Texas' 2022 schedule: Alabama

This game has been absolutely looming on the Texas schedule for years and years now. The thought has been, “better have your ducks in a row by 2022, Alabama’s coming.”

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Now we come to it, the meaning of the game has been somewhat diminished. Texas is in year two of the Steve Sarkisian era and will be coming off one of the most wildly productive offseasons in Longhorn history. They’re in the enviable position in which a defeat to the Tide wouldn’t be terribly shocking or disappointing while a close loss or an outright win would be a massive boost.

They’ll be playing Alabama more in the future anyways, so this isn’t an exclusive measuring stick opportunity Texas won’t get again. Whenever they join the SEC the Tide will be there competing for the same conference crown. A blowout loss in this game would be a rough start to the season, but Texas doesn’t have too much pressure on them. Just show up and be competitive.

As it happens, I think this might be a more manageable task than commonly assumed.

Matching up in the trenches

National media have been discussing the Tide as though they were heading into the 2022 season as an absolute juggernaut. When your Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young and #RightfulHeisman star defensive player Will Anderson both return, people tend to have big expectations.

However the 2022 draft claimed both of Alabama’s star wide receivers, both offensive tackles, the best cornerback, top defensive tackle, the star running back, and a starting linebacker. They went portal shopping to help fill in some of the gaps, but such a move alone is indicative of potential weakness.

For instance, in their spring game the Tide started Kendall Randolph at left tackle. He was the jumbo tight end back in 2020 when Steve Sarkisian wanted to get big to run the football during their championship run. He was hopelessly outmatched trying to block Alabama’s outside linebackers Anderson and Dallas Turner and shortly after the Tide went into the portal to get Vanderbilt’s starting left tackle Tyler Steen.

The problem is that Tyler Steen wasn’t that terribly good for Vanderbilt. Why could none of the Tide’s various 5-star O-line recruits fill in the gap? Why was a transfer necessary?

Similarly, their attempt to replace John Metchie and Jameson Williams at wide receiver lead them to Georgia wideout Jermaine Burton and Louisville deep target Tyler Harrell. Both have real speed and are promising weapons to add, but neither were dominating at their previous spots and again, what of Alabama’s repeatedly top ranked recruiting classes? Could they not produce replacements?

The Tide do return blocking tight end Cameron Latu and have a bit more of a sure thing at running back in transfer Jahmyr Gibbs. The interior O-line is also pretty intact. Between those features and what’s likely to be a very good defense, it seems highly probable Nick Saban’s Tide will be back on their old formula of running the ball and playing defense while they hope to retool the passing game for quarterback Bryce Young in time for the postseason.

Unfortunately for Texas, they have neither the lethal Edge rusher who could expose Alabama’s lack of proven tackles nor the elite tackle to mitigate Alabama’s tandem of lethal Edge rushers. Winning trench battles in pass protection on either side of the ball will be fairly dubious in this one. Texas will have to find advantages running the ball, stopping the run, and out in space. The good news is all of those advantages are there to be found.

Contesting space

Even without their star wide receivers, the Tide had a chance in the National Championship game against Georgia if not for their losses at cornerback which left them vulnerable to some deep shots by Stetson Bennett.

Saban aimed to shore this up by upgrading at cornerbacks coach from Jay Valai (now with the Sooners) to Travaris Robinson (T-Rob), and getting cornerback Eli Ricks from LSU via the transfer portal. Alabama’s safeties return four highly experienced players in Brian Branch (nickel), Jordan Battle (free safety), DeMarcco Hellams (strong safety), and Malachi Moore (utility). They are very comfortable playing in nickel or dime and defensive coordinator Pete Golding is very careful to disguise their coverages. If there’s any question marks it’s outside at cornerback with Ricks and young Kool-Aid McKinstry.

The Tide are likely to keep a safety over the top of Xavier Worthy, even on the blitz, to avoid giving up clear deep shots on a three-step drop. However, can they man up on Isaiah Neyor? How do they handle drag routes from Worthy or Jordan Whittington? Can they keep up with Texas’ tight ends and running backs? Texas’ best bet is to spread the Tide out, run the ball on a diminished front, and count on the Tide overplaying deep throws to find opportunities underneath.

On the flip side, Alabama may not have the chemistry, skill, or timing to torch anyone with their passing game just yet and therein lies Texas’ chief hope in this game. Pete Kwiatkowski’s preferred method of sitting back and daring the offense to execute down the field with runs and timing passes into coverage could be a tall order for the Week 2 version of Alabama.

In summation

Alabama has a lot of question marks obscured by some obvious top-line strengths and over a decade of earning the benefit of the doubt. The next time Saban’s Alabama plays a high profile, non-conference game and loses it will be the first.

However, they may not have the same explosive firepower in 2022 due to their losses at offensive tackle and wide receiver and even if they do find it, perhaps it won’t come in time to blow away the Longhorns in Austin. In a hard-fought battle in the Texas heat which could sap the strength of big men for both teams, the Longhorns have a chance to drag Alabama to hell if they can land some big plays in the passing game and play sound run defense.