"Bad things happen": Alabama's HC Nick Saban blames emotions for costly penalties and mistakes in shocking 24-34 loss to Texas

The Texas Longhorns stunned Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide with a 34-24 victory, handing them just their third double-digit regular season loss in the Nick Saban era and their first since Gus Malzahn led Auburn's rout of the Tide in 2017.

During their crushing Week 2 defeat on prime-time television, Alabama committed a number of mistakes, especially their 10 penalties that culminated into 90 yards and two touchdown plays for the Longhorns. Following the game, Saban spoke about his team's decision making which led to their loss.

"You got to focus on the task at hand, one play at a time. It's got to be very intentional. If you get emotional, then you make bad choices and decisions. Your brain doesn't work like it needs to. And bad things happen," Nick Saban said during his post-game presser.

Saban bluntly addressed his team's issues when asked about the mistakes committed by his team. He especially focused on the team's mental fortitude and dealing with emotions on the field, as many of the team's mistakes stemmed from lapses in mental focus and decision-making.

Can Nick Saban get Alabama's season back on track?

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Saturday's loss to Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns was a major blip on Nick Saban and Alabama's nearly unblemished record. For starters, the loss snapped the Tide's 21-game home winning streak in front of over 100,000 supporters at the sold-out Bryant Denny Stadium.

While Alabama will have to put this loss behind them and move on to their Week 3 matchup against the South Florida Bulls, they must pull up their socks if they hope to survive their grueling schedule. Following Saturday's game against USF, Saban and Crimson Tide will face a challenging slate with their matchups against No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels, followed by MS State and the Aggies.

Saban has a lengthy season ahead of him to correct Alabama's direction, failing which the Tide would have their worst season since 2010. The team's first priority will be to address their defensive shortcomings, which allowed the Longhorns to score 34 points while failing to get the offense off the field at the end of Saturday's game.

And, of course, let's not get started with Alabama's starting QB woes. Jalen Milroe's explosiveness has shone through in the first two games of the season, but his arm strength and accuracy consistently fell short on Saturday, failing to drive Tide's power-packed offense.

The time is now for Nick Saban and Alabama to fix their issues and get their season back on track.