Tide knock out QB, but Texas puts up a fight

AUSTIN, Texas — Not since Santa Anna rolled up on San Antonio has a visitor excited as much anticipation and dread in a Texas town as Nick Saban and No. 1 Alabama did Saturday, leading to foregone conclusions of similar results in a game the Crimson Tide was favored by three touchdowns.

And as long as we’re talking ancient history and grievances, how about another Crimson Tide player knocking Texas’ quarterback out of the game?

The last time it happened, the Longhorns responded by losing a national title. The stakes were considerably lower Saturday, as they’ve been for Texas pretty much ever since the last time these two teams met in the Rose Bowl in 2010. But, in a 20-19 last-second loss before a record turnout of 105,213 at Royal-memorial Stadium.

“If that’s the best team in the country,” Steve Sarkisian said of the Crimson Tide, “we’re going to kind of feel pretty good about ourselves.”

Of course, a Longhorns coach can’t say any such thing, and Sark knows it. At Texas, you don’t get to claim moral victories, as a long line of predecessors will testify.

But, from here on out, if the Longhorns can muster a similar performance to the one displayed on a sun-splashed, suffocating afternoon, you’ve got to like their chances.

Frankly, I couldn’t tell you if Texas is back and wouldn’t even if Bryce Young hadn’t responded with a sack-ducking, Heisman moment run to set up Will Reichard’s 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left.

For most of Saturday’s game, you’d have had a hard time persuading the Alabama faithful that there wasn’t something mystical at work against a team that has been christened one of Saban’s best. It went out Saturday and committed 15 penalties, the most since Saban moved to Tuscaloosa. Imagine how it’ll play in the film room.

No, he wasn’t happy to escape with a win.

“We didn’t do any of the stuff the way we need to,” he said describing an effort in which they were outplayed nearly across the board.

Well, maybe there was one thing, at that. Going into Saturday, there was still a question about whether Quinn Ewers, the former Southlake Carroll star, was really all that. He didn’t blow anyone away with his performance in a 52-10 win over Louisiana-monroe. Tried three passes of 20 yards or more and didn’t complete any.

Then Ewers came out Saturday and looked like the best Texas quarterback since at least Colt Mccoy.

In the first quarter, when he hit

9 of 12 passes for 134 yards, Ewers outplayed the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, who finished 27 of 39 for 213 yards. On a play where Henry To’oto’o got so close Ewers could tell what the linebacker had for breakfast, Texas’ freshman quarterback calmly threw a first down. Then he executed a 46-yard rainbow to Xavier Worthy.

It would prove to be Ewers’ last hurrah. For the most part, the Longhorns’ young offensive line did an exemplary job keeping Alabama’s vaunted pass rush off its quarterbacks, even if Will Anderson drove Texas tackles like they were Hyundais.

But seconds after the big play to Worthy, someone turned Anderson loose, and the result was a game-turning, seemingly season-crushing hit by Dallas Turner.

The immediate diagnosis: sprained clavicle. Ewers went to the locker room with a towel over his mullet and didn’t return.

As it turned out, Hudson Card, who completed 14 of 22 for 158 yards, had Ewers’ back. Also a bum right ankle. He never considered coming out, and no one asked.

“Obviously our culture has gotten a lot better,” Card said. “And, you know, I think this will almost make it better.”