Steve Sarkisian provides Texas injury update before Big 12 Championship

The Texas Longhorns are just one win away from finishing their final season in the Big 12 as kings of the conference. On Saturday, the 11-1 Longhorns will square off with the 9-3 Oklahoma State Cowboys in a matchup of top 25 ranked programs. A win for Texas on Saturday not only sees their 2023 campaign end as conference champions but firmly cements them in the College Football Playoff conversation.

Ahead of the Big 12 title game, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian provided an injury update. And according to the Longhorns headman, the team enters this monumental matchup in relatively good health.

“The only real injury update is Austin Jordan will not be able to go Saturday. Everybody else is pretty status quo from what I touched on Monday,” said Sarkisian.

A second year defensive back from Denton, TX, has played in all 12 of the Longhorns’ regular season contests this year. In fact, his absence from the Big 12 championship game will be Jordan’s first missed game of his collegiate career, as he played in all 13 games last season as a true freshman. Jordan is primarily used on the Longhorns’ special teams unit but has seen ample playing time and the secondary. This year, he has recorded four total tackles, one solo, and recorded his first career collegiate interception.

Sarkisian dismisses hope of facing Oklahoma in Big 12 Championship

Texas will face Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game, looking to win the conference title one last time before making the move to the SEC. Coach Steve Sarkisian was asked if he was a little dismayed that the matchup didn’t pit Texas against Oklahoma.

His answer was fairly frank.

“It didn’t matter. At this point, at this stage, we’ve been on this kick all year, we’ve been focused on what we need to do and being enamored with what we need to do,” Sarkisian said. “I think in a unique way it’s kind of fitting that we’re playing Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game knowing we didn’t get an opportunity to play each other in the regular season.”

Texas and Oklahoma played a scintillating game earlier this year that finished 34-30 in favor of the Sooners.

But while the Longhorns would have liked for the opportunity to avenge that loss, presumably, they’re perfectly content with a Big 12 title game against Oklahoma State, knowing a win could propel Texas into the College Football Playoff.

After all, there’s some good history between Texas and Oklahoma State too, even if it isn’t quite as recent.

“With us leaving the Big 12 and some of the great games and the matchups that have gone on over the years and historically, for us to be able to play in the Big 12 Championship Game is kind of fitting knowing we’re going to be playing OU every year moving forward,” Steve Sarkisian said.