Alabama vs. Texas Notebook: Will Anderson Jr. Says Texas "Hardest Game I've Ever Played In"

Anderson also recorded his first sack of the season against the Longhorns.

SI Editorial | Sep 10, 2022

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Alabama Crimson Tide

AUSTIN, Texas — When it comes to big college football games, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. has seen a thing or two.

On Saturday, the Crimson Tide squeezed past Texas with a clutch field goal in the last minute by Will Reichard to escape by a score of 20-19. Despite having played in two College Football Playoff National Championship Games, Anderson said that Saturday's game at Darrell K Royal-Memorial Texas Stadium was the toughest game that he's ever played.

"To be honest, since I've been here these last three years, this is probably the loudest environment I've done played in," Anderson said. "Probably the hardest game I've played in since I've been in college football. Their fans were super loud, they had a lot of energy. But the atmosphere was crazy."

On top of heading home with a win, Anderson also recorded his first sack of the season. The sack came late in the fourth quarter on a third-and-3 situation with 1:38 remaining in the game, forcing Texas to kick a field goal to go up by one point rather than potentially score a touchdown and put Alabama at a four-point deficit.

Had Anderson not made the sack, the Longhorns might have won the game.

Reichard, who made the game-winning field goal to give Alabama a 2-0 record on the season, echoed Anderson's comments on the stadium's atmosphere.

"Yeah I think I would agree," Reichard said. "It was crazy, but we also play in the SEC, too, to where stadiums get loud. So it was a big deal just because we've played in a lot of loud games before."

Down but Not Out

Over the course of the game, two Alabama players missed snaps due to injury. Running back Jase McClellan missed the remaining plays of an early Crimson Tide drive after taking a rough hit from Longhorns defensive back Jerrin Thompson. McClellan later returned to the game and seemed to be perfectly fine.

Defensive back DeMarcco Hellams was also removed from the game for several plays after being hit while tackling Texas running back Bijan Robinson. He was back on the field after two plays and a quick checkup on the sideline.

Not so Fast

Midway through the first quarter, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewer had an open Xavier Worthy in the end zone for a sure touchdown. Worthy made a nice dive on the ball but it wiggled out of his hands at the last second. The crowd erupted, thinking it was a touchdown, which prompted the Longhorn officials to set off Smokey the Cannon, a Civil War replica, which is fired after every Texas score. It took a few more plays, but the cannon fired after the Longhorns settled for a 26-yard field goal.

Must be the Shoes

The turf at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium wasn’t very kind to Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs and Kool-Aid McKinstry. Gibbs took a 4-yard loss after slipping on the turf on the Crimson Tide’s first drive. Later, McKinstry slipped short of the 20-yard line on a kickoff return. His feet came out from under him in the second quarter after fielding a punt. Gibbs wiped out a second time on a run late in the second quarter, settling for a two-yard gain that could have gone for five or six.

Attendance Record

In the third quarter, the announcers at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium announced an attendance of 105,213 — a new stadium record. Saturday's game had been sold out since June, with the cheapest seats available going for resale at an average of $247. The most expensive seats? Around $2,500.

Tide-Bits

Officials for the game: Scott Campbell, Referee; Rick Podraza, Umpire; Andy Warner, Linesman; Keith Garmond, Line Judge; Tyree Walton, Back Judge; Miles Mills, Field Judge; Mario Seneca, Side Judge; Corey Long, Center Judge ... after a week of concern regarding the temperatures in Texas, the high on Saturday was 92 degrees Fahrenheit — nothing that Alabama players aren't already used to ... Alabama's 15 penalties were just one shy of tying the all-time program record for most penalties in a single game, which was 16 all the way back in 1995 against Georgia ... the last time that Alabama scored a game-winning field goal with under a minute left in the game was all the way back in the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic when Jamie Christensen nailed a 45-yard field goal as the game clock expired to beat Texas Tech 13-10 — the NCAA later vacated the win in 2009 due to infractions committed during the season.