The Daily Texan spoke with Abby McCreary, sports editor for the Crimson White, about expectations for the upcoming Alabama matchup, fan energy and players to watch in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

Daily Texan: Last year in Austin, students started lining up for the game as early as the night before. The hype for this game is very big around here. What are the expectations for the energy in Tuscaloosa on Saturday? 

Abby McCreary: Yeah, so it’s been pretty crazy on campus. Everyone’s super excited about it. It’s obviously going to be a huge game. We’ve got you know, College Game Day coming in. That doesn’t happen every game, so it’s a big game and we’re all super excited. I’m just hoping that we can bring the same kind of atmosphere into Bryant-Denny that you guys brought into your stadium last year. 

DT: The Crimson Tide has had an impressive home record. How much do you credit the fan energy in the stands for that? What makes them so special?

AM: You know, a lot of times Alabama fans get a bad rep just because they say we’re used to winning, and we just don’t know how to cheer. But I personally believe Bryant-Denny has one of the best atmospheres in college football. I know when I attended as a fan, the energy was just unmatched. So I really do think that we’ll be able to hopefully give Texas a run for their money and make it a hard atmosphere to play in.

DT: Our last matchup was a very close one, you guys won by one point. How has the team improved since then? What has changed?

AM: So what really got us last year was we had a real issue with penalties. And I think that’s something that has really improved this year. I think against Middle Tennessee, we had two or three penalties. And I know Nick Saban has said constantly that he’s been working on decreasing those, you know, undisciplined penalties all year. So I think that is a big improvement on our part that will make a difference in this Saturday’s matchup. 

DT: Alabama’s recruiting class of 2023 was named the best in the country. What new names should we be looking out for on the field? What should we expect to see from them? 

AM: I know probably the biggest name is Caleb Downs. He’s a defensive back and he was also co-Freshman of the Week, or SEC co-Freshman of the Week. He’s done an incredible job.