Tony is passionate about football. If there’s one thing I learned this past weekend, it’s that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone yell out of excitement so loudly at a TV before than my boyfriend’s roommate, Tony, after No. 11 Texas secured the historical victory over No. 3 Alabama. But he had every single reason to.
Saturday’s matchup was a dream come true for Longhorn fans, and especially for Steve Sarkisian and his team. After letting the Crimson Tide snatch the one-point win in our own stadium last season, it was time for a revenge tour of note, and Texas did not disappoint, becoming the first non-conference away team to hand Alabama a loss in 16 years.
While the star of the show seemed to be Quinn Ewers and his perfectly healthy arm staying in the game for all four quarters, the true highlight of the night should be Texas’ capability to present themselves not just as a team of talented players, but as an entity that has a shared drive and focus.
In his press conference on Monday, Sarkisian opened by stating that Texas’ win over Alabama was a team effort, going on to praise his players for their confidence and composure inside the hectic environment of Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“This was a really good team win,” Sarkisian said. “We talk a lot about being a versatile football team and having the ability to win multiple ways, and quite frankly, we needed all of our ways to win on Saturday night.”
And what strategy did Texas use in its show against Alabama? Confidence.
It was apparent that the Longhorns did carry themselves highly despite being surrounded by crimson red instead of the usual burnt orange, something that Sarkisian said he noticed before game day even started. Although Ewers and Sarkisian alike had been foreshadowing the team’s state of confidence during the offseason, seeing it develop in real time made it all the more believable for Longhorn fans.
“I thought they went into the game with the mentality and (being) confident enough that they could go win that football game,” Sarkisian said. “And then they played like it regardless of some of the adversity that they were faced with.”
With Ewers leading an explosive offense and Jaylan Ford running a tight ship with the defense, Texas was seemingly unstoppable in all areas. Ewers completed 24 of 38 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with receivers Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders to capitalize on the various opportunities that were handed to him.
Given the amount of reliance that weighs on Ewers, his composition is a major factor in what can make or break the team on game day. During Big 12 Media Days back in July, Ewers reiterated the importance of trust between himself and his teammates, which in turn was evident in the team’s chemistry displayed against Alabama.
“Being one of the leaders of the team, you have to be able to trust one another, and they have to be able to trust me,” Ewers said.
If Ewers can ride this wave of momentum all the way through the season, there’s really no opponent that Texas can’t handle. Now that we know that Ewers is willing to take those risks of making a deep ball connection and can execute it multiple times, the focus will be on creating that environment every game.
The program’s next matchup against Wyoming will be another chance for Texas to get a good rep in with a nonconference team before its Big 12 schedule, but it shouldn’t be regarded as a blowoff game just yet.
