FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Steve Sarkisian strolled off the field as Razorback Stadium emptied, his usual police escort flanking him Saturday as Texas players trickled through a tunnel and into the visitors’ locker room.
Sarkisian flashed a “Horns Up” hand signal to Texas fans. There were no boos, no trash-talking from Arkansas fans. Truth be told, the Longhorns coach could have run laps around the field and not have been bothered after a 20-10 victory against Arkansas.
Three years ago, that wasn’t the case. Sarkisian needed all the protection he could get as he navigated his way to the locker room. Arkansas fans stormed the field to celebrate a 19-point trouncing of their hated rivals in a performance that showed the Horns, who allowed an ugly 333 yards rushing, were not ready for their impending move to the SEC, primarily because they were an absolute mess in the trenches.
“That was an eye-opening experience,” said Texas senior defensive tackle Alfred Collins.
Not Saturday, even if it did get a bit close late in the third quarter as the Hogs pulled within a field goal after 35 minutes of malaise.
“It’s pretty evident we are (better),” Sarkisian said. “There’s a level of physicality you have to play with in this conference.”
No. 3 Texas returned to Fayetteville looking the part of an SEC juggernaut, a team built on the foundational aspects that made Nick Saban’s teams seemingly invincible in the 2010s — a blueprint Sarkisian, a former Alabama assistant, has successfully tweaked and made his own in Austin. It wasn’t always pretty Saturday, particularly on offense as the Longhorns were held to only 315 yards, but the defense was elite with two turnovers and six sacks (four in the first half). The Hogs finished with only 231 yards and didn’t eclipse 70 yards until an impressive 12-play touchdown drive pulled them within 13-7 with 3:39 remaining in the third quarter.
It was then the naysayers briefly returned. Texas’ offense went three-and-out, and the Hogs marched down the field again to kick a 44-yard field goal. The stadium was buzzing. Quarterback Quinn Ewers was flushing his thoughts, and he delivered on the ensuing possession, delivering the game-defining touchdown on an eight-play drive.
“What I love about that drive is the ball touched a lot of different people’s hands on that drive, and that’s when we’re at our best,” Sarkisian said.
The question is whether Texas looks the part of a championship team. Their best win of the season is a one-possession game at Vanderbilt. The schedule hasn’t necessarily been daunting as many had expected before the season, but the Horns just win — and do so comfortably. They entered Saturday tied with Oregon for the most wins by 19-plus points this season (7). The double-digit loss to Georgia in October in Austin, however, serves as a black mark on the playoff résumé.
“It kinda was a little wake-up call for us and myself, for sure,” said Ewers, who hasn’t turned the ball over in two straight starts for the first time this year. “We understand what we need to do. That’s what good teams do.”
For the Horns, style points don’t necessarily matter, even against this schedule (56th nationally). As long as Ewers doesn’t turn the ball over and the defensive line continues to eat up quarterbacks in the backfield, they can go far — all the way to an SEC title and, perhaps, a national championship.
Saturday’s nip-tuck game that the Longhorns never trailed served as a reminder. Wins are precious in the SEC, especially in 2024. Every team in the 16-team conference has at least one loss.
“We look at Alabama, thinking all those years with coach Saban, they just went and blew everybody out,” said Sarkisian, who served as Saban’s offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. “You have to find a way to win the tough games, right? If not, that’s the difference between an 11-1 team and 8-4, right? … For us to find a way to win this one was good.”
The thing about Texas is its roster is better than most, and in the 12-team playoff era that’s good enough. “We’re light years different from where we were (against Arkansas in 2021),” Sarkisian said. “But the beauty of it is I don’t think anybody in that locker room is content.”
The Longhorns are loaded with playmakers. They’re frustratingly good. They can play with their food or devour it, and oftentimes they alternate between those options, providing teams just enough hope to believe they can compete. Ewers might not be a candidate for national awards, but he’s solid, even if he seems to give up too early on plays when the pocket collapses (he was sacked twice on Saturday).
The reality is that his biggest problem is on the sidelines, where the specter of backup Arch Manning, who was excellent in place of Ewers during his two-game absence with an abdominal injury, lingers as the stronger, more accurate downfield passer.
That doesn’t mean Ewers is somehow holding the Longhorns back from meeting championship expectations. When he needed to deliver against the Hogs, he did just that. As fans openly discussed playoff seeding and whether Texas can win the SEC, the Longhorns were instead fueled by the embarrassment of a road trip three years ago, which seniors on the team continually reminded younger teammates this week.
Moments before the Longhorns walked on the field for kickoff Saturday, defensive back Jahdae Barron turned to fellow senior Barryn Sorrell.
“2021,” he said, “just remember it.”
Barron certainly remembered. He picked off a pass — his fourth of the season — and had two tackles for a loss and one sack, cementing himself as a contender for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Sarkisian remembered. So did top assistant Jeff Banks. The two were downright giddy on the sideline when Ewers carried the ball on a rare zone read, lowering his shoulder to deliver a hit on a linebacker to pick up a first down and seal the win on fourth-and-2.
Instead of juking the defender, Ewers wanted to deliver some punishment and release “all the frustrations” he had earlier in the game.
“Try to put a little statement into it,” Ewers said. “That’s all.”
The moment was certainly not memorable for the casual audience watching at home on their couches, but it was important for Texas. One staffer on the sideline turned to Texas dignitaries and declared Ewers’ run as his “favorite play of the season.”
It might have been Sarkisian’s favorite play, too, because of what it meant. The season is still alive, all goals are within reach, and exacting revenge in a rivalry game is always sweet.
“Don’t let these moments go by without taking it in, because these are the memories that are going to last a lifetime, and they’re going to remember being in that locker room today, especially the guys that were here a few years ago, and what that felt like,” Sarkisian said. “So were we as coaches. We’re the same way. We had to walk off that field a few years ago, too, with thousands of people on the field running around us.”
So, for now, let the fans and playoff committee debate whether the Longhorns deserve their No. 3 spot in the rankings. Time will tell. It always does. In some instances, it takes three years to answer.
“I’m not one to shy away from that kind of stuff. We all know what our goals are for the season,” Sarkisian said. “We want to be in Atlanta in December, compete for an SEC championship, and we want to be playing Jan. 20. But I don’t have to belabor the point. I don’t have to talk about it all the time with our guys. They know.”
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