include Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Penn State’s James Franklin, Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, among others. 

The post Alabama’s Nick Saban announces plan to retire appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Week 7 of the college football season is here, and it represents the near midpoint of the year. Six programs are bowl eligible, including No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan. 

PODCAST: Kirby Smart is Right for Not Caring

No. 7 Washington hosts No. 8 Oregon in a Pac-12 Conference clash in Seattle. Both the Huskies and Ducks are 5-0, and both are powered by large amounts of passing offense. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 3 Ohio State at Purdue 

Ohio State has had trouble in West Lafayette, Indiana. 

The Boilermakers and Buckeyes meet in the latest round of football in Indiana, and Ohio State is seeking a win. 

Ohio State hasn’t won at Purdue since 2013, and every Buckeyes head coach since 1947 has lost in West Lafayette at some point in their careers. 

Ryan Day is one who could be next to that list. 

“I know it’s been a difficult place to play for sure, and this team is no different,” Day said. “They’re very well coached. They have good players, and I know they’ll have a great atmosphere there. So we’re into October now, middle of the season, playing on the road in the Big Ten. All these games are critical and difficult so we’re got to have a great week of preparation and that’s just about what we expect this time of year.” 

No. 10 USC at No. 21 Notre Dame 

In recent weeks, Notre Dame has ranked within the top-10 teams in the country. 

But, after falling in two of the past three weeks, the Fighting Irish seem to be at a disadvantage against a hot USC team that has fallen in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll despite winning six in a row. 

READ: Big Board: Week 7

Notre Dame lost to No. 25 Louisville last week and to then-No. 4 Ohio State two weeks prior. The Fighting Irish average 437.9 yards per game which ranks No. 35 among NCAA teams. 

However, USC is fourth in the country in total offense averaging 523.3 yards per game and just outlasted Arizona in overtime 43-41. 

“Most importantly what we can’t do is make excuses for why the outcome was what it was and we can’t let others make excuses for us,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. “It’s my job to make sure this team is ready to perform on the stage that being a part of the Notre Dame football program presents, and every week it’s going to present this stage and this opportunity, and I have to make sure this team is ready to go. And so the best thing about this week is we got to get back to work and get prepared for a great opponent in USC coming in here Saturday night. We expect it to be an electric atmosphere, a great environment and a great opportunity for this program to use the adversity we faced from this past week and to use it as energy and motivation to get back to work and to prepare for this great opponent in USC.” 

Freeman wants to see the Fighting Irish compete at their highest level of ability.” 

“As I told the staff if you’re an elite competitor, which I know I am and we are, that you don’t pick and choose when you get ready for an opponent, and you have to continue to get ready the way we’re supposed to even after a loss, and I know our staff will and we’ve been doing it and we’ll continue to do it as we prepare for this game.” 

No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington 

This week’s top-10 matchup is set to be a doozy. 

Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. will meet in a contest that has Heisman Trophy stakes attached to it. Nix and Penix both are within the top-five passers in the Pac-12 in passing yards, both averaging more than 291 yards a game. 

PODCAST: Talking winners, top teams and much more after week six

The Ducks present the most well-rounded of the two teams. They are No. 2 in the country with an average of 555.8 yards of total offense and they’re No. 6 allowing an average of 255.6 yards of total defense. 

Saturday will mark the first time in rivalry history that both Oregon and Washington will meet when both teams rank inside the top 10. 

“The thing for us is we wanted to make sure this weekend was big, and so I’m proud of the way that guys have weekly, just every week gone about taking care of business,” Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer said. “And you saw this as hopefully inevitable that it came to this point, just a lot of respect for what Oregon is doing with their season too, so happy that this is a big week because we’ve done everything to make it that. If we slip up anywhere along the way it wouldn’t be as what it is so excited for this opportunity. That’s what it is. It’s a challenge, but it’s an opportunity. That’s what our guys came here to do is be a part of games like this and moments like this and build the program to this point. And so you know, embracing it is how we look at it.” 

