Steve Sarkisian fires back at fanbase after Texas loss, calls for support

Texas has reached a new low under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian. But that’s no excuse for Longhorns fans to jump ship, Sarkisian said after a 31-23 loss to West Virginia.

Texas’ latest loss, its sixth in a row, clinched a losing season for the Longhorns and spoiled Sarkisian’s chances of even making a bowl game. Sarkisian’s offense was abysmal against the West Virginia Mountaineers, who entered as a lowly four-win opponent, and the Longhorns managed to convert on just two of 10 third-down attempts. Texas’ offense mustered 355 total yards in a disappointing performance that saw Hudson Card go 10-for-16 with 123 passing yards and a touchdown, while Casey Thompson went 4-of-14 for 29 passing yards and an interception.

“I think the first thing [I’d say] to the fanbase is don’t think our players aren’t working hard and trying hard,” Sarkisian said after the latest loss. “Our guys are battling, they’re competing and I give them a lot of credit and I just told them that. Clearly, we’re not a finished product. This has been a journey that we’ve been on. This has been a difficult stretch that we’ve been on as a team and as a university and as a fanbase, but we’ve got a lot of Texas fight left in us. We’ll continue to battle, we’ll continue to compete.”

Perhaps “difficult stretch” is an understatement. Ever since blowing a double-digit lead to Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown, Texas has not won a game. In the process, Sarkisian made his mark in Texas record books as just a rookie head coach — and for all the wrong reasons.

“I think our future is very bright here,” Sarkisian said. “And I’m looking forward to the days when the ball game is done and we sing ‘The Eyes of Texas’ and not have to listen to their song.”

Sarkisian reaches new low for first time since Texas-Charlie Strong era

The wheels have fallen off, the horns are down and the first chapter of the Steven Sarkisian era at Texas has solidified its spot in program history — for all the wrong reasons.

Just one year ago, Texas fired former head coach Tom Herman after just four seasons at the helm; Herman amassed a 32-18 record with the Longhorns, finishing each season with a winning record and claiming four consecutive bowl-game victories. But it wasn’t enough by Texas’ standards, so the university paid both Herman’s $15 million buyout and his assistants’ $9 million buyout just to hire Sarkisian, under whom Texas reached a low.

After Saturday’s 31-23 loss to West Virginia, the Texas Longhorns suffered their sixth consecutive loss, a streak that came right after a promising 4-1 start to the season. Texas fell to 4-7 with the loss and has just one game remaining against Kansas State in Sarkisian’s rookie season.

The worst part: Texas spoiled its hopes of going bowling on Saturday, as the loss officially eliminated the Longhorns from bowl-game contention and clinched a losing record for the 2021 season. Neither have happened for Texas since 2016, the Charlie Strong era, and Sarkisian managed to do it in his first year at the helm.