Texas

No. 4 Alabama, No. 11 Texas meet in rematch of last year’s down-to-wire game

Published

10 months ago

September 4, 2023

No. 4 Alabama, No. 11 Texas meet in rematch of last year’s down-to-wire game

Texas gained credibility. Alabama showed vulnerability.

But that was last year’s game between the two traditional football powers and soon-to-be Southeastern Conference opponents. The 11th-ranked Longhorns and No. 4 Crimson Tide meet again Saturday night in Tuscaloosa sporting high rankings and even higher ambitions.

“It just presents a new challenge for us to see who we are as a program and test our culture,” Texas center Jake Majors said. “I think it’s going to be a really good game.”

The last one sure was, if not exactly a thing of beauty.

A penalty-plagued Alabama won last year in Austin 20-19 on Will Reichard’s field goal with 10 seconds left, vaulting the Longhorns into the Top 25 even in defeat. The preseason No. 1 Tide, meanwhile, was anything but dominant and would wind up losing two similarly close games.

The rematch could become a Top 10 showdown when the AP poll is released on Tuesday after both teams opened with easy wins. Nothing new for ’Bama under Nick Saban, who has won a record 100 games against ranked teams.

Tide players aren’t exactly contributing to the hype leading up to a game that is bringing ESPN’s GameDay to town, and that’s the way Saban & Co. like it.

“Ultimately, like I would say it’s just another game,” Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold said. “Obviously we’re keeping our poise. We have a great matchup in Texas. They’re a very great team. It’s going to be a great atmosphere but that’s why you come to Alabama.

“Every game is the same. No one is above anybody so we’re going to treat it just like another game.”

It might be just another SEC game once the Longhorns and Oklahoma start playing in the league next season.

For now, it’s a matchup of two tradition-rich programs that have only met 10 times so far, with Texas winning seven but losing the last two, including the 2009 national championship game. The Longhorns have won four AP national titles. Saban has led Alabama to six since taking over in 2007.

But Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns coach and Saban’s former offensive coordinator, knows they have to beat only one Alabama team at a time. Not all of them at once.

“We can’t get caught up thinking we’re going to go play all 17 teams coach Saban has had over the years,” Sarkisian said. “We’re playing the 2023 Alabama football team which is very good, very well coached. It’s going to be a great environment for college football.”

As Saban said multiple times on Monday, it’s a chance to answer the question: “Where are we as a team?”

Easy wins against Rice (Texas) and Middle Tennessee State (Alabama) were good ways to start, but not much in the way of measuring sticks.

This one should be much better in that regard.

A year ago, Alabama committed 15 penalties, a problem that would prove costly in losses to Tennessee (17 penalties) and LSU (92 yards in flags).

“I remember it being hot, cleats were melting,” Alabama’s Arnold said of last year’s game in Austin. “The atmosphere, the fans, they did a really great job of kind of making the atmosphere very shaky. We had a lot of penalties on defense.

“We have to do a better job of making practice tougher on ourselves. Ultimately it was a very difficult atmosphere so we need our fans to come in and make a difficult atmosphere for them too.”

Now, Texas is favored to win the Big 12 championship, according to Fanduel Sportsbook. A three-touchdown favorite last time around, Alabama is only favored by seven points now.

A close call wouldn’t be a so-called moral victory for the Longhorns this time.

“I’m not big on moral victories,” Sarkisian said. “But I do think for some of the guys on our team if was like ’ok, continue to believe. It’s going to work. It’s getting closer.’”

But have they arrived? A better answer comes Saturday night.

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AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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North Texas SC Defeats Real Monarchs 2-1 | North Texas SC

Published

1 hour ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

North Texas SC Defeats Real Monarchs 2-1 | North Texas SC

Herriman, Utah (June 30, 2024) – North Texas SC (8-1-5, 33 points) obtained its fifth road win of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season after defeating Real Monarchs (4-9-1, 14 points) 2-1 from Zions Bank Stadium. Second half goals from Enes Sali and Isaiah Parker sealed the comeback win for North Texas.

FIRST WIN IN THE GARBINI ERA
Interim head coach Michel Garbini earned his first win since being appointed interim head coach on June 11. Garbini made his North Texas SC interim head coach debut on June 22 in North Texas’ 3-3 draw versus Austin FC II.

NORTH TEXAS HEAT
With tonight’s 2-1 win over Real Monarchs on the road, North Texas SC is on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1). The team has scored 16 goals and conceded only six in the last six matches since starting the unbeaten run.

