Stars Aligning for Longhorns, Steve Sarkisian Ahead of BYU Rematch

Once upon a time, Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian quarterbacked the BYU Cougars to their most single-season wins in program history. Now he'll get to play his former team as a conference foe ahead of Texas' final year in the Big 12.

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian admitted during Big 12 Media Days in Arlington on Wednesday that the program's final year in the conference won't be awkward at all. Though the SEC talk will certainly be lingering over the Forty Acres, it's clear that the Longhorns are more motivated than ever to leave a lasting impression on some of their longtime rivals.

But while the Longhorns have their own team-wide goals, this season will mark a chance for Sarkisian to walk down memory lane when it comes to both the last couple of years in the Big 12 and his days as a college quarterback.

Texas will face off against the BYU Cougars this season, as Sarkisian will get a chance to beat his alma mater and the team he played two years at quarterback for during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. In '96, he led BYU to a 14-1 record, a WAC Championship and a win at the Cotton Bowl. This still remains the most wins in a season in program history.

This season's matchup with his old team will mark just the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools, as BYU had surprisingly dominated the series and holds a 4-1 record over Texas. Sarkisian of all people would know that it's a program that's been a bit underrated in the past.

"To me, BYU has been a national brand for decades, and going back to Coach (LaVell) Edwards and what he was able to do and some of the great teams and great programs and now to be in a Power Five situation in the Big 12, I’m happy for them," Sarkisian said. "I’m happy for BYU. I’m happy for their alumni and those players. I think it’s a great opportunity."

The most recent meeting between Texas and BYU came in 2014 when Taysom Hill and the Cougars marched into Austin and dominated Charlie Strong's Longhorns in a 41-7 blowout. The year before that, the Cougars handled Texas 40-21 in Mack Brown's final season as head coach.

Any similar results this season would likely send the whole state of Texas up in flames considering the high expectations. But the Longhorns and Sarkisian still aren't taking the Cougars lightly when they make their first trip to Austin as members of the Big 12 on Saturday, Oct. 28, which was evident by how relieved Sark is that his team doesn't have to travel to Provo, Utah.

"Then we get a chance to play them," he said. "I’m glad we don’t have to go to Provo. We get them in Austin. So that’ll be fun."

During Sarkisian's playing days for the Cougars, he went 528 of 789 passing for 7,464 yards, 53 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. 

And during that 14-win season, he was arguably one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He led the country in completion percentage (68.8) and passing efficiency rating (173.6) while finishing second in passing yards (4,027), completions (278) and tying for second in passing touchdowns (33).

This won't be the first time he's coached against BYU, as he already did that during his time with the Washington Huskies. But it seems that there's something more special about the meeting this time around, though the Longhorns will need to capture a win to make that notion official.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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