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Texas Football: Five offensive players to watch vs. Alabama

Texas is welcoming No. 1 Alabama to town on Saturday in a highly anticipated Week 2 matchup.

The two historic programs have not met since the 2010 BCS National Championship game where Colt McCoy left the game with a shoulder injury. The Crimson Tide went on to win the game 37-21.

Alabama is the heavy favorite for the upcoming matchup on Sept. 10, but Texas is hoping to shock the world and prove that they can hang with the best team in the country.

The Longhorns will have to have near perfect performances from many young players on Saturday. Nick Saban will likely force Texas to beat them through the air, therefore Quinn Ewers will need time in the pocket and improve upon his downfield accuracy from last week. Texas’ young offensive line will also have their hands full with Will Anderson and Dallas Turner.

Here’s a look at five offensive players for Texas to keep an eye on this week.

Kelvin Banks, LT

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This is a no brainer. True freshman left tackle Kelvin Banks will have the toughest job of the game: slowing down Will Anderson and Alabama’s pass rush. If Texas is to have a shot in this game, Quinn Ewers needs to be kept upright.

Quinn Ewers, QB

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Texas likely had a vanilla gameplan for Louisiana Monroe, but it was somewhat concerning that Quinn Ewers had trouble finding receivers down field. The Longhorns will certainly need him to be a bit more accurate against Alabama in order to have a chance.

Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE

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Will Ja’Tavion Sanders pick up where he left off after leading the team in receiving last week? Steve Sarkisian could use him in a variety of ways to create mismatches.

Xavier Worthy, WR

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Texas has to find a way to get Xavier Worthy the ball, he only hauled in two catches for 24 yards in the season opener. The All-American also looks lethal as a punt returner and could make a major impact on the game in that category.

Jake Majors, C

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Texas center Jake Majors has had his fair share of struggles against big interior guys, and Alabama has just that.

Story originally appeared on Longhorns Wire