Steve Sarkisian reflects on first season at Texas, senior class

Steve Sarkisian has a lot to reflect on after his first season at Texas, including more losses than he would like.

Texas found itself ending the season with fewer than six wins, going 5-7 for the first time since 2016, Charlie Strong’s last year at the helm. Moreover, the Longhorns are not eligible for a bowl game for the first time since then. However, Texas was able to make amends — at least somewhat — in Friday’s 22-17 win over Kansas State. Sarkisian’s team battled back from a deficit, trailing 17-16 at halftime, by scoring two second-half field goals and holding Kansas State scoreless. In the process, the Longhorns broke a tumultuous six-game losing streak, during which Texas lost its AP Top 25 distinction.

Sarkisian reflected on the 2021 season in his postgame press conference on Friday, and he thinks his team learned a lot from the losses, despite not winning as much as they expected.

“There was an old deal on the wide world of sports — and I can’t remember the phrase exactly — but it had something to do with the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory,” Sarkisian said. “So, everybody loves the thrill of victory, right? It’s the life of a competitor. You get into this thing because you love it, and there’s nothing like winning. But there is also nothing like the agony of defeat. Sometimes you can learn a lot from defeat about character. Sometimes you can learn a lot in defeat about perseverance. But there is nothing like the thrill of victory.”

Texas’ losing streak saw the Longhorns blow some incredible leads, too. First, against Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown, Sarkisian watched Texas blow a 28-7 first-half deficit, the second-largest comeback in Oklahoma program history. Perhaps even worse is that Texas lost three-straight against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor in heartbreaking fashion, as the Longhorns blew a double-digit second-half lead in each contest.

Sarkisian said the seniors deserved that come-from-behind, losing streak-snapping win on Friday night, especially given all they’ve gone through.

“There’s been some tough Monday mornings when we’re recapping a ballgame,” Sarkisian said. “For them to have a moment — and for our seniors, a lasting moment that they can carry with them — they deserve it. As tough as it’s been over the last couple months, to have a last ballgame go like that for them and some veteran players make some plays in this game … that’s awesome.”

Texas was able to mount a comeback, building on a slow first-half performance with a strong defensive effort when it mattered most. Thanks to a couple second-half field goals from Cameron Dicker, Sarkisian finally snapped the skid.

“I do take that in, and it matters to me that they have that moment because they’ve been good to this university and they’ve been good to this program,” Sarkisian said.