Longhorns Fall Short in Upset Bid of No. 1 Alabama

The Texas Longhorns nearly pulled off the upset of the century on Saturday against No. 1 Alabama.

AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns were not just underdogs against the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

They were major underdogs, entering the weekend with Alabama favored by 20.5 points.

And while the Las Vegas oddsmakers are usually pretty good at their jobs, on this particular day, they were not, as Texas pulled off the nearly pulled off upset of the year.

Unfortunately for the Horns, they were not able to finish the job, with Alabama escaping Austin with a 20-19 win, and its No. 1 ranking intact.

The Longhorns were able to set the tone early against the Tide, moving the ball up and down the field at their own leisure to start the game.

However, that is when disaster seemingly struck for the Horns, as starting quarterback Quinn Ewers landed hard on his non-throwing shoulder and went to the locker room for x-rays, not to return.

Ewers was forced to exit the contest with 31 seconds to go in the first quarter after starting the game 9 of 12 for 143 yards.

Backup Hudson Card, while not as explosive in the passing game, was able to hold down the fort, leading the Longhorns field on multiple occasions, eventually giving his team a 16-10 lead with 12:55 to go in regulation.

And it was just enough, as Card was able to get the Horns back down the field for yet another score, with a late field goal to put Texas up 19-17 with 1:29 to go in the game. 

However, it simply wasn't enough, as missed opportunities and controversial calls kept points off the board for Texas and allowed the tide to capitalize.

Contrary to what many thought heading into the matchup, it was actually that Longhorns' defense that was the difference in the game, holding the Crimson Tide in check and shutting them out in the second and third quarters.

As a result, Heisman front-runner Bryce Young was constantly under fire throughout the day and ended the game with one of the least productive games of his career thus far, completing 27 of 39 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown.

He was able to make the hero play of the game, however, escaping a Ryan Watts sack and taking off on a long run to put the tide in position for the game-winning field goal.

MIKE linebacker Jaylon Ford was the main difference maker for the Horns on that end of the field, finishing the game with 10 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.

Defensive backs Jerrin Thompson and Anthony Cook were also all over the field for the Longhorns, finishing with seven and nine tackles respectively.

Following the loss, the Longhorns will turn the page to yet another home game next weekend when they welcome the University of Texas at San Antonio Road Runners to the 40 Acres. 

The Road Runners are led by former Texas assistant Jeff Traylor, who coached UTSA to its best season in program history in 2021.

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You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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