After a wild week around the program, Steve Sarkisian made one thing clear Thursday morning: No. 1 Texas has to put the noise aside and handle its business against UTSA.
The Longhorns are coming off a stunning 20-point comeback over No. 1 Ohio State, but the conversation around the team has drifted well beyond the field.
Sarkisian dealt with questions tied to his interactions with ESPN’s Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge, Arch Manning’s remarks about an AI-generated video involving Sarkisian and Rowe, and defensive assistant coach Johnny Nansen’s arrest Wednesday night. Once he addressed those issues, Sarkisian turned back to the task in front of Texas.
“This has been a big week for us in that you have such an emotional, great win that we had last week against Ohio State. How do we recalibrate?
How do we refocus to put ourselves in position to continue to improve as a program?” Sarkisian said.
That reset, in his view, starts with the same football details he pointed to earlier in the week: protecting the ball, tightening up on third down and getting off to faster starts. Texas put itself in a hole against Ohio State by turning it over twice in its first five offensive plays before rallying from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Sarkisian also wants more of the roster to become dependable as the Longhorns move toward SEC play.
“We need more players to step up right now, and we need more guys that we can count on, that we can have trust in,” Sarkisian said. “That’s been a big point of emphasis for this week.”
UTSA arrives in Austin at 2-0 under Jeff Traylor, the former Texas assistant who has already given Sarkisian’s team two different looks during his tenure. Texas beat the Roadrunners 41-20 in 2022 and rolled to a 56-7 win in 2024.
Sarkisian knows what to expect.
“One thing I’ve learned about playing Coach Traylor and UTSA the previous two times: They’re going to play hard, they’re going to play tough, they’re going to play fast,” Sarkisian said. “They’re going to be aggressive with the play calls.
We’ve gotten onside kicks. We’ve gotten trick plays.
We’ve gotten numerous blitzes, so we’ve got to be on our toes.”
He also sees Saturday night as a chance to learn something about his own group. With an emotional win behind them and a week full of distractions still hanging over the program, Sarkisian said the outside world is already writing the script.
“The natural narrative is we’re going to have a let-down Saturday night,” Sarkisian said. “Well, what a great opportunity for us to send a message of what this team is made of, the type of leadership we have, the culture that we have.
Now, we need to go do that. It all sounds good, but we have to go do that Saturday night at 7 o’clock.”
Texas and UTSA kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
In Other News...
Steve Sarkisians Two ESPN Interviews Have Texas Fans Saying The Same Thing
Steve Sarkisian left Columbus with a marquee win and, for Texas fans, a couple of television moments that were almost as memorable for how they unfolded as for what was said. During the Longhorns comeback against Ohio State, ESPN caught Sarkisian in two awkward sideline spots, first at halftime with Laura Rutledge and then again after the game with Holly Rowe, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how chaotic a big road win can feel in real time.
The halftime interview never really got going because of technical issues, and Rutledge later clarified what went wrong while noting Sarkisian handled the delay patiently. The postgame exchange took a different turn, ending abruptly when Sarkisian shouted and headed off to celebrate with his team, leaving Rowe with a visibly different reaction and plenty of attention on the contrast between the two interviews. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Weighed In As Holly Rowe Faced A Heartbreaking Week
Holly Rowe had a painful week away from the football spotlight after announcing the death of her mother, Diane Buck Rowe-Gandre, and later sharing that the family held a private graveside service in her honor. Rowe described a tribute filled with personal touches, from released butterflies and purple colors to music and Dr. Pepper, offering a glimpse into how her family said goodbye while the college football world kept moving around her.
The timing only added to the unease around Texas after a viral AI-generated video depicted Steve Sarkisian slapping Rowe, coming on the heels of a real postgame moment when Sarkisian walked away from an interview with her. Arch Manning was asked about the controversy during a press conference and later apologized for his reaction, a reminder of how quickly an ugly online moment can spill into the wider conversation around the Longhorns. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Has A Coaching Issue Hanging Over UTSA Week
A fresh off-field issue landed on Texas this week when co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Johnny Nansen was arrested Wednesday evening on a misdemeanor DWI charge. Head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed the arrest and said the program is still gathering information while monitoring the situation, an unwelcome development as the Longhorns turn their attention to UTSA.
Nansen was not at practice after the arrest, and his status for the upcoming game remains unsettled. For a defense already in game-week preparation mode, the uncertainty adds another layer to a week that was supposed to be focused on cleanup and rhythm, not staffing questions on the sideline. [Read more 🡒]