ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Steve Sarkisian, that old offensive genius, spent three-plus years preparing for this moment. Just don’t ever expect him to admit as much. The Texas coach didn’t get to the point of marching up and down the rows of the training table making sure his linemen got enough protein.
He didn’t have to.
They grow ’em big in Texas; just not this gnarly and mean — at least not lately. So when No. 3 Texas got done with a systematic 31-12 destruction of No. 10 Michigan on Saturday, the difference was about those three years since word leaked that Texas was joining the SEC and what Sark has done with them.
What has he done, exactly? He made sure his teams would match up in the trenches. Oh sure, Quinn Ewers has developed into a fine player worthy of Heisman contention, and Sark’s play-calling is what leads his resume. His offensive imagination is what got him the job.
But the one-time BYU quarterback is no fool. To get to the next level, Texas had to make an example of teams like Michigan.
On Saturday, the reigning national champions were humbled in their own (Big) House.
The bullies were bullied.
It came like an open-handed slap to the face in Ann Arbor’s late summer imitation of a fall afternoon. It came from Texas.
The result might have been the biggest message of the Sarkisian era. Walking into Bryant-Denny Stadium last season and beating Nick Saban and Alabama was huge, of course. But this was the explanation point to follow.
Not only is Texas back, but what they do can be sustained — with force, if needed
“I reminded the guys we’ve gone into Tuscaloosa and played and won,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve played in a Big 12 championship game. We’ve played in a College Football Playoff. None of the moments…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/this-is-who-we-are-texas-flashes-new-identity-as-longhorns-bully-perennial-bully-michigan-around-big-house/
Author : Dennis Dodd
Publish date : 2024-09-07 23:13:31
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
