One year ago, Nick Saban stood on the sideline at Longhorn Stadium, patiently answering Fox Sports sideline reporter Jenny Taft's pregame question about Alabama's readiness to play the University of Texas, in Texas. As Saban spoke softly of embracing challenges and overcoming adversity, a rowdy crowd of Longhorn fans chanted 'F— you, Saban!' Over his right shoulder, a Longhorn fan held up a neon orange sign that read, 'I was going to make a funny sign but I remembered Alabama fans can't read!'
AUSTIN, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns talks with head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide before the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Austin, Texas. One year ago, Nick Saban stood on the sideline at Longhorn Stadium, patiently answering Fox Sports sideline reporter Jenny Taft’s pregame question about Alabama’s readiness to play the University of Texas, in Texas.
Back in that 2009-10 championship game, held at the Rose Bowl, Texas posted two first-quarter field goals to edge out to a 6-0 lead. The Tide then proceeded to drop 24 straight points right onto Bevo’s skull, and that was pretty much the ballgame. The Longhorns lost quarterback Colt McCoy to injury on their first drive of the game — sound familiar? — and never mounted a serious threat thereafter.
Focus has been a sparse commodity in Austin over the last decade. Since that national championship loss, the Longhorns have cycled through four coaches while having exactly zero top-three Heisman finalists. They've played in more Alamo Bowls than they've had top-10 finishes or nine-plus-win seasons . All this despite landingSarkisian is in the process of changing that culture from the ground up. His 2022 and ‘23 classes rank fifth and third in the country, respectively.
Staying on task is going to be a challenge for Texas. The awe-inspiring spectacle of a night game at Bryant-Denny — 100,000-plus fans, seizure-inducing crimson LED lights, Bear Bryant speeches and “Dixieland Delight” at ear-bleeding volumes — is enough to give even the toughest squads pause. The trick, Sarkisian said, is keeping things in perspective.
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