Tide fall to Longhorns

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The No. 3/3 Alabama football team dropped a 34-24 decision to No. 11/10 Texas Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Longhorns trailed by a field goal entering the fourth quarter of play but scored three touchdowns in less than a six-minute span to pull away for the victory.

The loss was Alabama’s first at home since Nov. 9, 2019 (lost 46-41 to then-No. 1 LSU), while it’s the first time since Nov. 17, 2007 that the Tide has lost a non-conference home game (lost 21-14 to Louisiana-Monroe). The defeat not only ended UA’s 21-game overall home-winning streak, but also snapped a streak of 43 consecutive home wins over non-conference opponents.

“We didn’t do very well,” Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban said after the game. “It’s the midterm and not the final. If we can learn from some of the mistakes that we made, coaches and players alike. We can all get better and have better opportunities to be successful in the future, so, everybody’s got two choices, you can either throw in the towel, quit and be mediocre, or you can fight, grind, and do the hard things you need to do to be successful.”

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe finished the night with 299 yards of combined offense, passing for 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air while also rushing for 44 yards on 15 carries. Kobe Prentice had five receptions for 68 yards while Jermaine Burton (2 receptions, 58 yards) and Amari Niblack (2 receptions, 45 yards) each found the back of the endzone.

“Honestly, look in the mirror and just improve as a team,” Milroe said after the game. “The offense, the defense, one team, one heartbeat. Like I said, it’s just gonna take all of us. Everyone, wanting to improve, wanting to get better, looking at some things to improve on. I just gotta do better. I gotta improve, I gotta protect the ball better, continue to lead, and just learn. Learn from it, grow from it, and just realize there’s more work to do.”

Defensively, the Tide was led by Caleb Downs and Trezman Marshall, who each finished with 10 tackles, while Deontae Lawson added eight tackles.

Texas’ Quinn Ewers led the offensive attack in the win, throwing for 349 yards on 24-of-38 passing and three touchdowns.

Notes

Alabama head coach Nick Saban lost for just the third time to non-conference opponents during the regular season and the first time falling to a non-conference foe since 2007 (lost 21-14 vs. Florida State [in Jacksonville] and 21-14 vs. Louisiana-Monroe)
With Saturday’s loss to the Longhorns, the Crimson Tide snapped a 57-game winning streak against non-conference foes in the regular season, including a 43-game winning streak at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Before tonight’s loss, Alabama’s 21-game home winning streak was the fourth-longest in Bryant-Denny Stadium history
Saban falls to 28-3 in 31 all-time matchups when facing one of his former assistants (1-1 vs. Steve Sarkisian)
With his three field goals on the night, placekicker Will Reichard now has 442 career points which moves him into 23rd on the NCAA’s all-time career
Reichard connected on a 51-yard field goal in the loss against Texas – the sixth career kick of 50 or more yards of his career moving him into second on the school’s list behind Van Tiffin’s seven (1983-86)

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