When Alabama and Texas step onto the field in Austin on Saturday, history will be renewed between two of college football's historic programs.

It will also be the first time that Nick Saban will face Steve Sarkisian since leaving his staff to become the Longhorns' head coach in 2021. The Longhorns picked up a 52-10 against The University of Lousiana-Monroe in Week 1 and will look to continue its winning ways at home against the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday.

Here's everything Sarkisian said about Alabama during his press conference.

On Alabama's reputation and how to prepare for the Crimson Tide...

"Anytime you're on top, I think teams can sometimes be enamored with the opponent, whoever they are. I remember our days at USC in the 2000s we felt that a lot. We felt it here at Texas in the 2000s anytime (quarterback) Vince (Young) walked on the field, they probably felt that way. I think what Alabama has been able to do it can get that way. I think the best approach is to focus on what you need to do. At the end of the day, they're going to have 11 and we're going to have 11 and the ball is going to get snapped, the ball is probably going to get snapped upwards to 200 times, and how many times can we be right out of those 200 snaps. As you guys know, with (Alabama Head) Coach (Nick) Saban and myself, I have the utmost respect for him, not only as a man, but as a coach. He's tremendous at game planning. He's a very good schemer in all three phases – offense, defense, special teams – and he's a really good motivator. He does a nice job motivating his team and getting them ready to play. So for us, for me, the challenges, I can't worry about what he's doing in their locker room and in their team room. I have to shift my focus on making sure that we're game-planning really well and that we're scheming really well so that our guys are motivated to play and have the right mental intensity, not just on Saturday, but on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so that we've got good focus and that we can go perform."

On the mindset of the team...

"The biggest thing for us is to be enamored with us. I think one of the real challenges you can get caught up in is being worried about Alabama. You can get caught up in being worried about (ESPN College) GameDay being here. You can get caught up being worried about FOX (Big Noon Kickoff) being here. You can get caught up in all this stuff that really is irrelevant to our ability to play good football, so we need to be enamored with us, focused on us. Make sure that we're doing the things necessary for us to do our job really well. Like our psyches are good, anytime you win it always feels pretty good. But then we give them a dose of reality on Monday morning of the things that we need to improve upon. I don't doubt our players want to play well on Saturday. It's them understanding that to play well on Saturday, you need to have a really good Monday, then a really good Tuesday and then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so on and so forth. And I think they really understand it. As youthful as we are at some spots, I think we've got some really key veteran players that understand it and that have really bought into the messaging from us. I don't want to call it a challenge, but one of the components to that as a leader is making sure that permeates throughout our locker room and that the younger players can understand that too."

What problems do Alabama's front seven poses...

"I think a couple of things. No. 1 they are big, they're big, especially on the interior and they have a lot of people they can play on the interior. A lot of the time the run game gets pushed to the perimeter because they do a good job internally. On the edge, they have two really good players — really three really good players — when you start talking about Will Anderson, Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell. All three are very athletic, play with great effort, have great motors, and have the skillsets to win one-on-one pass rush opportunities. I think what they do on the back end helps what they do on the front end. They play very sticky in coverage, they really try to disrupt the timing of your route combinations, which allows the pass rush to ultimately affect the quarterback. I think we have a good plan and we're remaining creative to allow our players the best chance to have success."

On going against Pete Golding...

"First of all Pete Golding is a great coach. A dear friend of mine, it's always fun to compete against friends. It's like going to the backyard to play horse, play one-on-one, shooting pool, or whatever it is, and Petey is a great competitor. You couple that with coach Saban and they have some really good minds on the defensive side of the ball. I think one thing we have to be careful of not doing, is overanalyzing or overthinking it too much. It's kind of like being a pitcher, sometimes you have to throw your best pitch and not throw your fourth or fifth best pitch just because you think the guy is going to hit your best pitch. We have to be mindful of that and we don't try to overthink it and outsmart ourselves. We have to throw our best pitches and see if it's good enough."

On adjusting to the nuances of each other's playbooks...

"I'll be honest with you, this gameplan was done about three months ago, and I'm sure their gameplan was done about three months ago. I don't think either of us thought going into Week 1 we were going to see something new that was going to drastically change what we were going to do. We have a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do in this game and I'm pretty sure they have a good idea in this game about what they wanted to do in this game. Ultimately, adjustments, like in any game, are a huge component to that. I think w have to be very specific in what we're looking for that could force adjustments and then we have to have great communication. Like anything on game day, the people in the press box and us on the sidelines, that communication. Then the communication to the players from the sidelines to go and do that or in the locker room at halftime. I think it will be a big component to this game. There is definitely going to be some cat and mouse going on. As much as we say 'We're going to run our stuff and they're going to run their stuff," there's going to be some little tweaks of things that have to occur, but that's no different than any other game. The reality is with this one because of the history we have with one another, I think there has to be some real detailed things that we need to look for."

