Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian Prepares for a Showdown Against Ohio State
As the anticipation builds for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on January 10, Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian has made a bold statement that has caught the attention of college football fans everywhere. In a recent press conference, Sarkisian declared that the Ohio State Buckeyes are “the best team in college football.” This sets the stage for what promises to be an electrifying matchup, with the Longhorns needing to deliver their best performance to stand a chance against the formidable Buckeyes.
“I need Longhorn Nation to show out in Arlington,” Sarkisian urged. “We’re going to need everything we’ve got to try to win this game. Clearly, we’re massive underdogs. Nobody’s going to give us a shot. … This is the best team in college football, and we’re going to have to make sure that we put our best forward to give ourselves a chance to win the game.”
While Oregon held the No. 1 spot in all six of this year’s College Football Playoff rankings, Ohio State was right behind them at No. 2 in the first four rankings. However, the Buckeyes have been on a roll, especially after their dominant 41-21 victory over the Ducks, where they led 34-0 in the second quarter. This momentum is something Sarkisian and his team are acutely aware of as they prepare for the game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Sarkisian highlighted the challenges posed by Ohio State’s offense, particularly their wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. “They’re both big physical players,” Sarkisian noted. “They have length, they have speed, they have playmaking ability on the ball. They have really big catch radiuses. They’ve got the scheme to go with it, with Coach [Chip] Kelly and Coach [Ryan] Day, and they’ve got a quarterback who delivers on the ball. So you add all that up, these guys are impactful players that are real issues and we’re going to have a hard time guarding ’em.”
Interestingly, both teams will be facing familiar quarterbacks. Texas’ Quinn Ewers spent his freshman year at Ohio State before transferring back to Austin, while Will Howard faced the Longhorns with Kansas State before transferring to Ohio State. Sarkisian recalled, “[Howard] snapped off about a 70-yard touchdown run against us a few years ago. So he has good speed, he’s got great poise and composure in the pocket. He throws passes where they need to be thrown and guys make plays for him.”
Ohio State coach Ryan Day also shared his thoughts on Ewers, reminiscing about the time he first saw Ewers’ potential. “Ewers was one of the first eighth-graders I ever offered after seeing his release in an Ohio State camp,” Day said. After C.J. Stroud emerged as the starter at OSU, Ewers transferred to Texas following Sarkisian being hired. “He’s had a great career at Texas and a lot of people here still have good relationships with him and think the world of him,” Day added.
Sarkisian praised Ewers’ growth since joining the Texas program, particularly his performance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, where he delivered two late touchdown passes to rally the Longhorns. “To watch him grow into the leader that he’s grown into for us, his ability to have the poise and composure he has, not only on the field, but off the field, to look into the face of adversity and come out on the other side of it time and time again,” Sarkisian said. “To be at his best when his best was needed, similar to the Peach Bowl there at the end of the game and in overtime, I think that’s all a seismic shift from a maturity standpoint, physically and mentally.”
As the last remaining SEC team in the playoff in their first year in the league, the Longhorns take immense pride in their journey. “I really believe this is a premier football conference in America because of the week-in, week-out task that it requires physically and mentally,” Sarkisian stated. “I know unfortunately for Georgia, they lost their starting quarterback in the SEC championship game, and I’m sure other teams in our conference had to endure things that can take their toll on your team, and that’s no excuse. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to navigate our ways through it, but to be here on this stage to be back in the final four wearing that SEC patch on our jersey, we’re going to do our best to represent it because this is a heck of a conference.”
- Texas Longhorns vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
- January 10, 2025
- AT&T Stadium, Arlington
- Key Players: Quinn Ewers, Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka
Originally Written by: David Wilson
