Texas alum Emmanuel Acho defends Texas going to the SEC

In the middle of a loss at the hands of Arkansas, Texas football alum and current Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho took to Twitter to defend his team’s decision to join the SEC, of which Arkansas is a member.

To clarify any confusion. #Texas is going to the SEC because of money. Not to increase their chances of winning. #Texas may lose on the field, but will always win in the bank! 💰💰💰

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 12, 2021

“U better find the silver lining!” Acho responded to someone on Twitter shortly thereafter. “You can’t lose and be broke.”

When Texas and Oklahoma announced their intention to move from the Big 12 to the SEC, the discussion around Texas’ recent lack of success exploded. 

Since the end of the Mack Brown era in 2013, Texas is now 2-3 against the SEC. They are 2-5 against current conference foe Oklahoma who will accompany them in the move. In total, the Longhorns have won double-digit games just once since 2009, a 10-4 season in 2018.

However, to Acho’s point, the payout from joining the SEC is immense for Texas. Last year, Texas and Oklahoma received $34 million from the Big 12. The move to the SEC could yield a number in excess of $60 million. 

In four years at Texas, the former linebacker recorded 240 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He had a pair of interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles as well. Acho was a sixth round draft pick in 2012 and spent a few years in the NFL with the Browns, Eagles and Giants. 

Dismal performance in Sarkisian’s first road game

The No. 15 Longhorns fell to Arkansas by a final score of 40-21 in front of a record-breaking crowd. The Razorbacks ran for 333 yards and four touchdowns, and quarterback KJ Jefferson added 138 yards and a score through the air. 

After Texas put on an impressive 38-18 showing in a ranked matchup against Louisiana last week, new head coach Steve Sarkisian seemed to have the Longhorns trending up. This 19-point defeat signals Texas is still not where they want to be as a program. As Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel pointed out, former Texas head coach Tom Herman’s worst loss at Texas was by 17 points.

Sarkisian is known for being an offensive guru, but his offense was essentially non-existent on Saturday night in Fayetteville. Texas did not score in the second half, and two of their three touchdowns came when the game was basically unwinnable. They finished with 256 yards, and starting quarterback Hudson Card had just 61 yards before being replaced by Casey Thompson. 

Heisman candidate Bijan Robinson managed just 69 yards and a score on 19 carries, an average of 3.6 yards per carry. 

Texas hosts Rice next week before starting their nine-game conference schedule, one which includes games at TCU, Baylor, Iowa State and West Virginia plus the normal matchup in Dallas against Oklahoma.