On what makes Bryce Young special...

"First of all, I love Bryce. He's an awesome kid, a great person with a great family, his mom and dad are really terrific people. Obviously had a special relationship with him throughout the recruiting process. I've known Bryce since he was literally in the sixth grade, so I'm proud of him and all that he has accomplished in his time at Alabama. He's a heck of a player. He has a natural instinct of passing the football. When I say that, he can feel things happen and has a natural understanding of route combinations based on coverages and he's willing to cut it loose. On top of that, he's very elusive. He was a former point guard in basketball and has a real feel and sense for things that are going on around him. He has an innate ability to move around the pocket, keep his eyes downfield and make throws from off-platform. A lot of the things we talk about with Quinn (Ewers), Bryce possesses those same characteristics. I think the thing that was different last week was that he was running. He ran the ball, when things broke down, he took off and ran which had not really been his MO, historically. I don't know how much of that is what he really wants to do or what they want him to do, but the reality of it is they put a lot on him. I don't mind saying this, they are a pass-first offense. They want to throw the ball, they want to put the ball in his hands and let him cut it loose. He's earned their trust to go do that and I think inevitably, Bryce is a very confident young man who kind of shoulders a lot of that and executes really well for them."

On what he learned from Saban while in Tuscaloosa...

"That's always a tough question because you hate to narrow a man like that down into one thing. I would say discipline — and I'm not saying disciplining of the players — I'm saying self-discipline. He's a very regimented man. He knows his routine. He stays disciplined in his routine, and his expectation is his staff and players are as disciplined in their approach on the field and off the field, but it starts with him. He practices what he preaches and there is a standard and expectation of what is expected of you, and how you go about your business. That's the biggest thing I would say, but man we could be up here for hours talking about things I learned from him and what he's done in that program. Not in just that program but in stops along the way, and what he has done for guys like myself, and what he's done for hundreds of thousands of players who have come through and played for him."

On where he was the last time Alabama and Texas played and what a game like this does for Texas' program...

"I don't know where I was. I'm not sure if I watched it. I assume I did, but I had no skin in the game. I'm guessing I watched it, but I had no skin in the game. I wasn't at Alabama, I wasn't at Texas, I was probably just a fan enjoying the game. If Colt (McCoy) was in the game, who knows what would have happened, I don't know but that's that. As far as this game goes, it's one game. It's a chance for us to get to do what we love to do. We only get 12 (opportunities) in the regular season every year to go play the game of football, for all of the hard work these guys put in leading up to it, and then they get a chance to go perform. We get a chance to do it at home in front of 100,000 unbelievable fans that I know will be here in great support. I want to make sure that we enjoy the experience, that's what this one means. I want to make sure our guys are confident enough because they prepared really well to take in the moment, then cut it loose and go play our style of football. Then after that, we will get ready for the next one; and then after that one, we will go get ready for BIG 12 play. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is that this game is going to define our program. It might, it might not, I'm not that concerned about it. I'm more concerned about the way we play the game. I've said it all along, my goal is to be in Dallas on Dec. 3. This game has no impact on that. It's an awesome opponent and I want to play really well, I want to make sure our guys play our style of football, our brand of football and do it the way I know we are capable of doing it. I'm sure they're saying the say thing in their locker room because we don't impact them going to the SEC Championship Game either. But it is an awesome opportunity with two good teams and two good coaching staffs in an unbelievable environment. It will be a great setting for college football."

On if he ever got screamed at like Lane Kiffin did...

"Lane used to get it pretty good. I don't mind saying that because Lane is a good friend of mine. There are a couple I vividly remember. I got it too and I think that shaped us. It's like players, we were just like 'Ok,' but part of it is if he's yelling at you, you probably didn't reach an expectation or a standard of what he was expecting from you. If you're a guy like me that's something that drives you. Ultimately, you know that this man operates at a very high standard and that when you can meet his expectations, you're doing something right. When you don't you kind of have 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, the way he looked at things and the way he thought, was exactly how I did. It felt very natural and comfortable being in that environment."