Steve Sarkisian on College Football Playoff semifinal loss: 'The resiliency they showed in the second half is indicative of this team'

In the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Monday night, the Texas Longhorns came up just short, falling to the Washington Huskies 37-31. With a trip to the College Football Playoff title game on the line, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns could not find a way to overcome the Huskies’ high-octane offense led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

In a contest that came down to the very last play, finding the right words to say to your team after falling short could prove to be a daunting task. Unfortunately, Sarkisian had to do exactly that following the loss in New Orleans. The Longhorns head man, visibly emotional, revealed what he had to say to his team in the locker room following the game.

“Just how proud I was of them this season. You know, the way they fought there and the resiliency they showed in the second half and in the fourth quarter is just indicative of this team,” said Sarkisian.
“These guys are fighters and they’ve grown into that; it’s not what we were a few years ago. We’ve grown into it. And to give ourselves a chance the way that we did there late in the game, [I’m] really proud of them. With all the self-inflicted wounds that we had tonight, we lost to a good team that played well, but we gave ourselves a chance. We just we just came up short.”

Texas had multiple opportunities late in the game to tie with a touchdown and take the lead by converting the extra point. Unfortunately, the Washington defense locked in and prevented Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers from finding any rhythm in the red zone and connecting with one of his receivers for a score.

The season did not end the way Sarkisian and the Longhorns would have hoped. However, the program has plenty to hang its hat on. Since taking over as head coach following the 2020 season, Sarkisian has improved Texas’s record each season; going from 5-7 in his first year to 12-2 to finish off the 2023 campaign.

Coming up short in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup will be a tough pill for the Texas football program to swallow. However, if Sarkisian keeps the program on the trajectory that it currently is, it won’t be long until the Longhorns find themselves in a national championship game, ending it as champions of the college football world.