Alabama football will learn against Texas Longhorns what it couldn't vs Utah State | Goodbread
For the first time since hosting Kent State in 2011, Alabama football opened a season at home Saturday, so after a decade of empty silence at Bryant-Denny Stadium while the Crimson Tide forged its first victory at points all over the map, things felt a little different.
For players, a departure from neutral-site openers against marquee Power Five opponents; for fans, the advent of alcohol availability and cashless points of sale all over the stadium.
But the one status quo that held was what mattered most, at least for one night: The Crimson Tide looked its usual dominant self in routing Utah State 55-0 for its 21st consecutive season-opening win. There were walk-in touchdowns and suffocating defense and all the merry enthusiasm that naturally ties itself to the hip of 1-0 starts.
GOODBREADCollege football playoffs are expanding, but don't mistake inclusion for contention
SABAN'S 15Purchase The Tuscaloosa News' book chronicling Nick Saban's first 15 years as Alabama's coach
Simultaneously, as star quarterback Bryce Young was stringing together six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) in less than three quarters of action, another feel-good story was unfolding about 750 miles to the west in Austin, Texas. There, the Texas Longhorns gave their fans the very same warm feeling in trouncing Louisiana-Monroe 52-10 for a home-field hammering of their own.
Two savory sips from the victory cup, neither of which came with even a modicum of resistance from the opposition.
Wins like that can be intoxicating. They can be deceiving, as well.
Where is Alabama's weak point? If one exists, Utah State didn't prove capable of exposing it. As for Texas' Achilles heel, that remains shrouded as well, camouflaged by the hapless Warhawks in a game that was over by halftime. Coaching staffs in both locales will work tirelessly this week to find the cracks, but it's not an easy task when poring over film of a blowout.
Whatever holes can be punched in these two blueblood programs, they'll be laid bare for a national TV audience to see when the Crimson Tide travels to Austin in Week 2 for its first real test of the season.
And without mentioning Texas specifically, Alabama coach Nick Saban made reference to it.
"No disrespect to Utah State, their players played hard, they've got a good little team. We're going to play teams that are much more physical and aggressive and talented than what they are," Saban said. "So we're going to have to do things correctly, and it's going to be important to get guys to understand that."
Texas, ranked No. 18 in the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches poll, will welcome the Crimson Tide with a few familiar faces, starting with former UA offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, now in his second season at the Texas helm. A handful of transfers have left Alabama for Texas as well, although you'd have barely known it from their impact in UT's opener. The atmosphere at a tradition-rich venue like Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is worth a few points by itself, as long as the crowd has reason to make all the noise it can.
ESPN's "College GameDay" show will emanate from UT as well, as if any more hype is necessary.
"We know we're going to hostile environment, so we're going to learn all we can throughout the week. We'll study, we'll prepare, because we have a tremendous amount of respect for them," Young said. "We know it's going to take everything. We have to work hard throughout the week to put ourselves in the best circumstance to be successful."
A hostile environment, indeed.
And all the more so for the team that finds out it wasn't as good as its opener suggested.
Reach Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football will learn plenty against Texas Longhorns
