'Nobody Gave Us a Chance': Sark Calls Out Doubters After Longhorns Nearly Upset Alabama

Sarkisian knew the country had its back turned to a potential Texas victory.

AUSTIN — The college football world didn't seem to have the slightest bit of confidence in the Texas Longhorns heading into Saturday's home bout with the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was fully aware of this headed into the game and made sure to call out the doubters after the loss. 

“Let’s just call it like it is. Nobody gave us a chance in this game,” Sarkisian said. “None of you, none of the national media, nobody gave us a chance … The perception was that we were supposed to walk out there and get blown out. So much for perception.”

Despite losing starting quarterback Quinn Ewers near the end of the first quarter, the Longhorns and backup signal-caller Hudson Card held strong and had a 19-17 lead with 1:29 remaining. 

But a loss is still a loss. And while it isn’t always the case, the final score was quite indicative of just how close Saturday’s game was. 

Sarkisian isn’t all for moral victories. He said a loss like this still stings. But having a group that knew it was capable of winning a game that it nearly did rings strongly in his assessment of Saturday’s events.

"I'm so proud of our team," Sarkisian said. “ … We believed in our locker room that we could go win this game and we played like a team ... that thought (we) were going to win the game." 

Despite the loss, the Longhorns have plenty of momentum headed into their third-straight home game to begin the season, as Texas welcomes the UTSA Roadrunners to Austin in Week 3.

The Sept. 17 kickoff is set for 7 p.m. C.T.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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