THREE IN A ROW
Forward Enes Sali scored his fifth goal of the season in the 63rd minute of the match via a penalty kick. Sali is the first North Texas SC player to score in three consecutive matches this season. Two of the three goals scored were away from home.

PARKER FLYING DOWN THE WING
FC Dallas 2022 SuperDraft Pick Isaiah Parker netted his first goal of the 2024 season. Parker’s last goal for North Texas was on September 3, 2022, against MNUFC2 in a 2-1 win. He became the eighth different goal scorer for North Texas SC this season.

JUNE RECORD
North Texas SC finished the month of June unbeaten with a 3-0-1 record. The three wins came on the road and the draw at home. North Texas holds an all-time record of 11-5-4 when playing in June since 2019.

UP NEXT: KICKING JULY OFF BY HOSTING THE TWOSIES
North Texas SC hosts MNUFC2 on Wednesday, July 3, at Choctaw Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:45PM CT and will be available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

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Reports: Texas A&M baseball hiring Washington head coach Jason Kelly as next pitching coach

Published

9 hours ago

June 30, 2024

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Reports: Texas A&M baseball hiring Washington head coach Jason Kelly as next pitching coach

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M baseball is set to hire Washington head coach Jason Kelly as its next pitching coach, as first reported by The Eagle.

Kelly’s hire comes hours after former pitching coach Michael Earley signed to become the Aggies’ head coach.

Other reports are out that A&M is targeting Texas pitching coach Caleb Longley to join the staff.

I would expect former @TexasBaseball assistant Caleb Longley to end up on Michael Earley’s staff at @AggieBaseball. Another spot is expected to be a Power 5 head coach.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 30, 2024
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Kelly spent the past two years as the head coach for the Huskies after seven seasons as the Huskies’ pitching coach.

In Kelly’s first season at the helm of the UW program, Washington had a 17-12 league record was good for third in the standings. The Huskies garnered a 35-20 overall record, earning the 12th NCAA Regional bid in program-history. The 35 wins were the second most by a first-year head coach for the Huskies.

Six players from Kelly’s inaugural UW squad were selected in the 2023 MLB Draft, the second time Washington has had at least five players drafted since 2014. Kiefer Lord, taken 86th overall by the Baltimore Orioles, became the highest-drafted Husky since 2015. Case Matter (Texas Rangers), Stu Flesland III (Colorado Rockies), Johnny Tincher (Cleveland Guardians), Will Simpson (Oakland Athletics) and Coby Morales (New York Yankees) also heard their names called.

In 2024, Washington had a 19-31-1 record and missed the postseason.

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Peyton Manning Reveals His Relationship with Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning

Published

16 hours ago

June 30, 2024

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Peyton Manning Reveals His Relationship with Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is set to begin the 2024 college football season as the backup to Quinn Ewers. More than likely, fans will have to wait until next season to see him in action.

Despite being a backup quarterback, Manning is one of the most popular names across the nation.

A lot of his popularity comes from him being the nephew of former NFL superstars Peyton and Eli Manning. However, he has also shown massive potential for the future.

Many fans are curious about just how much the young Manning works with his uncles. Peyton Manning, especially, is viewed as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play football.

In a recent quote during the Manning Pass Academy, Peyton opened up about his relationship with Arch.

“I’m well-documented on how proud we are of Arch. I try to be a resource to him. He and I worked out several weeks ago together.”

Clearly, Peyton has been a key mentor for the young quarterback. While he has been a mentor and a resource, he doesn’t seem to be taking a very active role in Arch’s development.

At this point in time, no one knows exactly what to expect from Manning’s future. Until he’s on the field and playing, no one knows if he will live up to the hype.

Even though he hasn’t played much as a college football player, he has found plenty of success.

His success has come off-the-field, in the form of the NIL market.

Right now, Manning ranks No. 3 among all NIL athletes. The only two athletes ahead of him are Shedeur Sanders and Livvy Dunne.

Currently, the young quarterback has received an NIL valuation of $2.8 million. That is an insane number for a player who has only thrown five passes as a college quarterback.

All of that being said, Manning is staying ready for an opportunity to play. He knows it likely won’t be this season, but he’s one injury or a slow start from Quinn Ewers away from possibly seeing playing time.

Expect to see the young quarterback continue racking up impressive NIL money. He has stayed the course and has handled his situation perfectly. A bright future awaits him with the Longhorns when his number is finally called.

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