The post Preview Thursday: Week 7  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

That’s the big question on today’s edition of The Daily Huddle. Garrett Searight wonders which “box” does Marcus Freeman fit in and is it too early to give him a “big game loser” badge?

The post What’s the Perception of Marcus Freeman After Notre Dame’s Loss to Ohio State? appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Three of those ranked bouts will feature Pac-12 Conference members, and the conference couldn’t have gotten out to a better start to the year beginning 17-0. 

PODCAST: These 8 Coaches Can Change How They’re Viewed This Weekend 

This week’s top-10 game will take place in South Bend, Indiana, while the No. 1 Bulldogs and No. 2 Wolverines will play at home and No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Florida State will be on the road. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 16 Oklahoma at Cincinnati 

The first Big 12 matchup between the Sooners and Bearcats will take place at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, and both teams will bring an amount of momentum that will make for a competitive contest. 

No. 16 Oklahoma is 3-0 to start the season under second-year head coach Brent Venables, who recalled the challenge and prestige the Cincinnati football program has attained in recent years. 

“That’s a team that used to winning,” Venables said. “They have high standards when they play at home or when they play on the road, but it’s going to be a, again, a great atmosphere. they got a strong culture, great belief system. Those players expect success. And again, they had a tough loss in overtime. They were a play away from winning the game so I’m sure they’ve got great perspective. They haven’t lost their mind through a little adversity, and they’ll be ready to compete.” 

PODCAST: Lincoln Riley Has a History of Being a Baby 

Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel earned a place on this week’s Big Board after a big outing last week. Gabriel set the program record with a 90.3% completion against Tulsa, and he added five touchdowns and 421 passing yards. 

Saturday will mark Cincinnati’s first-ever Big 12 game, and it comes with high stakes. The Bearcats suffered a home rivalry loss to Miami (OH) in overtime a week ago. 

Gabriel will go against Cincinnati quarterback Emory Jones, who started the season hot with five touchdowns in Week 1 and has seven touchdowns and a 66.3% completion rate this far. 

No. 19 Colorado at No. 10 Oregon 

Colorado’s hype train is about to face its biggest test of the season. 

The No. 19 Buffaloes eked out an overtime win over rival Colorado State in Week 3, taking a 43-35 victory and riding momentum between a 3-0 start to the year. 

READ: Quotables: Week 3 

Across the field in Week 4 will be the No. 10 Ducks who entered the top-10 for the first time this season. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning earlier this season took a big picture approach and questioned whether Colorado has “won anything” in its program history. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders had only respect for Lanning and the way he runs the Oregon program. 

“I respect the heck out of this man. What he’s accomplished stepping in, taking over a program and keeping it not only rocking steady, but accelerating it,” Sanders said. “I’m not a fan of anybody I mean, except for, you know, some of the celebrities that got a tremendous gift but not in sports — I respect the heck out of him. I love what he’s accomplishing. I love who he is, the way he runs his team. I love the way he operates. So I’ve got a lot of respect for him.” 

RELATED: Reports: Hunter to miss Colorado’s next three games due to injury 

Lanning said he didn’t regret what he said about Colorado’s program and clarified that he wasn’t talking about Sanders’ team specifically. 

Ducks quarterback Bo Nix and Oregon have outscored opponents 174-47 so far this season. Nix has 893 passing yards and eight touchdowns along with no interceptions this season. 

Lanning said the Pac-12 is off to a great start this season and that only showcases the talent the conference has, and a lot of it will be on display between Colorado and Oregon on Saturday. 

“I think there’s a lot of great teams in this conference and I think that’s really evident with how they’ve performed outside of the conference,” Lanning said. “We kind of talked to our players about, ‘Hey, preseason (is) over, right. You’ve been playing opposing conferences, other teams but now this is when we get into the meat and potatoes of what really matters for us and our goals that we want to accomplish.’ So there’s some great teams. I think we’ll continue to see that each week. I think we have a really tough schedule, and certainly a tough opponent coming up here this week.” 

