Steve Sarkisian on Texas' Dominance vs. Michigan: 'That's Who We Are Now'

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian went into detail about how his players step up to any challenge with a composure and poise, something he's been channeling since last year's win in Tuscaloosa.

Sep 7, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

There was 100,000 people wanting Texas to play bad, 100 people wanting Texas to play well.

Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian reminded his players of this comparison ahead of their matchup in Ann Arbor against Michigan on Saturday in order to prepare them for the heavy tension inside The Big House.

Playing the former national champions on their own turf in the largest college football stadium in the nation might have sounded daunting at first, but Texas took care of business against the Wolverines as if it was just another day at practice, handling Michigan in a 31-12 win in front of a sold-out crowd of 111,170 attendees.

During his post-game interview, Sarkisian alluded to the fact that despite the amount of pressure that was put on his guys going into Ann Arbor, their previous experience in high-stake situations has developed their mindset to be able to handle any challenge.

Sep 7, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

"We've gone into Tuscaloosa and played and won. We've played in a Big 12 Championship game, we've played in the College Football Playoff. None of the moments should feel too big for us anymore," Sarkisian said. "That's just what I commend them for in the locker room. This is who we are. This is how we know how to play."

With the win on Saturday, Texas snapped Michigan's 23-home-game win streak and solidified the Wolverines' first regular-season, non-conference home loss in 10 years. Combined with last season's victory over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the Longhorns have now gone two consecutive seasons with a double-digit win over a top-10 team on the road, the first time they've done so in program history.

To be able to do this, Sarkisian said his players have an exceptional amount of control that allows them to focus on their style of play and take the reins of the game. He said this characteristic has quickly become embedded into their culture and serves as a standard for playing at the University of Texas.

"There's nothing better than going on the road and when you have great composure and you can play that way because that's a way to kind of take over a game and you can start to eliminate a crowd, and then that fuels what we're doing," Sarkisian said.

"When we can go in with the right mentality and we can embrace the challenge, but also keep our mental intensity, but there's that fine line of not crossing over, still staying poised and composed, and I thought we were able to do that. But we've been doing that. That's something I want to impress upon our players. That's just who we are now."

Senior EDGE Barryn Sorrell gave the perfect example of how Sarkisian's mindset translates to his players, reiterating that the expectations that come with representing the burnt orange and white include being able to know who you are.

"I feel like we just showed that we're a dominant team and we're here to stay," Sorrell said after the Michigan game. "We're not just here for one year. This is what we do now."

The Longhorns will look to channel this perspective throughout the season and will use it to rally for a solid win against UTSA this weekend at home.