Looking back at previous battles between Steve Sarkisian and Dave Aranda

On Saturday, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Baylor’s Dave Aranda will match up for the third time as head coaches, but the two have a history that goes back over a decade and spans sea to shining sea.

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“Dave’s been doing it a long time at multiple stops: Utah State, Wisconsin, LSU, and now Baylor,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “And it’s definitely his defense. I know they’ve changed coordinators but it’s his defense. The reality is they’ve got the scheme, they’ve got really big bodies up front, they’re a physical front, they’re long, they do a good job with gap integrity and when they’re playing really good they don’t have to put an extra hat in the box to prevent the run. They can play the pass with their coverage units, whether that’s the five DBs depending on the formation, and trust that front to defend the run.

“Then, they’ve got a multitude of ways they can play their coverages to match your routes. So you add all that up, that bodes well from a good defensive standpoint, especially when you’re home and things can get harder on the offense from a communication standpoint.”

In addition to the 2021 matchup won by the Bears during their run to the Big 12 title and the 2022 regular season finale that featured the Longhorns running over Baylor to cement a 38-27 win, Sarkisian and Aranda have walked opposite sidelines on two other occasions with their respective sides of the ball battling on the field of play. One was when Aranda was defensive coordinator for Greg McMackin at Hawaii while Sarkisian was in his second season as Washington’s head coach. The other was a legendary battle in Tuscaloosa between LSU and Alabama, with Aranda coaching on Ed Orgeron‘s staff and Sarkisian calling the offense for Nick Saban.

Inside Texas takes a look back at the four previous matchups.

2011 – Washington vs. Hawaii

Steve Sarkisian: Washington head coach
Dave Aranda: Hawaii defensive coordinator

Result: Washington 40-32

Twenty-one first quarter points via a Chris Polk touchdown run and two Keith Price to Jermaine Kearse scoring connections paced Husky scoring in this one. It could have been 47-25 if not for a Richard Torres 99-yard pick-six for the Rainbow Warriors late in the second half.

Washington rushed 34 times for 151 yards, with Polk responsible for 22 carries, 107 yards, and his score. Price was 18-for-25 for 315 yards and four touchdowns over his one interception. Devin Aguilar hauled in five passes for 131 yards and one touchdown, while Austin Seferian-Jenkins had three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

2019 – Alabama vs. LSU

Steve Sarkisian: Alabama offensive coordinator
Dave Aranda: LSU defensive coordinator

Result: LSU 46-41

In a “game of the century” caliber matchup between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama, Aranda’s Tiger defense held the Crimson Tide to 20 points through the first three quarters while Joe Burrow led the LSU offense to 33 first-half points.

Sarkisian, calling an offense featuring Tua Tagovailoa, Najee Harris, Brian Robinson, DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Jaylen Waddle, mounted a furious comeback effort with 21 fourth-quarter points, but LSU held on to win and maintain its perfect record.

Alabama had 123 yards on the ground with one touchdown, while Tagovailoa was 21-for-40 for 418 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Tagovailoa would be lost for the year one week later and the Tide would finish 11-2 with a Citrus Bowl win over Michigan. LSU would go on to complete one of the most dominant seasons ever with a national title, and Aranda would leave Baton Rouge for Baylor after the end of the season.

2021 – Texas at Baylor

Steve Sarkisian: Texas head coach
Dave Aranda: Baylor head coach

Result: Baylor 31-24

The No. 25 Longhorns showed up in Waco to face the No. 16 Bears trying to snap a two-game losing streak after heartbreaking losses to No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 12 Oklahoma State, but would head back south on IH-35 with three straight losses.

Texas led 21-17 heading into the fourth quarter with touchdowns from Joshua Moore, Xavier Worthy, and Bijan Robinson, but the Longhorn offense would only muster a Cameron Dicker field goal in the final 15 minutes.

Casey Thompson was 23-of-38 for 280 yards and two touchdowns over one interception. Robinson was limited by Baylor to 17 carries for 43 yards and his score.

2022 – Texas vs. Baylor

Steve Sarkisian: Texas head coach
Dave Aranda: Baylor head coach

Result: Texas 38-27

After Quinn Ewers was extremely erratic to start the contest, Sarkisian elected to just run it, run it again, and run it some more. Texas ran the ball on 22 consecutive plays to close the game, with Robinson and Roschon Johnson recording the two needed scores. Robinson himself ran out the clock during his final appearance in a UT uniform.

Robinson and Johnson combined for 256 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. Ewers added the other rushing score, but also accounted for -48 rushing yards and eight points for the Bears via a fumble returned for a touchdown and a safety.

Worthy caught seven of Ewer’s 12 completions for 62 yards. No other Texas player caught more than two passes, though Ja’Tavion Sanders added 65 yards on two catches.

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So far, Sarkisian and Aranda have split all their matchups overseeing their sides of the football against each other. Whoever takes the contest on Saturday will take the lead in the series between the two, whether as coordinators or as head coaches.