Jeff Banks was trying to downplay his Texas Longhorns heading to Tuscaloosa this upcoming season for a matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In doing so, he might have added a little fuel to the fire.

“We’re just going to play another road game,” Banks said, according to Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods.com. “Just as hard in Kansas and Iowa State as it is going to be in Tuscaloosa. It’s just bigger and more people.”

The Week 2 matchup is set for Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. Last year’s game came down to the wire before Alabama got the win at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban spoke highly of the Longhorns during SEC Media Days last month. The Longhorns get a warm up against Rice in Week 1, while Nick Saban’s Tide faces Middle Tennessee.

“I think Texas has a lot of players back from last year’s team,” Saban said. “Obviously it was a really close, tough game last year when we played that game. I think they are doing an outstanding job of recruiting and developing the players on their team and it’s going to be a real challenging game, no doubt, because they have a lot of starters back and they have a lot of experience coming back and an experienced quarterback.”

Banks joined the Texas staff in 2021, after completing three seasons on Saban’s staff at Alabama. There he worked with now Texas coach Steve Sarkisian. In that time, the Crimson Tide posted a 38-3 record, playing for two national championships and winning it in 2020.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.