Steve Sarkisian ‘furious’ with officials over Texas A&M music

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Steve Sarkisian was furious with the officials during Saturday’s game between his Texas Longhorns and the rival Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

ABC/ESPN was broadcasting the game, and Holly Rowe reported during the third quarter that Sarkisian was upset. According to Rowe, the Texas coach felt the officials needed to step in to control the way the Aggies were utilizing music as a distraction.

“Steve Sarkisian is furious with the officials,” Rowe reported on TV. “Texas A&M keeps playing music during [Texas’] offensive series. It ran all the way to two seconds left on the play clock. His offense can’t hear anything. He’s trying to get the officials to enforce and stop the music earlier.”

That same possession, Quinn Ewers ended up throwing a pick-six to give the Aggies their first points of the game.

There was talk ahead of the game that A&M was going to have loud speakers lined at Kyle Field to enhance the noise from the school’s band to potentially bother Texas. They had experimented with the speakers in a game earlier this month and may have had plans to utilize it more on Saturday against their rivals.