Alabama OL says Crimson Tide took 'winning for granted' against Texas
It was an upset, without a doubt. A year after taking No. 1 Alabama to the wire but coming just short in a 20-19 loss, the Texas Longhorns righted their wrongs and scored a defining win over Nick Saban's team in Week 2.
No. 11 Texas beat No. 3 Alabama, 34-24, outscoring the Tide 21-7 in the fourth quarter. It was, frankly, a dominant win for Steve Sarkisian's team. So good that the Longhorns are now ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25.
It was a championship-worthy performance for Texas. For Alabama, the loss cast some serious concerns about the Tide's status as contenders in 2023.
Perhaps even more worrisome was the admission of offensive lineman Tyler Booker. At least according to his reading of the situation, Alabama seemingly came into the game underestimating the Longhorns.
“I feel like we just, we took winning for granted like we did last year,” Booker told The Next Round podcast “We beat Middle Tennessee and we just had to bring a different energy level and bring a different level of focus. There was energy and there was focus. But it just wasn’t where it needed to be.”
Saban's teams have been beaten before, and even in big spots. Heck, the Crimson Tide lost the national championship just two seasons ago to Georgia. Losing at Alabama is rare, but it happens.
What is rare if not unheard of, though, is a Saban team not being prepared for the moment.
He's one of the most demeaning coaches in all of sports and he never takes his foot off the gas — famously scowling and yelling at his players for not executing late in blowout wins.
If what Booker says is true, this would truly be a monumental loss for the Tide. It's one thing to lose to another good team, and let's be real, Texas is very good. It's something else altogether, though, to not have the energy and focus needed to play in a playoff-level game.
That's not Alabama football, so it's going to be interesting to see how the rest of this season shakes out.
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