Jaylan Ford on how Texas stays focused: 'Don't believe the hype and get complacent'

The Texas Longhorns could’ve celebrated for days after a win over Alabama but Jaylan Ford was ready to move on.

The star linebacker basked in the glow of knocking off Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, as did his teammates, but that game’s over now. Don’t forget, Texas is just two games into the 2023 season and there’s a lot of football left.

Ford talked about how he and his teammates can’t get complacent and believe the team’s own hype.

“It was just a whole bunch of facts about the first time we’ve been in the top five in some years, or however long,” Ford said on Sirius XM Big 12 Radio. “And then it was talking about like, we were the first to beat Saban by double digits and all those, you know, the little stats, whatever.

“And then just, I was on Twitter and I just saw a lot of hype about the game. And my biggest thing was just like, it’s almost Monday now, so like for us as players, we are taught or it’s kind of instilled in us to, you know, once Sunday hits or once Monday hits, you really got to flip the switch and focus on the next opponent.”

It was certainly a memorable game. Quinn Ewers and the offense lit up the Alabama defense and it seemed like the Longhorns were in control the entire time.

Ford finished with two tackles and three assists, but two teammates logged interceptions: Jahdae Brown and Jerrin Thompson.

“The game is behind you now so it’s like, you know, what you did, it didn’t really matter,” Ford said. “You got to go out there and win again. So for us … that’s where the rap was, just don’t really believe the hype and get complacent kind of deal. There’s still a lot (that we have) to go out there and achieve, it’s still a long season. And we gotta keep pushing and keep striving to be better.”

Texas gets Big 12 play on September 23 when the Longhorns travel to take on Baylor. But first, the Longhorns host Wyoming Saturday night.

As Ford pointed out, Texas has to shift all focus towards the Cowboys and not worry about what the team already did in the biggest game of the season.

It’s up to guys like Ford to keep Texas on track and sound defensively moving forward for the rest of the season.