Five most important Texas players vs. Alabama

Football is a team game. That is not an arguable point. But within the team, there are players or positions that take on the utmost importance on a game-by-game basis. That is also a fact.

When Texas takes the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa Saturday night for a top 10 showdown against Alabama, some players do take on more importance than others. Bottom line.

Having been beating the drum since the summer that the game Saturday at Alabama is an offensive line game for Texas, my pick at No. 1 will not come as a surprise. Most fans will say that Quinn Ewers holds they keys to the success for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns Saturday night. But just a reminder, in a hostile environment with communication being at a premium pre-snap, someone has to snap the keys to Ewers and provide protection before before he can hold them.

Here are my five most important players for the Longhorns Saturday night against Alabama.

1. Jake Majors, center, 29 games played with 28 starts

It’s actually not Quinn Ewers that is the No. 1 key to success against Alabama. It’s the offensive line, and it starts with veteran center Jake Majors. Communication pre-snap will be at a premium and paramount Saturday night. The Texas players will not be able to hear at times, and that places a very tall task at the feet of Majors. If Texas has break downs pre-snap, the play at hand will have a very low probability to be positive. And Texas simply has to execute and play a sound game to win. After the snap, Majors also faces the task of playing with strength and power against the best over the ball players he will face this season. Alabama can roll three players out over the ball that can be impactful against Texas’ desire to run the ball between the tackles.

Make no mistake, the Texas offensive line has to play at a high level to walk out of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a victory. It begins with Majors, but he also has to have guards to the right and left of him that handle the atmosphere, task at hand and talent across the line of scrimmage. Texas simply has to pass protect at a high enough level to give the Texas passing game the chance to have success. And a pocket passing quarterback without time is not going to have the high probability for success.

2. Quinn Ewers, quarterback, 11 games played with 11 starts

This is the biggest, and toughest game to date for the second year starter. Ewers understands he has to play at a high level Saturday, and the Texas fans understand he has to play at a high level. The Texas offensive line holds the cards in so many ways, but Ewers also has to deliver at times when under duress. That’s not stepping into a deep ball with a free rusher bearing down on him. That’s not realistic. But the second year starter has to deliver under duress in the pocket in the short and intermediate game Saturday. That’s the crucial area for Ewers Saturday. He simply must play well in the pocket, climb the pocket when the line does their job and make good decisions with the ball. He does not have to play hero ball. Ewers has more playmakers around him this season. And Sarkisian and those playmakers have to do their job to help a quarterback out in a hostile environment. Make the correct play, make the correct read, work to the second progression and get the ball out. This is not a game where Ewers will have time to scan the entire field, or be asked to due to the talent across the line of scrimmage.

3. Jalen Catalon, safety, 21 games played with 16 starts

Catalon is one player that has a lot of SEC road game experience. He has played SEC road games at Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Missouri. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound instinctive safety can also handle a lot being put on his plate in a game. His role is going to paramount Saturday, if I’m correct in what I expect. Who will be the spy on Jalen Milroe? If I were a betting man based on not wanting to take Jaylan Ford out of coverage and have Anthony Hill play aggressive downhill, Catalon is a good pick. Texas will likely have two players play the role to give multiple looks, but Catalon would be the best chance to excel at it. But Catalon can also be more. His ability to make plays has to show up Saturday night. This is a game where Texas hopes they are in a position for their playmakers to have the opportunity to win the game. And when calling that roll, Catalon is in the top five.

4. Jaylan Ford, linebacker, 36 games played with 16 starts

Ford has a similar task as Jake Majors, albeit without as much pressure. Ford will have the task of making sure the Texas defense is line up correctly pre-snap. But he gets to do it without the stadium being so loud that he can’t communicate effectively. Ford will answer the call in that regard guys and gals. He just will. Ford is tremendous in coverage, and as good as one will see at the MIKE spot. But it will be playing the run that will be crucial Saturday. Alabama is going to truly test Texas in the run game. The Horns defensive line on the interior should hold up and take up three interior blockers for the most part, and that means Ford will the ability to play with some freedom. This is truly a “read the triangle” game for the Texas linebackers.

5. AD Mitchell, wide receiver, 22 games played with 16 starts

When listing the players on the Texas roster with the most big game experience, the list begins with Mitchell. The Georgia transfer has played in four college football playoff games, including celebrating on the field as a National Champion the last two seasons at Georgia. The 6-foot-3 junior has been a playmaker in his college career too. He has eight receptions for 126 yards and four touchdowns in four college football playoff games. That includes a touchdown reception in each game. The player for the Longhorns that has made the biggest plays in the most pressure packed situations is Mitchell. And that means the transfer has to come up big on the road in an environment the Texas team hasn’t faced under Sarkisian. The reason why the staff brought Mitchell to Texas is for games like the one in Tuscaloosa. Big play player that has delivered in big moments.

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