Alabama 24, Texas 13, start of 4th quarter

We have a Garrett Gilbert sighting!

After a 1-for-10 performance in the first half, the backup quarterback on whose shoulders rest the hopes of Longhorn Nation came out firing late in the third quarter, connecting on a 44-yard touchdown with Jordan Shipley.

There is no reason that Alabama should not have already run away with this game by now. Texas is playing a true freshman at quarterback who clearly had no confidence when he was abruptly inserted to the lineup after Colt McCoy’s injury.

Instead, the Crimson Tide seemed to be satisfied with their 18-point lead and did not manage to threaten to score on any possessions in the third quarter.

After the late Texas touchdown, the Longhorns pulled a surprise onside kick and recovered. However, Gilbert had two passes dropped and Texas went three plays and out.

Alabama needs to regain some of the edge it played with in the first half, especially offensively. A few drives that chew precious minutes off the clock should be enough to hang on in a game where all the excitement was packed into the first half.