Nick Saban: Alabama 'better be ready for a street fight' vs. Texas

The highly anticipated rematch between Alabama and Texas is one of the biggest games of Week 2. The Longhorns will make the trip to Tuscaloosa to try and avenge last year’s loss to the Crimson Tide in a top-15 showdown.

Nick Saban has pointed out how talented Texas is this year as Steve Sarkisian begins Year 3. Saturday’s game is shaping up to be a fun battle between two high-powered offenses, including an intriguing quarterback battle between Quinn Ewers and, more than likely, Jalen Milroe.

Ahead of the game, Saban had a message for his players about what the Longhorns can throw at them.

“It’s a great challenge for us,” Saban said on Hey Coach and The Nick Saban Show Thursday night. “I mean, hey, we’ve sacrificed a lot to get ready for this season. Every one of our players have worked hard all offseason, all spring, all summer. They worked hard all fall camp. And this is what they worked for. This is what they made the sacrifices for, to be able to play in games like this and with challenges like this. So it’s exciting to have the opportunity. It’s not something to be fearful of.

“And there’ll be adversity in the game. I told the players that practice today. You’d better get ready for a street fight. You’re gonna have to punch them, they’re gonna punch you, you’re gonna get knocked down. You’re gonna have to get up, you’re gonna knock them down, aight?”

Last year’s game between Alabama and Texas was one for the books. Both teams traded blows before Will Reichard nailed the game-winning field goal to give the Crimson Tide the 20-19 win at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium.

It could be another back-and-forth affair this year, and Saban said Alabama will need to hold strong for all four quarters to come away with the victory. The Crimson Tide will face adversity, and he wants his players to respond well when that happens.

“It’s who can grind it out for 60 minutes in the game?” Saban said. “You know, adversity breaks some people and makes some people great. But you’ve got to have a sense of character to be able to comprehend that and be able to sustain when things aren’t going exactly right. And when you have games like this, it’s not going to be perfect for us. It’s not going to be easy for us. It’s not going to be easy for them.

“So you have to be able to sustain and grind it out and try to dominate your box. And that’s not gonna happen on the first play. It’s going to happen in 50 plays or 70 plays or whatever. But you’ve got to keep grinding or it’s not gonna happen.”