Steve Sarkisian reveals Nick Saban reached out with encouraging message after loss to Georgia

Nick Saban watched two of his former assistants go head-to-head in Austin, with Steve Sarkisian taking on Kirby Smart. The Georgia headman emerged from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium as the winner, getting the Bulldogs back on the right track. It was the first loss on the season for Texas after starting 6-0.

Sarkisian is now preparing for Vanderbilt but did reveal Saban reached out following the Georgia loss. Alabama rarely went undefeated under Saban, losing a regular season game before going on to compete for the national championship or in the College Football Playoff. Saban reminded him of such, saying there should now be extra fire moving forward.

“Some of the best teams (Nick) ever had experienced a loss during the season,” Sarkisian said Thursday during his radio show. “Their backs were against the wall and they felt like they had something to prove.”

Of the 17 seasons Saban was in Tuscaloosa, just twice did he finish a year undefeated. Obviously, both resulted in winning national championships — his first (2009) and last (2020). The other four titles won with Alabama saw a regular season loss at some point.

With the new-look College Football Playoff, Texas may even have the luxury of losing one more and still getting in. Sarkisian certainly does not want to think that way, hoping to finish out the remaining schedule with five losses. Ultimately, the goal is to be the last team standing in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

But for now, the focus is going to Nashville and beating a ranked Vanderbilt team. Texas is looking for a bounceback after entering the Georgia game with high expectations but falling short in the first half. Some encouraging words from Saban will maybe give Sarkisian a new perspective on the season, still having goals to accomplish.