The Longhorns hope preparation is key to avoiding a letdown against the Roadrunners.
For years, one of the biggest criticisms of the Texas Longhorns football team as a program was a lack of mental toughness. Texas was routinely one of the most talented teams in the country, but when faced with adversity they seemingly couldn’t handle the pressure and folded.
After Texas a penalty erased a touchdown on the opening drive against Michigan and Bert Auburn uncharacteristically missed a field goal, worries arose that the old mindsets were still prevalent. Those fears were squashed after the Longhorns’ defense forced the Wolverines to a three-and-out and the offense followed with an efficient touchdown drive. That level of mental toughness and bounce-back ability is vital for Texas as they prepare for the grind toward their goal of competing for the SEC and the College Football Playoff.
“I was really proud of our players for the poise and composure they played within the game. And I thought the first drive was kind of indicative of that,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. “Through all that, we never wavered. You know, we went and scored on four consecutive drives, and really outgain them almost nearly 300 yards. That, to me, was indicative of the poise and composure that we played in the game.”
The lopsided win against Michigan shows the new standard and level the program has reached in the last four years. In Sarkisian’s first season, Texas seemingly defined a “culture win” as gritting out a fifth win over Kansas State to close the season on a high note even as it missed a bowl game. Three years later, Texas went into one of the most historic venues in college football and served the home team a lopsided defeat while playing a less-than-perfect game.
For Sarkisian and his staff, the new culture has been set and wins like that exemplify the culture they have established in Austin.
“We try to hold ourselves to our standard. We have a saying around here, ‘The standard is the standard’ and a jersey, a helmet, and a stadium doesn’t dictate how we prepare; we dictate how we prepare,” Sarkisian said. “We are entitled to nothing. You know, we’re capable of anything. We’ve got a really good team, but we’re entitled to nothing. We’re going to earn everything we get. We’re going to have to earn the victory here.”
As Texas turns the page to UTSA a week removed from big upsets and Blue Blood struggles around the country, Sarkisian and his staff know that if they are unprepared the same thing can happen to them. Avoiding a letdown after the dominant, emotional win comes down to the day-by-day culture they’ve set and pouring themselves into the preparation the same way they would any week.
“We have a formula that we think works and there’s a style of play and a brand of football which we take a lot of pride in playing. When we get ourselves to that point, and then we go do it, the challenge for us is to go recreate it again the next week, regardless of the opponent,” Sarkisian said.
“The opponent is irrelevant if we prepare to the standard that we have created for ourselves. And like I tell the players all the time, I don’t hold them to a standard that I don’t think they’re capable of. They’ve shown me what they’re capable of. That’s the standard.”