No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame 

In a rematch of last season, the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish will meet to determine which top-10 team this time around has the edge over the other. 

READ: SMU raises $100 million in 1 week to support transition to ACC 

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will look to upend his alma mater at home when the Fighting Irish host the Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Buckeyes took a big season-opener a year ago 21-10 in a game that showed both defenses were strong. 

Offense in this matchup will likely take the focus. Ohio State will trot out Kyle McCord at quarterback, as he is in his first year as starter, while Notre Dame will do the same with Sam Hartman. 

Hartman has played like a veteran. After four games, he leads the NCAA with 13 touchdown passes and has 1,061 passing yards. 

McCord and Ohio State will face a different level of adversity. McCord has had his fair share of ups and downs to start his campaign, but has settled in well and has thrown 815 yards with six touchdowns albeit alongside an interception. 

In a battle between two highly ranked, top-10 teams, Saturday will give way to one team over the other and show which is ready for the limelight after four weeks of the season. 

“This is, again, a top-10 game on the road and this is why, again, these are the kind of games why you come to Ohio State,” Day said. “This is an exciting series because it’s not something that happens very often. Ohio State-Notre Dame, two of the bigger teams in the Midwest getting together for a home-and-home. Last year’s atmosphere was electric. It’ll be the same way on Saturday night so our guys are really fired up for this.” 

The post Preview Thursday: Week 4 appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Each member of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll top-four didn’t exactly run away with their outings, as No. 1 Georgia battled a 14-3 halftime deficit, No. 2 Michigan held a 7-6 second-quarter lead over Bowling Green, No. 3 Texas was tied at 10 with Wyoming in the fourth quarter and No. 4 Florida State allowed 19 unanswered points to end its 31-29 win over Boston College. 

PODCAST: College Football Needs Coaches Like Lane Kiffin and Deion Sanders

The tight competition led to the Longhorns and Seminoles flip-flopping in the rankings, and No. 10 Oregon entered the top-10 by steamrolling ahead past Hawaii 55-10. 

Here are some noteworthy quotes as focus turns from Week 3 to Week 4.    

Tim Albin, Ohio 

The Bobcats hosted Iowa State and came out with their first Power 5 win since 2017. 

Albin and Ohio saw a scoreless first half turn into a defensive showdown between the two teams. Ohio was edged in total yards 271 to 247. 

Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke found receiver Sam Wiglusz on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 11:18 left in the third quarter, and kicker Gianni Spetic booted a 27-yard field goal to claim a 10-0 lead. 

It was enough for the win as Iowa State’s comeback bid fell short. Ohio intercepted the Cyclones after their missed game-tying field goal, staking a big claim in the win. 

“I could not be more jubilant for our fans, this university and Athens,” Albin said. “It was electric out there, unbelievable showing, noon kickoff against a really a great opponent. Both teams, I thought, defensively going in it was going to be like that. I really did. Nobody was panicked at halftime with the score and just the defensive effort kept us in it at halftime, a few adjustments. We were able to get enough things done offense to to get some points on the board, and I could not be happier with the team and how they won.” 

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame 

This week’s big top-10 showdown will take place in South Bend, Indiana. 

No. 6 Ohio State will complete its home-and-home series with No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday night when the two teams meet for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

READ: SMU raises $100 million in 1 week to support transition to ACC

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has the chance to get back at his alma mater one year after the Buckeyes spoiled his head coaching debut, and Freeman had kind words for Ohio State’s program. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing Ryan Day again,” Freeman said. “He’s done an unbelievable job leading that program. I’ve told him every time I talk to him that he’s just done a tremendous job of really leading that program. So we know it’s going to be a really good opponent with a great coaching staff, and we’re looking forward to that.”

