Steve Sarkisian Praises Arch, Texas After ‘A Lot of S–t Talked’ Before OU Rivalry Win

Texas football enjoyed an emphatic 23-6 win over arch rival (and No. 6 ranked) Oklahoma 23-6 on Saturday afternoon.

Any victory for Texas in the Red River Rivalry should be a cherished one, but this was a huge win for the program after the Longhorns fell 29-21 last week to Florida, who was 1-3 going into the game.

To their credit, Texas shut out any outside noise, worked hard and got the job done, and head coach Steve Sarkisian was thrilled with the process and result.

Sarkisian talked about the team’s resiliency and response more broadly in his opening statement after the victory.

Texas began the season as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press preseason poll. However, that lasted only one week after Ohio State shut down the Texas offense en route to a 14-7 victory.

The Longhorns then rolled off three straight wins by a combined score of 120-17 over San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston.

The UTEP game did cause some concern, as Texas’ passing game didn’t really get going, with quarterback Arch Manning connecting on just 11-of-25 passes for 114 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Still, Texas was on a three-game win streak going into its first SEC game. However, Florida took control of that game early and never really relented, with the team out-gaining Texas 457-341 and possessing the ball for 34 minutes.

That loss knocked Texas out of the AP poll entirely, so it’s clear folks were negative on the Longhorns, especially after their high expectations.

To their credit, though, the Longhorns bounced back strong on Saturday in all three phases. The defense stepped up, intercepting starting quarterback John Mateer three times and holding the Sooners to just 48 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Texas’ offense played clean, efficient and turnover-free football. Manning went 21-of-27 for 166 yards and a touchdown, and running back Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 94 yards on 22 carries.

And then the special teams excelled courtesy of Ryan Niblett, who returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown to help give Texas a 20-6 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Texas will look to keep the positive momentum rolling on Saturday when the team visits Kentucky.

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