Steve Sarkisian didn’t waste much time after No. 7 Texas knocked off No.
18 Missouri on Saturday. He wanted everyone to know the Longhorns heard the doubt, and they used it.
After Texas’ 34-20 win, Sarkisian said the outside noise was impossible to miss.
“Our guys… they’re not naive to noise… I could hear the talk getting on the plane… when we got here. Nobody believed we’d win the game,” Sarkisian told reporters. “Nobody thought we were going to come here and win… everyone thought that we’d get pushed around.”
He doubled down on that point by framing the victory as a reflection of the program itself.
“The DNA of this organization is mental and physical toughness,” Sarkisian said. “I think that poured out of our pores today.”
Texas entered the matchup as a 2.5-point favorite at DraftKings, but the Longhorns were still not treated like a preseason national title threat in the same way as SEC heavyweights Georgia and Alabama. They also weren’t rolling in with the kind of quarterback buzz that comes with having back-to-back offseason No. 1 NFL Draft picks at the position, like Arch Manning.
Instead, Texas leaned on an unheralded senior quarterback, who delivered one of the biggest performances of the day. He threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, and he did it without superstar receiver Cam Coleman.
The win pushed Texas to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, and the Longhorns head back on the road next weekend for another tough test at No. 14 LSU.
The kickoff time for Texas-LSU has not been set yet, but the game will air on ABC. If Texas can win in Baton Rouge, a College Football Playoff berth could be within reach.
In Other News...
Missouri Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious With The SEC
Missouris latest frustration with the SEC came in the kind of moment that lingers long after the final whistle. During a recent football game, a replay review upheld a ruling that a Missouri forward fumble was recovered by the offense, a decision that kept a Texas drive alive and eventually led to a touchdown. Eli Drinkwitz addressed the officiating afterward, but he stopped short of directly blaming the officials, knowing how quickly that can turn into a fine.
The SEC later issued its own explanation, saying the replay crew did not have clear and obvious video evidence to overturn the call. Even with that clarification, the sequence only added to the sense of grievance around Missouri, where fans were left watching a pivotal possession swing on a review that the league says met the standard but many in Columbia will never view the same way. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Got A Ranking Snub At The Worst Time
Missouris stumble against Texas came with an extra sting on Sunday, when the Tigers fell out of the US LBM Coaches Poll altogether. A week after sitting at No. 19, they are now the second team outside the top 25, a reminder of how quickly one loss can change the national view of a team trying to stay in the SEC race.
The timing makes the drop feel even sharper with Georgia next on the schedule, a matchup that will give Missouri an immediate chance to change the conversation. For a team that had been climbing the rankings, the margin for error is suddenly much thinner, and the path back into the poll now runs straight through one of the toughest tests on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Let A Huge Opportunity Slip Away Against Texas
Missouri had a chance to turn a marquee matchup into a statement win, but Texas kept finding answers when the game tightened. Arch Manning threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead strike to Raleek Brown, and No. 10 Texas pulled away for a 34-20 victory over No. 19 Missouri in a game that featured multiple video reviews and the first meeting between the programs since 2017.
Austin Simmons did his part for Missouri with 252 passing yards and two touchdowns, but the Tigers could not match Texas late. The Longhorns made key defensive plays in the fourth quarter to close it out, leaving Missouri to wonder how much different the night might have looked if a few pivotal moments had gone the other way. [Read more 🡒]