Steve Sarkisian heard all the noise ahead of Texas’ matchup Saturday against Oklahoma.
The No. 6 Sooners were an undefeated 5-0 entering this year’s Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. But Oklahoma did not look the part, as Texas cruised to a 23-6 win. After trailing 6-3 at the break, the Longhorns outscored the Sooners 20-0 in the second half.
The Texas head coach told reporters after the contest that the pregame trash talk helped fuel his squad to victory.
“There was a lot of s–t getting talked about our team, and I think they responded,” Sarkisian said during his postgame press conference.
Sarkisian also praised Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who bounced back from a brutal loss last week at the hands of Florida.
“Arch [Manning] took a lot of hits last week,” Sarkisian continued. “The biggest thing that impressed me this week about this game was he didn’t miss one rep of practice this week. He came back Monday, he was beat up, he was not 100%, but he took every rep. That’s the toughness that he had to have.”
Manning went 21/27 for 166 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma, thoroughly outplaying Sooners counterpart John Mateer. The Oklahoma QB went 20/38 for 202 yards and 3 interceptions. Manning made sure to taunt some Oklahoma supporters as they left the Cotton Bowl disappointed.
It’s been a roller coaster season for Manning. While Arch’s performance against the Sooners was a signature moment for him, it won’t erase the poor play that has had Texas fans boo him at different points in the year.
