Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns Come Full Circle With Win Over Arkansas

The Texas Longhorns have come a long way in just a short amount of time.

Nov 16, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates after a score in the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Texas won 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Steve Sarkisian has made a lot of progress in his four seasons as the Texas Longhorns' head coach, and Saturday's win over the Arkansas Razorbacks is proof.

Think back to Sarkisian's first season in 2021, when the Longhorns, who just announced their future move to the SEC, paid their old rivals a visit in Fayetteville. The result was a disaster, as the Razorbacks ran hogwild for 333 yards in a 40-21 beatdown of the Longhorns. After this result against a team that had struggled for years at that point, many questioned how Texas would fare once it got to the SEC.

On Saturday, in the very same building, the story was entirely different. This time around, the Longhorns emerged with a 20-10 victory to improve to 9-1 in their first season in the SEC (5-1 in conference play). It wasn't pretty like many of the Longhorns' wins this season, but the important part is they got the job done.

"I think even the players are saying that," Sarkisian said postgame. "the guys that were here, you know, three years ago, are saying we're a different team. And I think it's pretty evident we are, you know, you know, there's a level of physicality you have to play with in this conference, and, you know, on the road, when you can play defense like that and minimize that explosive offense, and then when you can run the football when they know you have to run it, that's really effective offensive football, too.

The Longhorns are happy with where the progress they've made, but they know there's still plenty of room for improvement. Their inaugural SEC schedule has not been as difficult as many thought it would be, and the fact that their best win is a three-point victory over Vanderbilt has led to many questioning if they can go all the way. They've also had some close calls as of late, which Sarkisian would like to avoid if possible.

"I do think we're light years different from where we were and but the beauty of it is, I don't think anybody in that locker room is content, you know. I think they know there's more work to be done. We got to continue to try to improve in all three phases. But the versatility of this team, I think, is probably somewhere where we weren't three years ago, either we can win games different ways, and to win this style of the game, I think was important for us."

Barring a complete meltdown, the Longhorns will make the College Football Playoff for the second straight year in a few weeks. It remains to be seen what happens if/when they get there, but no matter what, Sarkisian has this program in a better place than it has been in a very long time.

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