Texas enters its College Football Playoff semifinal game against Ohio State as an underdog even though it will be playing in its home state, and Steve Sarkisian was happy to remind everyone of that during his first media availability of Cotton Bowl week.
In a Zoom call with reporters on Friday afternoon, Sarkisian said “nobody’s going to give us a shot” while imploring Texas fans to support the Longhorns in next week’s game as they prepare to face the Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium next Friday, Jan. 10 (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
During his 30-minute interview session on Friday, Sarkisian offered no shortage of praise for Ohio State as he lauded Ryan Day and Ohio State’s coaching staff, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and the Buckeyes’ receivers and pass rush.
We rounded up some of Sarkisian’s most notable quotes from his first media availability of Cotton Bowl week below.
“It's a heck of an opponent in Ohio State. The job that Coach Day has done with that team, their staff, they're playing really good football right now. We know it's going to be a heck of a challenge, but looking forward to the opportunity.”– Steve Sarkisian on Ohio State
Sarkisian said it stands out how confidently Ohio State is playing right now, noting Ohio State’s aggressive play calling but also “a really high level” of execution.
“I think we're going to be healthy and good to go by the time the game rolls around.”– Steve Sarkisian on the health of his team
This answer from Sarkisian came in response to a question about Longhorns receiver Isaiah Bond, who recorded zero catches in their Peach Bowl win over Arizona State after missing their first-round win over Clemson with an ankle injury. He has 33 catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns this season as the Longhorns’ third-leading receiver.
“We're at our best when we can run it, and that gives us balance. And so I'm hard-pressed not to just kind of walk away from it and abandon it.”– Steve Sarkisian on Texas’ rushing struggles
Texas ran for just 53 yards against Arizona State just two games after running for only 31 yards in its SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia. That prompted the question of whether the Longhorns should simply commit to their passing offense, which ranks 14th nationally with 278.5 passing yards per game, but Sarkisian – much like Ryan Day before the Michigan game – said he still thinks the running game is of substantial importance to his team.
“I need Longhorn Nation to show out in Arlington. 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. So we're going to need all that we can to try to win this game.”– Steve Sarkisian on Texas being an underdog in its home state
With Ohio State favored by 5.5 points to beat Texas, Sarkisian is feeding into the underdog mentality and imploring Texas fans to give the Longhorns a home-crowd advantage as they play in their home state, though he acknowledged that Ohio State fans “travel really, really well” and that it’s not a true home game since both schools get the same allotment of tickets.
“He's a much better athlete than people probably give him credit for ... He has good speed. He's got great poise and composure in the pocket. You can tell he's very bright.”– Steve Sarkisian on Will Howard
Sarkisian noted that Howard ran for a 71-yard touchdown against the Longhorns when he was Kansas State’s quarterback in 2021. Sarkisian also praising the Ohio State quarterback’s passing ability, saying “he throws passes where they need to be thrown, and guys make plays for him.”
“I just hope we're good enough to guard them. I mean, these guys are really good players. We'll find out.”– Steve Sarkisian on Ohio State’s wide receivers
Asked specifically about Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, Sarkisian said “they're both big, physical players” and “we're going to have a hard time guarding them.”
“They're ferocious up front. They've got a great pass rush. Big on the inside, big edge players that are very talented.”– Steve Sarkisian on Ohio State’s pass rush
Asked about Ohio State recording eight sacks against Oregon, Sarkisian said that’s one reason why Texas needs to have balance on offense against the Buckeyes because Ohio State’s pass rush will be able to tee off if it knows the Longhorns are going to pass.
