Nick Saban extremely critical of Alabama's first-half play against Texas

Alabama football coach Nick Saban was not happy with the way his team played in the first half against Texas on Saturday. With the game tied at 10 heading into halftime, FOX sideline reporter Jenny Taft provide some inside intel from the Crimson Tide locker room.

“This is my first conversation with coach Saban, and I can tell you he wasn’t happy,” Taft said. “He said, ‘That was not Alabama football. We did not play well. We did not execute well. We did not play our brand.’ I simply said, ‘Coach, can they change it?’ He looked at me and said, ‘We will see.’ He is not happy with his guys. You can feel the energy coming out of that locker room.”

According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg, Alabama’s 11 penalties in the first half were the most in the Saban era. The Crimson Tide offense also failed to get much going, as quarterback Bryce Young finished with just 71 yards passing and no touchdowns.

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After scoring on its first two drives of the game, Alabama failed to add any more points across the remaining 17 minutes of the first half. The Crimson Tide likely would have entered the locker room trailing if Longhorns kicker Bert Auburn didn’t miss a 20-yard field goal that would have given Texas the lead right before half.

Nick Saban isn’t likely to have changed his mood yet, as so far Alabama began the third quarter against Texas by adding two more penalties. The Crimson Tide offense has also yet to find life and currently trails 13-10 with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Alabama is just 1-7-1 all time against the Longhorns, but won the most recent matchup between the two schools in 2010. But if they hope to increase their winning streak to two, they’ll need a much better effort as the fourth quarter draws nearer.