Steve Sarkisian reveals what it's like going against Pete Golding, whom he went against daily at Alabama

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian knows all too well how a Pete Golding defense operates. The two worked together at Alabama from 2019-20, where Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator and Golding the defensive coordinator.

With the Longhorns and Crimson Tide set to kick off against each other at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Austin, Sarkisian is looking forward to the opportunity to compete against a familiar face.

“First of all, Pete Golding’s a great coach,” Sarkisian said. “Dear friend of mine. It’s always fun to compete against friends. It’s like going down in the backyard and playing horse, 1-on-1 or shooting pool. Whatever it is. Petey’s a great competitor. Couple that with coach Saban and they’ve got some really good minds on the defensive side of the ball.”

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Saturday’s matchup will be a big test for the Texas offense, which many believe has potential to be one of the most explosive units in college football. The Alabama defense is also highly regarded and pitched a shutout in its season opener against Utah State this past weekend.

The Crimson Tide return linebacker Will Anderson, who has received some Heisman Trophy hype this offseason after leading the nation with 17.5 sacks in 2021. He isn’t the only player the Longhorns will have to worry about, though, as Alabama also has linebackers Dallas Turner and Henry To’oTo’o. That group will apply the pressure while senior safeties Jordan Battle and Demarcco Hellams look to hold down the secondary.

“I think one thing we have to be careful not doing is overanalyzing and overthinking it too much,” Sarkisian said. “It’s kind of like being a pitcher. Sometimes you’ve got to throw your best pitch and not throw your fourth or fifth pitch just because you think the guy’s gonna hit your best pitch. We’ve got to be mindful of that so we don’t try to overthink it and outsmart ourselves. We’ve got to throw our best pitches and see if it’s good enough.”

Texas is starting a redshirt freshman at quarterback in Quinn Ewers. The No. 1 quarterback in the 2021 class according to On3 Consensus, Ewers finished the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe 16-of-24 passing for 225 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Steve Sarkisian now hopes that Ewers can come through against what he knows firsthand is a tough Alabama defense led by Pete Golding.