AUSTIN, TX — Heisman trophy winner Bryce Young and the top team in America, the Alabama Crimson Tide, narrowly escaped Austin with a victory against a scrappy Texas Longhorns team on Saturday. Meanwhile, Texas A&M was embarrassed 17-14 by Appalachian State.
Coming into the game as heavy favorites, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation struggled early and often against the Longhorns. Penalties plagued the Crimson Tide, and the Longhorns took full advantage throughout the game. A revitalized Texas defense got after Bryce Young all day and made Alabamas’ offense look average.
Texas’ starting quarterback Quinn Ewers went down with an apparent shoulder injury midway through the first quarter. Backup Hudson Card took over for Ewers and finished the game for the ‘Horns.
Early in the 3rd quarter, the Longhorns nearly sacked Young in his end zone. He managed to get the ball away, but with no receiver in the immediate area, an intentional grounding and a safety should have been called. The referees reviewed the play for targeting but waived off the penalty. The refs allowed the Crimson Tide to punt the ball away, and the hopes for a safety faded. This 2-point swing ended up pivotal to the final score and was Alabama’s only rescue.
The Longhorns held a 2-point advantage with 1:29 to go in the 4th quarter. With the ball at the Texas 37-yard line and time running out, Bryce Young avoided a potential game-ending sack and turned the scramble into a 20-yard gain. Armed with a fresh set of downs and 17 seconds to go in the game, the Crimson Tide kicked the game-winner to survive, 20-19.
The Texas Longhorns (1-1) host the UTSA Roadrunners (1-1) next week, Sept. 17, in Austin.
The Roadrunners defeated Army in a shootout this week, 41-38.
Meanwhile, in College Station, the Texas A&M Aggies lost to Appalachian State University 17-14. The irony is that A&M reportedly paid the Sun Belt Conference Mountaineers $1.5 million to travel to College Station to play the SEC West contender ranked #6 in the nation.
Head Coach Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies were a disaster for the second week in a row. Texas A&M totaled only 186 total yards against the App State defense. The same defense gave up 63 points against North Carolina just one week ago. Aggies quarterback Haynes King threw for only 97 yards on 20 pass attempts.
“Our guys did not play and execute at the level they needed to to win this game, and that’s my fault,” Aggie Coach Jimbo Fisher said at the press conference following the game.
App State takes on the Troy Trojans at home Sept. 17 and the Aggies host Miami in College Station. ESPN's GameDay reportedly re-routed its broadcast from College Station to Boone, North Carolina to cover the App State-Troy game, and not the Aggies or Miami, following today's loss.
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