READ: Reports: Hunter to miss Colorado’s next three games due to injury

Freeman said “a lot of different factors” go into the differences between last year’s matchup and this season’s, but experience is the biggest key of them all. 

“You have a year under your belt. It’s not the first game of the year,” Freeman said. “You’ve been able to develop an identity as a program with these first four games and so it’s a lot different than what it was last year being the first game of that season for me and the first game of the year.” 

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss 

Lane Kiffin appears to be readying for someone else. 

Someone else as in Alabama and its defensive coordinator, who are next for No. 15 Ole Miss on Saturday. Kevin Steele is Alabama’s defensive coordinator, and he’s in his first season in the role. 

The Rebels climbed to No. 15 in the latest AP Poll after defeating Georgia Tech 48-23 behind Jaxson Dart’s 251 passing yards and the team’s 299 rushing yards also led by 136 from Dart. 

According to Ben Garrett of On3 Sports, Kiffin and the Rebels seem to be preparing to play an Alabama defense led by Crimson Tide cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson rather than Steele. 

“We’ve been against Kevin a number of times,” Kiffin said. “Worked with him at Alabama and against him at Auburn and LSU. There seems like there’s been a change there. I don’t know what happened after the Texas game, but our guys watching the TV copy and schematically in this last game, certainly seems like T-Rob’s now calling the defense. We played him before at South Carolina, so we’re preparing accordingly for him calling the defense. He’s done a good job, too, and they’ve got really good players.” 

Harrison Mevis, Missouri 

Mevis broke the Southeastern Conference record with a 61-yard field goal as time expired on Saturday. 

Missouri needed a big fourth quarter in order to upset then-No. 15 Kansas State. It trailed 24-17 with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, and it came down to special teams for the win.

READ: Missouri uses walk-off field goal to beat No. 15 Kansas State

Mevis’ 12-point day completed with two additional field goals, an average of 64.3 yards across six kickoffs and three converted extra points. But his final field goal sealed the win and the upset. 

“I kind of forgot everything, but I was locked in,” Mevis said. “I knew what I had to do. I knew that, give the defense credit, they went, made them go three and out two times. (It) gave me a chance for the kick. So, really, it’s just doing the little things right. It comes down to the little things, it comes down to snap-hold operation, it comes down to me hitting a clean ball, it comes down to me getting through the ball, and you know, all those things clicked, and we made the kick.”

The post Quotables: Week 3 appeared first on Saturday Glory.

A pair of Associated Press Top 25 programs fell in Week 1 action when then-No. 5 LSU dropped a 45-24 contest to then-No. 8 Florida State and when then-No. 9 Clemson lost on the road to unranked Duke. 

Shedeur Sanders and Colorado entered the poll this week at No. 22. Sanders and his father Deion Sanders, who is in his first year as head coach of the Buffaloes, prevailed over then-No. 17 TCU on the road last Saturday, and the quarterback threw for a program record 510 yards. 

More competition is on the docket this week in the form of early season rivalries. The Sanders’ and Colorado will take on Nebraska, while No. 3 Alabama and No. 11 Texas will meet one more time before the two share conference battles in the Southeastern Conference beginning next season. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 10 Notre Dame at NC State 

The Fighting Irish are off to a 2-0 start to the season, starting on the right note after beginning 0-2 a year ago. 

Head coach Marcus Freeman has the offense churning under Sam Hartman at quarterback. Hartman tossed two more touchdown passes last week against Tennessee State and matched his 82% completion. 

Notre Dame will face stiff conference competition with the Wolfpack this week, and the Fighting Irish will do so on the road. NC State won 24-14 over UConn in its season-opener Aug. 31, featuring quarterback Brennan Armstrong throwing for 155 yards and leading the Wolfpack with 96 rushing yards. 

