Kirk Herbstreit: Texas beating Alabama would create some shockwaves

The most anticipated game of Week 2 of the college football season is undoubtedly Texas vs. Alabama, a rematch of a very tight contest in Austin, Texas, a year ago.

Texas will be looking to finish things off this time around after falling 20-19 on a late drive by Bryce Young to push Alabama into field goal range. It feels like the Longhorns are on the cusp of national prominence again, but Saturday will have a lot to do with that.

“I think if you look at Texas, we keep hoping, it’s kind of like when USC was trying to come back,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. “Those of us that like to see these big brands do well, I like to see Texas play well. I think it’s great for the sport.

“So if they were able to win this game, Alabama’s not out of anything. They’re still right in the thick of things, but it would definitely create some shockwaves and a lot of interest in what Sark is doing down in Austin.”

The game a year ago was anyone’s for the taking, even with Texas being forced to use a backup quarterback after Quinn Ewers was injured in the contest. Last year’s game was highly competitive.

That’s what Herbstreit wants to see again.

“I think, not that Texas is into moral victories, but I think their performance and how they played, it wasn’t just a score of the game, it was they took the fight to Alabama last year,” he said. “If you really watched that game from the very beginning, they were not intimidated. They weren’t just putting their big toe in and just kind of easing their way in.

“It was physical and aggressive and confident from the word go. And if they have any chance of going on the road, it’s very tough to do, it’s going to have to be that same mentality of going in. We’re not going to weather the storm. We’re going in there to win this game and be physical and be dominant. And if you know Sark on a personal level, you’d be surprised if that’s not how they approached it.”

Texas has the pieces in place to make it a game, even with Bijan Robinson now off to the NFL. The Longhorns have used the transfer portal to shore up some spots and they’ve done a nice job developing their own recruits under coach Steve Sarkisian.

Will this be the chance to make a statement?

“If you’re going to win this game, you’ve got to come in swinging,” Herbstreit said. “Not playing and coaching not to lose. You got to coach to win, just like they did a year ago. Now again, it’s going to be tougher, as I said earlier, on the road in that environment. But with a veteran quarterback and offensive line, it gives you a better chance to play to win the game, not to just hang around and find a way to win it in the fourth quarter. If you do that, you’re going to lose the game.

“So I think being aggressive in their approach is very important to the game.”