Potential Longhorns Win vs. Alabama Comes From Expecting The Unexpected

For Texas to win at Bryant-Denny Stadium, it must expect the unexpected.

Be ready if you're the Texas Longhorns. 

Be open to the idea of anything. Yes, anything.  

Be ready for deep shots downfield by Jalen Milroe and Alabama's passing attack. 

Be aware of the pass rush that averaged 3.2 sacks per game last season led by Deonte Lawson, Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell. 

Be on the lookout for breakaway runs, blundering play calls, and a behemoth of boos bellowing from the stands in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

And be ready if you're Maalik Murphy. Saturday might be the coming-out party fans on the Forty Acres have been waiting to see. 

If the No. 11 Longhorns can keep Quinn Ewers upright, that last note won't matter. Ewers won the starting job fair and square in fall camp, and Steve Sarkisian has no intention of dialing up plays or concepts with another passing call the shots. 

But he didn't plan to play Hudson Card last season when the No. 3 Crimson Tide ranked No. 1 heading into Austin. Two drives into the game and that pipeline dream became a nightmarish reality. 

Mack Brown never intended to play Garrett Gilbert in 2009 when the Longhorns faced Nick Saban in the Rose Bowl for a shot at the national title. By the end of the first drive, Gilbert had to be the answer with Colt McCoy sidelined. 

The Crimson Tide mean business heading into Saturday's rematch on their turf. Sure, they left the Lone Star State with a win, but critics and pundits began wondering if this was the beginning of the end of Saban's superb dynasty run. 

Saban doesn't take kindly to those questioning his decisions, and he won't give answers, so quit asking. Instead, the seven-time national champion lets his roster do the talking. 

And the scoring. 

And the hitting. 

Texas bent, but it didn't break when Ewers left with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Card came in and kept the offense afloat. The defense rattled Bryce Young into multiple three-and-out drives, and only allowed 213 yards and a score. If Ryan Watts gets the sack on first down, Young never gets Alabama in position for a game-winning field goal. 

Down goes Bama. Fans storm the field. Talk of Texas being "back" reaching all-time highs? 

But Ewers did leave the game, thus changing the outcome. He was wheeling and working wonders with Xaiver Worthy downfield in the first quarter and seemed to have Alabama in the spin cycle. 

Then came the hit, and there left the momentum to strike early and often. 

Will it happen again, only this time in Titletown? 

Sarkisian knows first-hand the hostile atmosphere that comes with playing at Bryant-Denny. He spent two seasons on the sidelines calling plays as Alabama's offensive coordinator and another as an analyst during his time at the Saban Coaching Clinic. Fans in must-see games dial up the intensity to 100,000 and refuse to take their foot off the gas until victory is secured. 

So the Longhorns must be ready for anything, including seeing names from the outside being x-factors instead of up-and-comers waiting in the wings. 

Murphy can't miss a beat if Ewers sustains a hit and heads to the sidelines. He'll need to show glimpses of his deep ball accuracy and poise in the pocket against a potent pass rush, similar to how he looked in the Orange-White Game when uncorking that long ball to Johntay Cook for an easy score against Texas' secondary. 

If CJ Baxter is limited due to a rib injury, Jonathon Brooks and Jaydon Blue must make up for his lost production. Brooks showed promise as a receiving threat last week against Rice, scoring the team's first touchdown of the year on a quick screen from Ewers that went 37 yards to the house. And Blue has the lower-body power to push his way forward for the hard yards. 

If Worthy or AD Mitchell get smacked and need assistance, Cook must cook in the the open field. Isaiah Neyor must be ready to show why he was a must-see newcomer last season before being shut down with a torn ACL. Other pass-catchers must be prolific in moving the sticks. 

The same thing goes on the defense, but you get the idea. 

Texas has the talent to take down Saban in his own backyard for the ninth time since 2007. It has the players that can win conference talents, make the College Football Playoff and even hoist up the title in Houston come January. 

Saturday marks arguably the biggest moment in program history since 2009. That marked the start of Saban's run in Tuscaloosa and the beginning of the end of the Texas of old. A victory could mean the literal changing of the tides, where Alabama starts to lose and luster while the Longhorns look just to be getting started. 

It starts with Ewers. It follows over to Murphy. It ends with the waterboy and ball assistant being ready to put on a jersey and channel their inner Bobby Boucher. 

Texas can win; it just must be ready for anything. 

And yes, anything can happen inside the walls of Bryant-Denny Stadium.