“This will be our first true road test. We know as we get ready to go down to Raleigh, North Carolina, and play NC State and we expect to be a very hostile environment,” Freeman said. “I’ve only been there one time, and that was as a player in 2004. And I remember as a player, it was a hostile environment and a great environment for college football so we’re looking forward to that, and I think they’ve won the last 16 out of 17 games at home and so we know the challenge it will be to go down there and try to get a victory at NC State.” 

No. 20 Ole Miss at No. 24 Tulane 

It takes a lot for a quarterback to have a perfect outing, and Tulane’s Michael Pratt was nearly that in the season-opener last week. 

Pratt completed 14 of his 15 passes, and four of his throws went for touchdowns. It was a performance that caught the eye of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who said this week his Ole Miss team must be ready for a hot Tulane program. 

“I’m not worried about evaluating them. I’m worried about trying to go beat a top-25 team so this is not an evaluation game,” Kiffin said. “Going on the road for the first time with our team into one of the hottest teams in the country and probably the hottest quarterback in the country off of almost being perfect last week, so I would actually like another evaluation game but that’s not what this is certainly.” 

The run that Tulane has been on is impressive. The Green Wave have won 10 of their last 11 contests, which includes a Cotton Bowl victory last season over Caleb Williams and USC. 

Ole Miss had itself a noteworthy first game of the season as well. The Rebels defeated Mercer 73-7 and quarterback Jaxson Dart went 18-of-23 for 334 passing yards along with four touchdowns to boot. 

Tulane head coach Willie Fritz recalled the 2021 meeting between the two programs, which saw Ole Miss beat the Green Wave 61-21 during a season that saw them go 2-10. 

Now, a year removed from a 12-2 season, Tulane appears ready to try and change its luck this time around. 

“I thought we had a tough time with just getting lined up the tempo and some things like that (in 2021),” Fritz said. “There’s a lot of differences. New playcaller on offense, it’s coaching, their head coaches’ scheme. I think they got a different playcaller defensively, a new coordinator, a new coordinator in special teams so a lot of different philosophies they’re doing right now. When you’re playing these games early in the season, and you got new people on the other side are calling things you got to look at where they were at last year and the year before that and then also game one.” 

No. 11 Texas at No. 3 Alabama 

The 2023 Allstate Crossbar Classic takes place in Tuscaloosa this year, and this season’s matchup between Texas and Alabama should play similar to their matchup in 2022. 

The Longhorns had Alabama on the ropes in the fourth quarter. They led 19-17 until soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide advanced the football to the Longhorns’ 14-yard line, kicking in the go-ahead score with 10 seconds left on the clock. 

“We knew the type of team that they have at Alabama. I know the players that they’ve recruited, I know the coaching that they have,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “For us to be able to go toe-to-toe with them a year ago, I think in the end I’m not big on moral victories but I do think for some of the guys on our team, it was like, ‘OK, continue to believe in what we’re doing. It’s going to work and we’re getting there and we’re getting closer.’” 

Quinn Ewers, who exited last year’s game against Alabama due to injury, and Texas played well in the season-opener against Rice. Ewers had 260 passing yards and three touchdowns while Jaydon Blue and Jonathon Brooks ran the Longhorns to 158 rushing yards. 

Texas forced Rice to go 4-for-13 on third down, and the Longhorns averaged 44.5 yards per punt on their two kicks away. Four times did Texas score in the red zone, and Bert Auburn went 3-for-4 in field goal tries. 

Alabama will trot out first-year starting quarterback Jalen Milroe against Texas. Milroe was all over the football field versus Middle Tennessee, accounting for five touchdowns — three through the air and two on the ground. 

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said Texas is “physical” and play “really good up front,” something to keep a note of when the two teams battle in the trenches. They’ll also play in the regular season for just the second time since 1922. 

“They played extremely well in the first game, and they were excellent on special teams so this is a really good team all the way around,” Saban said. “This is going to be a good barometer for us to find out where are we as a team. And so we’re going to focus on doing a great job of trying to get our guys to prepare to play a great game and do a good job in terms of execution.” 

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