Quinn Ewers led No. 11 Texas to a 34-24 victory over third-ranked Alabama.
gave themselves an early welcome to the Southeastern Conference. And perhaps a welcome back to national title contention.
It didn't come without a fight from the Crimson Tide , which has now seen three games slip away late in the past two seasons. Alabama had its 21-game home winning streak snapped along with a 57-game regular-season binge against nonconference teams dating to Nick Saban's debut season, 2007. Sarkisian came into the game 14-12 at Texas and with just two wins in nine tries against ranked teams. He left with a doozie of a win over his former boss. Texas fans lingered, sometimes breaking into chants of "SEC."
Alabama didn't grab its first lead until Milroe found Jermaine Burton - also a transfer from two-time defending national champion Georgia - in the left corner of the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left in the third quarter. That came after a fourth-down stop when Ewers couldn't control the snap under center.Ewers answered right back with a 50-yard pass and run to Sanders. Then he promptly hit Mitchell for his 7-yarder.