Preview: #13 Texas At #5 Alabama

Credit: Joe Barker via Flickr

The 13th-ranked Texas Longhorns travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the 5th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in what looks to be an instant classic.

Broadcast Information in Alabama:

• Kickoff Saturday, September 9th at 7 pm EST on ESPN

• Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call

• Listen at Crimson Tide Sports Network and Longhorn Radio Network

What's at Stake?

Both teams come into this matchup with playoff aspirations and while a loss in this game doesn't necessarily eliminate either team from playoff contention, it certainly leaves little room for error as the season progresses. Texas comes into Tuscaloosa in hopes of avenging their loss to Alabama in Austin last year while showing the world that they are a title contender. Alabama also hopes to prove their doubters wrong by returning to championship form with a statement win at home.

Key Players

QB Jalen Milroe - Alabama

LB Dallas Turner - Alabama

QB Quinn Ewers - Texas

EDGE Ethan Burke - Texas

Key Matchups

The battle in the trenches will go a long way in deciding this matchup. While both Alabama and Texas boast strong defensive lines and pash rushing abilities, neither of their offensive lines looked particularly good this past weekend against lesser opponents. With defense being the strength of both teams at this point in the season, it will be interesting to see if either team can exploit their opponent's secondary and create some big plays in the passing game.

Prediction

Last year's matchup in Austin was a tight contest that came down to the wire and this year it will be no different. This game will come down to whichever team can do a better job protecting the quarterback and which quarterback ultimately plays better as a result. While this game will be close, Jalen Milroe's athleticism and ability to escape the pocket will lead Alabama to a victory by a score of 31-24. On the other hand, if Quinn Ewers can find the deep ball (which seemed to elude him this past Saturday) and get the ball to playmakers like Xavier Worthy, Texas very well could leave Tuscaloosa with the win.