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Texas isn’t again.
Not on Saturday, anyway. Not with out its burgeoning star QB, Quinn Ewers. Not on Nick Saban’s watch.
However for 59 minutes towards Alabama, Texas appeared astonishingly near turning the web page on a decade of heartbreak, embarrassment and jokes earlier than falling to the Tide 20-19.
For a lot of the 12 years since Texas final performed Alabama — one other sport through which it misplaced its beginning quarterback — the Longhorns have served as a nationwide punchline, with “Texas is again!” the best joke in school soccer. (Although, credit score to Texas for offering loads of different materials, from “OK, cool. Hook ’em” to a number of losses to Kansas to an assault monkey trained to steal Halloween candy. It has been a wild a decade.) And but, Texas was no joke Saturday. It was a worthy competitor for a staff many count on to win a nationwide title. It was a staff that, with Ewers — or, maybe, a correctly known as security in the long run zone within the third quarter — may’ve pulled the miracle.
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Alabama escapes a security after DeMarvion Overshown is penalized with a roughing the passer name on Bryce Younger.
As a substitute, it was nonetheless a loss, the seventh up to now 9 video games for Texas. However the feeling within the aftermath is not the acquainted aura of malaise. No, because the Gen Z children would say, Saturday felt like a real vibe shift.
Texas may’ve received with Ewers, who left the sport with a shoulder damage within the first half (or, maybe, as a result of he solely had sufficient quarters to feed the meter through halftime).
Texas may’ve received if its kicker hadn’t flubbed a 20-yard area aim.
Texas may’ve received if it merely wasn’t Texas, wasn’t the staff that had been on the mistaken facet of issues for thus lengthy that the universe merely could not enable such an enormous upset to happen so early within the season.
Largely although, Texas may’ve received if it had Bryce Young, who proved as soon as once more that he is the most effective participant in school soccer (and saved this weatherman a really embarrassing apology throughout Sunday’s climate report).
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Younger accounted for 68 yards on Alabama’s gotta-have-it 11-play landing drive with 8:29 to go, a cruel shredding of a Texas protection that had been dominant to that time. Then, after the Longhorns took a two-point lead with 1:29 play, Younger delivered once more, a Houdini-esque escape from a sack turning right into a 20-yard acquire that arrange the game-winning area aim.
“When his finest was wanted,” Saban stated after the sport, “he was actually good.”
Younger has finished this many times in his good profession, saving Alabama towards Florida and LSU and Auburn final 12 months, and once more Saturday, with one unflappable late drive after one other. A lot as we would need to flip our consideration elsewhere, he’s with out query school soccer’s finest participant.
However a lot of what we thought we knew about these two groups now appears far much less stable within the aftermath of Alabama’s 20-19 win.
How good is Texas? Ewers was shredding Alabama’s secondary earlier than struggling a shoulder damage within the first half, and Longhorns followers will spend the following few days — heck, perhaps the following few years — questioning what may’ve been if the previous five-star recruit had remained within the sport. The Texas protection dominated on the line of scrimmage, inhaling Alabama blockers and tormenting Younger all through, whereas the DBs gave the Tide nearly nothing downfield.
How critically ought to we contemplate Alabama’s struggles? Younger stays a famous person, and Will Anderson Jr. delivered with a game-saving sack when it was wanted probably the most. However a great chunk of the state of Texas already knew Invoice O’Brien wasn’t precisely a hall-of-fame play caller. The Alabama receivers supplied little assist, and the O-line was hardly the brick wall we might grown used to seeing from Saban’s groups through the years. Has Saban’s NIL cash from all these AFLAC commercials change into a distraction to the staff? (Observe: How has this not been a message board subject but?) It is simple to shrug off an Alabama setback as a result of earlier prognoses of Saban’s demise have resulted in utter embarrassment for all of the dime retailer Miss Cleos who predicted it. And but, we have seen this model of Alabama extra up to now 12 months — typically towards lesser groups — than we have seen all through the majority of Saban’s elite profession.
