All in the family: The messy history between Texas and Alabama

By Laken Litman
FOX Sports College Football Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — Unfortunately for Keondre Coburn, the Texas–Alabama game is here. 

The senior defensive lineman, who will be tasked with trying to make reigning Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young uncomfortable, joked this week that he remembers when the game was first announced his freshman year in 2018.

“I was like, ‘Oh, we get a chance to play Bama? Hopefully, I’ll be gone for that,’” Coburn said. “But I’m here and I’m excited for it.”

Despite the elite name brand recognition for both programs, Saturday’s matchup (noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) is being touted as David vs. Goliath. The Longhorns are very much an underdog at home as the Crimson Tide is a 20-point favorite. But the mood right now in Austin is optimistic and confident.

“To be honest, I love it,” Coburn said of what he views as Texas being underestimated. “I love this team. We have a chance to showcase what we’ve been doing since January. How hard we’ve been working every day. We constantly come in and work every morning, and we do what we’re supposed to do.” 

This is only the 10th all-time meeting between Texas and Alabama, but with so much shared history, it seems more like a family affair. 

This is also an important measuring stick game for Texas, a chance to prove it’s on the right path against a future SEC conference foe after so much suffering the past 12 years. 

Here are some of the most intriguing storylines ahead of Saturday’s contest between two teams with a complicated history: 

Steve Sarkisian vs. former boss and mentor Nick Saban 

This is probably everybody’s favorite storyline. Last year was the first time that Saban ever lost to a former assistant when Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M Aggies ripped the bandage off during the regular season. Then, in the national championship, Kirby Smart also pulled it off when Georgia beat Alabama for the title. Will Steve Sarkisian be next?

Saban gave Sarkisian a second chance after he was fired at USC in 2015, hiring him as an offensive analyst before the 2016 season. Lane Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at the time, but he parted ways with the program after the College Football Playoff semifinal, giving Sarkisian an opportunity to call plays in the national championship game.

Sarkisian was named Kiffin’s successor, but quickly left for the same job with the Atlanta Falcons. Two years later, Sarkisian was back at Alabama coaching Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith.

Sarkisian credits Saban for helping his path to Texas

RJ Young is joined by Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, who describes his relationship with Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

Sarkisian has said he wouldn’t be at Texas if it wasn’t for Saban, and earlier this week he discussed how valuable the experience was working for him at Alabama.

“I would say discipline,” Sarkisian said, answering a question on the most important thing he learned from the Bama coach. “And I’m not saying disciplining our players. I’m saying self-discipline. He’s a very regimented man. He knows his routine and stays disciplined in his routine.

“And then his expectation is that his staff and players will have that same disciplined approach off the field and on. And it starts with him. He practices what he preaches.”

Sarkisian said he could talk for hours about all the things he gleaned from Saban. He can also tell stories about what it’s like to be screamed at by him.

“Lane used to get it pretty good,” Sarkisian said. “I don’t mind saying that, he’s a friend of mine. There’s a couple [times] I definitely remember. I was in the press box looking down and there was a lot going on. I got it, too. I think that shaped us.

“Part of it is, if he’s yelling at you, you probably didn’t reach an expectation or a standard that he was expecting of you. And if you’re a guy like me, that’s what drives you. This man operates at a very high level, a very high standard. And when you can meet his expectations, man, you’re doing something right. And when you don’t, you’ve got to look in the mirror and say, ‘OK, how can I do it better next time so I don’t get put in that situation again?’

“I loved my time with him because the way he coached and the way he looked at things and the way he thought was exactly how I did.”

A 2009 national championship rematch 

The last time these programs met was in the 2009 national championship game. Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy was injured on Texas’ first drive, and Alabama went on to win, 37-21. It was Saban’s first title for the Tide.

Since then, the programs have gone in vastly different directions. Alabama became a powerhouse and won six national championships, while Texas has suffered five losing seasons and is on its fourth head coach.

Most of the players on both teams were too young to remember details from that game. Even Sarkisian said he doesn’t remember paying much attention to it. 

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