Why Desmond Howard Isn’t Convinced Texas Football Is ‘Back’ After Win Vs. Alabama

Although Texas football beat Alabama on Saturday, ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard remains unconvinced the former is back with a vengeance.

Howard mentioned on ESPN’s “College Football Live” Texas football must prove its worth by beating the likes of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas Tech, per ON3’s Dan Morrison.

“I hate to disappoint you guys, I’m just not the knee-jerk reaction kind of guy. That was a big game for them. Hell of a win. But to say that they’re back? I’m not quite there yet,” Howard said.

“They’ve still got Oklahoma. I don’t know if people have been paying attention to the Sooners but they’ve been really scoring a lot of points lately with (quarterback Dillon) Gabriel. They’re a dangerous team. Texas Tech may be a team that can give them some problems. Kansas is playing great,” Howard added.

“Before I say they’re back, I need to see a lot more from them, but that was a signature win Saturday night,” Howard concluded.

Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian agreed with Desmond Howard’s assessment in the aftermath of his team’s 34-24 win this past weekend.

“We have a ton of respect for Alabama, and I know how well they’re coached. I know how hard they play. I think it just shows a lot about what they’re capable of. Like I said coming into this game, this game isn’t going to define our season. We have 10 regular-season games left,” Sarkisian quipped.

Sarkisian beating his former mentor Nick Saban and Alabama football is a great way to make a statement. In fact, it was Saban’s first double-digit loss at home since he coached LSU football 20 years ago.

Texas football improved in Steve Sarkisian’s second season at the helm. Expect that trend to continue in the 2023 NCAA campaign.