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Are we dwelling in a pc simulation? The truth that a red-haired kicker named Bert Auburn almost sealed a Texas win over the Tide would lead us to imagine that, sure, we’re. No means that occurs until we’re within the Matrix.
That is really becoming as a result of, for a lot of the previous 12 years, the one case to be made for Texas’ return to nationwide prominence required a little bit of theoretical physics and a wholesome creativeness. After Saturday, nonetheless, it isn’t so outlandish.
No, Texas is not again, however even a win Saturday would not have proved the Longhorns had reached some long-anticipated mountaintop. The journey again is strictly that — a journey. And what Saturday was, regardless of the ultimate rating, was a crucial and emphatic step in the precise path.
After a loss to Ohio State within the opener, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman insisted there was a silver lining: The Irish clearly had their QB in Tyler Buchner.
Buchner’s line in Saturday’s 26-21 loss to Marshall: 21-of-38 for 221 yards and two picks, together with one returned for a TD that each one however sealed the Thundering Herd’s beautiful upset late within the fourth quarter. The Irish are 0-2 to begin a season for the primary time since 2011.
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Marcus Freeman talks after Notre Dame falls to 0-2 to begin the 2022 season.
It is onerous guilty Buchner alone although. Khalan Laborn, a Florida State switch, ran for 163 yards for Marshall, probably the most the Irish have allowed to a again since 2016.
Or, maybe it is the AP voters’ fault for overrating Notre Dame (once more). In keeping with ESPN Stats and Data, the Irish are the primary staff to begin 0-2 whereas being ranked within the AP prime 10 for each video games for the reason that 1986 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Or, maybe it is Las Vegas’ fault. The Irish closed as a 20.5-point favourite, making this the third-largest upset of Notre Dame up to now 45 years — and the most important since falling to Air Pressure in 1996.
How is that this Brian Kelly’s fault, although? We have not figured that out but, however we’re positive he is concerned one way or the other.
Is it too quickly to begin speaking about Mike Elko as a coach of the 12 months candidate?
After profitable simply 5 video games within the earlier two seasons mixed, Elko has Duke at 2-0 after knocking off Northwestern 31-23. Jordan Waters scored twice on the bottom and Duke recovered a fumble in the long run zone with simply seconds left on the clock to safe the win.
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A glance forward on the Blue Devils’ schedule — FCS North Carolina A&T, Kansas, Virginia and Georgia Tech await subsequent — and there is a actual likelihood the ACC’s worst staff will go bowling in Elko’s first 12 months on the helm.
Or, maybe, it’s kind of of Duke’s patented early-season success.
Since 2017, the Blue Devils are 7-1 in Energy 5 nonconference video games in August and September — probably the most such wins by any Energy 5 staff. Their lone loss got here to Alabama in 2019. 5 of these wins got here as an underdog.
After the season’s opening month, nonetheless, issues have not gone fairly as effectively. Duke is simply 8-28 vs. Energy 5 groups in October, November and December in that stretch.
Betting Alabama to cowl the first-half unfold had been one of many most secure wagers within the sport. Since 2020, Saban’s staff is 21-7 towards the unfold within the first half of video games (and 11-4 ATS general in nonconference play).
Not surprisingly, the bettors at Caesars backed the Tide closely. The road opened with Alabama as 11.5-point favorites, however that quantity climbed all the best way to 14 as 95% of tickets backing the Tide.
As a substitute, the Tide went to halftime tied with Texas at 10 — a reminder that even Bryce Younger cannot outrun Vegas.
Northwestern was headed to a possible score-tying TD — and a canopy for bettors who took the over of 57 — as Evan Hull rumbled towards the tip zone with simply seconds left on the clock. However Hull fumbled on the 1, and Duke recovered in the long run zone to safe the 31-23 win — and the below, in painful vogue.
The Solar Belt spent Saturday making magic. First, it was Marshall (+950) knocking off No. 8 Notre Dame. Then it was Appalachian State (+750) toppling No. 6 Texas A&M. So, how a lot would a $100 parlay on these two groups have paid out? That’d be a cool $8,300. By no means doubt the Enjoyable Belt.