Steve Sarkisian Loved 'Intensity of Practice' From Texas Longhorns This Week

The Texas Longhorns brought the intensity during practice this week in preparation for the Houston Cougars.

AUSTIN, TX -- Heartbreaking losses can cause irreparable damage for some teams throughout the remainder of a season. 

We have seen it before with the Texas Longhorns, who, after blowing a 28-7 lead vs. the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021, went on to lose their next five games.

But after suffering another devastating last-second defeat to the Sooners this season, it appears that this Longhorns team is different, and they are more than ready to get back into the action. 

"I think it's great to be back in game week," Sarkisian said. "I think you could definitely feel it with the intensity of practice, the energy of practice, the competitiveness of practice. "They really brought it Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday."

Quinn Ewers Celebrates a Texas Longhorns touchdown / USA Today Sports

But why is this team different? For one thing, it is a much more mature team than the 2021 version. 

Gone are the bad eggs from the days of Bo Davis angry bus videos. In are leaders such as Quinn Ewers, Xavier Worthy, T'Vondre Sweat, Jaylan Ford, and more. 

According to Sark, it appears that it is paying dividends as well. 

"I do think there's a real level of maturity, and I think that's a great word to describe this football team," Sarkisian said. "We've got great leadership on this team across the board."

Now, this team heads to what should be a hostile environment in Houston against Donovan Smith - who similarly broke the Longhorns' hearts last season - and a Cougars team looking to play spoiler for the Big 12 title hopes of Texas fans everywhere. 

And according to Sarkisian, the Horns are ready to prove that they are title contenders.

"They're angry and they want to get back on the field," Sarkisian said. "They want to play. These guys feel like we're a good football team and we've got something to prove."