It may be too early to call the Alabama dynasty finished, but the Crimson Tide have been showing cracks in the armor. Saturday's loss to the Texas Longhorns made them look wider than ever.
In the past, the Tide imposed their will on the opposition. During the loss against Texas, the Longhorns were the ones in control.
Nick Saban and his coaching staff have to answer questions about the preparation of their team, but winning and losing comes down to players making plays. Alabama's players didn't get the job done.
Alabama football player to blame for Texas loss: CB Terrion Arnold
When it comes down to it, defense wasn't the main reason Alabama lost the game. The defense played well in the first half and then broke down in the second. Tide turnovers put them in tough spots and resulted in 10 points.
Having said that, there were breakdowns on defense that will send Saban into a rage when he watches them back on tape. Terrion Arnold was at the scene of the crime far too often.
The couple of bright moments for the corner were eclipsed by the bad ones. Arnold committed two of the Tide's 10 penalties on the night. He got beat multiple times. He missed tackles.
When playing a quarterback like Quinn Ewers, the secondary has to be on top of their Ps and Qs. Having even one player off their game is incredibly costly.
Alabama football player to blame for Texas loss: C Seth McLaughlin
Alabama's offensive line got worked by the Texas defensive front. It's that simple.
Any of the offensive linemen who started could be highlighted here. Left tackle Kadyn Proctor had a rough night but he's a true freshman. The people who put him in position to start deserve more blame than he does.
Center Seth McLaughlin gets the dubious honor because he's a senior and he has no excuses.
McLaughlin's snapping throughout the game was laughable. His blocking wasn't good enough to make up for it.
The performance of the line as a whole made things that much more difficult for quarterback Jalen Milroe, who was running for his life too often. The QB was sacked five times. The rushing attack was stifled as well with just 3.1 yards per carry.
Offensive line play has set the tone for many a dominant Alabama offense. It was lacking on Saturday and the result followed. The Crimson Tide will face other stout defensive fronts this season. Getting the line sorted out has to be a priority because more losses are coming with more performances like that.
Alabama football player to blame for Texas loss: QB Jalen Milroe
Nick Saban never officially declared Jalen Milroe as the starting quarterback of the Crimson Tide. Even back in July, FanSided's John Buhler wondered if Saban's non-commital answers about Bryce Young's replacement were a bad sign for Alabama.
It's looking like that was the case, because Milroe's performance against Alabama certainly wasn't what Saban would have been looking for.
Milroe threw two costly interceptions, which resulted in 10 points for the Longhorns. Texas just happened to win the game by 10 points.
It was more than just the interceptions though. Milroe flat-out missed throws he needed to make, completing just 14-of-27 passes.
Yes, he threw two touchdowns, and one of those was an absolute beauty. He also rushed for 44 yards, but his legs were the best part of his game when the Crimson Tide needed an all-around performance.
The fact that Saban didn't replace Milroe with Ty Simpson or Tyler Buchner suggests he might not have lost the job just yet, but Alabama can't salvage the season without significant improvement at quarterback.
