Lessons learned? Saban, now-No. 2 Alabama sure hope so

By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

A penalty-packed performance against Texas only cost Alabama the No. 1 ranking, not a loss. But a team that opened as the favorite to win the national championship hardly looked like a dominating force in the 20-19 victory in Austin, especially on offense. For the now second-ranked Crimson Tide’s coach Nick Saban, the positive takeaway is an abundance of lessons and an early demonstration that his team can handle adversity. But it’s hard to cover up a whopping 15 penalties and lack to this point of big plays from the wide receivers.