Steve Sarkisian explains his commitment to avoiding doubt prior to Alabama game
There was never a doubt in Steve Sarkisian’s mind that his Texas Longhorns wouldn’t leave Alabama with a victory. If there was, his squad wouldn’t have pulled off one of the most impressive performances of the young season.
“I’ve been in that locker room, and that stadium — the mystique of Alabama — [most teams] are beat before the ball gets kicked off,” Sarkisian said after beating the Crimson Tide. “I had to make sure that our players understood that we were good enough to come in there and win. But the moment doubt creeps in, that’s when you start making mistakes that can get you beat.
“I wanted to be clear with our players that it’s not about we fear them. We respect them, but we were good enough to come in here and win if we played capable enough to do it and we played that style of football.”
The victory solidified the Longhorns as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender during the early season. They’ve got QB1 Quinn Ewers to thank for that.
Ewers finished the game with a 63% (24-38) completion percentage and 349 passing yards for the three touchdowns previously noted. His top targets — AD Mitchell, Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington — combined for 11 receptions, 197 yards and three touchdowns on during the victory as well.
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Overall, the Longhorns would finish the game compiling 454 total yards of offense against the Crimson Tide. On top of that, the 10 penalties Saban mentioned gave Texas an additional 90 yards. Two interceptions from Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe didn’t help their case, either.
Next up for Texas is a home stand against Wyoming for Week 3. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and will be aired on the Longhorn Network. Texas is a 29.5-point betting favorite, per Vegas Insider.
After that, Week 4 begins Texas’ final season of Big 12 Conference action before making the move to the SEC during July of 2024. They’ll begin with a road trip against an 0-2 Baylor team before returning home against Jalon Daniels and the Kansas Jayhawks.
They enjoy a BYE week before the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma on Oct. 7. Aside from a home game against No. 15 Kansas State on Nov. 4, there are no other ranked teams on the Longhorns’ schedule. A conference championship and more is becoming increasingly more likely, and their win on the road inside Bryant-Denny Stadium proves it.