Alabama football band seating aside, some Texas AC gamesmanship didn't add up | Goodbread
Sometimes, gamesmanship in college football lives in plain view, and it's rarely plainer than Alabama's decision to designate Texas' ticket allotment for Saturday's football game in the Bryant-Denny Stadium upper deck. It's a response in kind to Texas doing the same to UA's visitors in Austin last year, which resulted in UA's Million Dollar Band opting not to travel. Former Iowa coach Hayden Fry, in another fine example of home-field shenanigans, painted Iowa's visiting locker room pink in the belief that the color had a calming effect on opponents.
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Other times, pieces of legend and lore get mixed in with the truth, and it's just as much fun that way.
Legend and lore, after all, are elements of the sport's oxygen.
Into the latter category goes the narrative that the Crimson Tide, on a day that reached a high of 93 degrees in Austin last year, had no air conditioning in the visitor's locker room at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. While it's true that UA brought along portable air conditioning for the possibility, the visiting facility's a/c was indeed operational, per a UA source.
Of course, a visiting team wielding its own air conditioning would be a little odd, if there wasn't a preceding whiff of issues in that regard. In this case, former LSU coach Ed Orgeron had publicly complained about the temperature in Texas' visiting locker room three years earlier. A UT internal investigation turned up nothing nefarious after LSU's 45-38 win.
A Nick Saban team is nothing if not prepared, at home or otherwise.
And he should be. Because in college football, one never knows what unforeseen challenges might await the visitors.
Familiar Faces
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who coordinated Alabama's last national championship offense (2020), is far from the only Longhorns coach who has worked for or played for Saban. On that list is former Alabama LB Nico Johnson, who won three national championships with the Crimson Tide from 2009-2012.
"Nico's a great person, smart player, was very productive here as a player and has great character. I think he'd be a great coach," Saban said. "He's smart, he's bright, he's industrious, he's a hard worker, so I don't think there's any question about the fact that he would be an outstanding coach."
After Texas hired Sarkisian in January of 2021, he pulled tight ends/special teams coach Jeff Banks and offensive line coach Kyle Flood from Saban's Alabama staff, and also added A.J. Milwee, who had been an offensive analyst under Saban. Milwee was hired to be Arkansas State's offensive coordinator in December of 2020, but Sarkisian lured him away a few weeks later for a role coaching UT quarterbacks. Other Texas staffers familiar with Saban's program include defensive line coach Bo Davis, who had two stints in that role at Alabama, and Johnson.
Around the SEC
Texas A&M at Miami this week? There'll be plenty of seats for the 12th man, the 13th man, and the 14th man, too. And that's no indictment of the UM fan base, which deserves a home venue closer than 25 miles from campus. But until that happens, Hard Rock Stadium is wide open for visiting fans. … If you're into data on common opponents, this weekend offers the first inkling in the SEC. Missouri hosts Middle Tennessee State a week after Alabama blasted the Blue Raiders 56-7, and Georgia draws Ball State a week after Kentucky topped the Cardinals 44-14. … Goodspread SEC Pick of the Week: Ole Miss -7 at Tulane. Season: 1-0. All-time: 11-3.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23 and the Talkin' Tide podcast. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Goodbread: Band seating aside, the Texas AC gamesmanship didn't add up
