Nick Saban calls for Alabama to improve ability to sustain energy after Texas loss

Texas got their revenge from last season’s matchup in this year’s edition of their game versus Alabama, defeating the Crimson Tide 34-24 in their first double-digit home loss since 2003.

The Crimson Tide displayed a mixed bag regarding their execution on Saturday night, some good and some bad on both sides of the ball. But on Monday, head coach Nick Saban was asked if he was pleased with the energy level of his team when they took on the Longhorns.

“I think the energy level was good, I think we started out the game really good,” Saban said. “Did we sustain it for 60 minutes in the game? No. Did we play well in the fourth quarter? No.”

Alabama got off to a strong defensive start to the game, holding Texas to just a field goal in the first quarter. But they failed to reach the end zone in the first half on offense, with just two field goals to their name despite running the ball effectively and playing there physical brand of football.

“But it’s not as much about how you started, we started out I thought really well in the game. Good energy, physical, knocked the ball off of them a couple times, ran the ball effectively in the beginning of the game,” Saban explained.

The Crimson Tide played their best ball in the third quarter, where they scored their first touchdown on the day through a 49-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe to Jermaine Burton. They outscored the Longhorns 10-0 in the third and took their first lead of the ballgame, but ran out of steam in the fourth quarter, as Texas would score 21 points to run away with the victory.

“But our ability to sustain was not what it needs to be and we didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter,” Saban said.

Alabama’s loss of energy resulted in a loss of one of the top rankings is the nation, as they’ve dropped from No. 3 in the polls to No. 10 following after Saturday.

There’s no doubt their energy will be tested throughout the rest of the season, as they’re scheduled to face three ranked conference opponents at the moment. But in the immediate future, they should be able to reset in Week 3 as they take on South Florida this Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET matchup airing on ABC.