The No. 5 Texas Longhorns head into a big matchup with No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores with the focus set on regrouping and bouncing back after an atrocious outing last weekend. The Horns fell off their top spot in the country and head coach Steve Sarkisian has made a clear statement on what this upcoming game means to the team.
The Longhorns’ loss to the Bulldogs was frustrating and deflating, but it is far from catastrophic for the program. In past years, a loss could mean the difference between a playoff berth and missing out. However, with the expanded College Football Playoff format, a single loss is not as decisive. Still, teams can’t afford to get too relaxed. Against Vanderbilt, Texas must play with a strong sense of urgency, while avoiding the urge to hit the panic button.
Ahead of the surprising Top-25 matchup with the Commodores, head coach Steve Sarkisian has made something clear on what this game symbolizes for the Longhorns.
“I just coached ’em like coach Sark always does. All they know is this is a top 25 matchup on the road with a sellout crowd,” Sarkisian said, via HornSports. “We know the challenge we’re faced with, what’s on tape, and what they look like. We don’t want to count our possessions in this game. We want to make our possessions count.”
Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns reacts during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
How Sarkisian’s Texas has fared after first loss of the season
Steve Sarkisian is currently coaching through his fourth NCAA season in ‘The Forty Acres’. Through his first three seasons, the team has finished 5-7, 8-5, and 12-2, in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. This is how the team bounced back after their first loss of the season in each year under Sarkisian:
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In 2021, the Longhorns undefeated season was short-lived, the Horns didn’t make it past the second week as they lost to Arkansas. However, the team bounced back with three consecutive wins after the early defeat, although the six-game losing streak that followed took away any progress.
In 2022, the Horns lost again in the second week of college football, though to No. 1 Alabama by a one score game, and bounced back with a win the following week. As for last season, Texas fell on the Red River Shootout to Oklahoma as their 5-0 start was snapped. Texas got back on track and went on a seven-game win streak to close out the regular season 12-1 and secure a spot in the CFP semifinal.
This time around, the Longhorns hope for a similar trend and showcase the team’s resiliency under Coach Sark. During his first years in Austin, the team has yet to lose the week following their first loss of the season. While many variables contribute to this pattern, it demonstrates that the program and its players don’t fold at the first sign of adversity.
