Lessons learned from the 2022 Texas vs. Alabama game
I’ve been working my way through re-watching every Texas game this past season for a couple of reasons.
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First, I want to refamiliarize myself with the games, the players who made plays and those who didn’t, as well as the strength of the opponents and what they have returning.
With that in mind, it’s quite a bit different than watching the game live with mostly that season and that team as the primary focus.
Second, I’m doing a deep dive on the new clock rule and how I think it will effect (or not effect) college football and specifically the Texas Longhorns. The new rule eliminates clock stoppage after first downs.
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Thus far, there’s been a lot of attention on the Alabama game. And it’s easy to understand why.
Texas almost pulled off the upset in DKR a year ago.
As I rewatched the game, a couple of things kept coming up.
Bama did not press the run game. Bill O’Brien, then the OC for Bama, opted to take to the air against a box that Texas kept heavy with numbers.
Ultimately, it paid dividends in the fourth quarter when O’Brien simply put the ball in the hands of his best player, Bryce Young, and Young played equal parts Houdini and Tom Brady.
Just how little did they try to run?
Of Alabama’s final 30 offensive plays, only four were designed runs or non-scrambles by Young.
Yet when they did attempt to impose their will on the Texas defensive front. They came up lacking.
In fact, Texas stopped the Tide twice in a row inside the Texas 30 on power run plays in the fourth quarter to turn the ball over.
I mention all of this because I believe new Tide OC Tommy Rees will be much more dedicated to finding creative ways to run the ball than his predecessor was. The Tide don’t have the arm and moxie of Young To rely on. They’re going to have to out-muscle the Horns.
That’s something the Tide is certainly capable of doing. They have the players to be that physical.
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But they’ll also be going against a more experienced Texas defense.
On the other side of the ball, it’s going to be a really interesting match-up.
In re-watching last year’s game, I believe the key will be Texas’ pass protection. Texas will use more one tight end sets in 2023 than 2022.
Yes, the Alabama edge rushers effected the game a year ago, taking out Quinn Ewers in the process. But they were largely limited by the Longhorns’ formations.
That probably won’t be the case as much this year.
So how much have Kelvin Banks, JT Sanders and Christian Jones truly improved as pass protectors?
And can Jake Majors and some mix of Cole Hutson, Hayden Conner, DJ Campbell and Neto Umeozulu keep a hefty and powerful Alabama defensive tackle group relatively in check?
Stop the run on defense. Protect the passer on offense. That’s the recipe for a rare night win in Tuscaloosa.
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I should have a deeper dive on the clock rule next week, including projected number of plays and series lost.
