Texas’ upcoming game against No. 1 Alabama will be an early test for the Longhorns. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and his players will need to be on their A-game in order to pull off the upset. Here are three keys to the game if they want to be successful on Saturday:

Slow down Will Anderson Jr.

The linebacker out of Georgia is the centerpiece to an already great Crimson Tide defense. Recording 101 total tackles and 17.5 sacks during the 2021 season, Anderson started the season with the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman, tied with Bijan Robinson, Texas’ junior running back.

Anderson is a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive lines. The Longhorns will need to send two bodies his way on most plays if they want to slow him down. He has the ability to completely stall drives on his own, so if Texas wants to walk out with a win, the first thing it needs to do is slow down Anderson.

Contain Bryce Young

The 2021 Heisman winner is one of the most electric quarterbacks in the nation. Young can burn defenses with his arm and his legs, something a lot of quarterbacks can’t do. He threw for 47 touchdowns and ran another three last season.

The dual-threat quarterback comes in with the second best odds to win the Heisman. Although he won it last year, Young lost a couple of key wide receivers to the NFL Draft (Jameson Williams and John Metchie III), as well as running back Brian Robinson Jr.

Even with the departures of these key players, Young can still elude any defense he faces, which is why the Longhorns should have a “quarterback spy.” A quarterback spy’s sole job would be to make sure Young can’t scramble for extra yards, which would take away a crucial part of his game.

It’s common for defenses to utilize a quarterback spy when the opposing team’s quarterback is quick and shifty. Sarkisian should designate either senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown or junior linebacker Jaylan Ford as the quarterback spy for the game.

No negative drives

Having no negative drives puts a lot of pressure on the Longhorns’ offensive line. The group was commonly called for holding penalties all throughout last season. A relatively new, inexperienced line could feel the need to do whatever it takes to avoid a sack.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers is going to take some hits this game — it’s inevitable. The offensive line should give Ewers the chance to scramble rather than take a holding call.