Steve Sarkisian Tuning Out Noise of Texas Longhorns vs. Texas A&M Aggies Rivalry

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said that the team must prepare to play well in the tough environment that lies ahead at Kyle Field, just like it has every week.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian makes his way to compete against Kentucky Wildcats on a NCAA college football game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov 24, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Is it true that the Texas A&M Aggies are bringing a surplus of speakers into Kyle Field to make the stadium as unbearable as possible on Saturday against Texas? Absolutely. The Aggies are not one to take the Lonestar Showdown lightly.

But for Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, the noise surrounding the return of such a historic rivalry hasn't phased him, especially when there is so much at stake for the Longhorns.

"I definitely acknowledge it, and rivalries are great because of the build-up, right, and because of the excitement and all that. But at the end of the day, winning football games comes down to execution, comes down to playing with the right physicality, comes down to how you play in the critical moments, the special situations, as they present themselves, and I think you perform well in those situations through really good preparation," Sarkisian said during Monday's media availability. "So as much as we'll acknowledge the rivalry, as much as we'll acknowledge trying to play to get ourselves an SEC Championship game, we're going to come right back to today and do we need to do today to put forth a positive performance, and that's not new for us."

It was confirmed on Sunday that the winner of the Texas versus Texas A&M game would be sent to Atlanta to take on Georgia in the SEC Championship and ultimately secure their ticket to the College Football Playoffs.

Sarkisian has reiterated throughout the season that every game the Longhorns have played has been seen as an SEC Championship game, and senior defensive back Jahdae Barron said that this game is no different, despite the fact that the real thing is on the line.

"The game's not going to change. The yardage, the end zone, i's not going to change. They're going to wear their colors, we're going to wear our colors," Barron said. "We just have to go out there and put on a great game that the fans want to see."

The conversation of putting emotions to the side during other iconic rivalries, such as the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma and even the one tied to Arkansas, has been brought back into the light by Sarkisian now that another rivalry lies ahead. While Sarkisian has made it known that emotions cannot get in the way of the team's preparation and performance, senior offensive lineman Jake Majors mentioned that he's been looking forward to being able to represent such an iconic rivalry.

"For me, I'm just excited to probably be a part of it, because I think it's really cool to have rivalry to be a part of. I get to go out there and play, not only for me and my team, but also for the guys that came before me, so I think that's a true honor," Majors said.

The Longhorns and the Aggies kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday in College Station, and the game will be featured on ESPN's "College Gameday" pregame show.

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