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Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has spent 21 of the last 24 years on a college football sideline.
He coached in the Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama. He led Washington in the Apple Cup against Washington State and the Border War against Oregon. He manned the headset several times for USC’s traditional rivalry game against Notre Dame. Before any of that, he played in the Holy War between BYU and Utah.
Asked where the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma ranks within that group, Sarkisian put it right at the top.
“I would argue this is the premier one to be part of,” Sarkisian said on a call with reporters Wednesday. “… I’ve been part of some great games, some great rivalries. This one is just so unique.”
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Sarkisian pointed toward the neutral setting of the game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas as something that differentiates it from other rivalries. That it’s played in October, and not toward the end of the season like many rivalry games, also makes it special, according to Sarkisian.
“The way the stadium is set up, the way the locker room is set up, there’s so much that goes into it,” he said. “Then you think about the history and tradition, the coaches, the players, the teams that have been involved in this game, the proximity for both schools to Dallas. … It just creates such an amazing environment that we really try to cherish and take in.”
When the Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) take on the Sooners (4-1, 1-1) on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC), Sarkisian will be trying to get back to .500 in the Red River Rivalry.
Since Sarkisian took charge of the Texas program, a blowout win for the Longhorns in 2022 has been bookended by a pair of one-score losses to the Sooners in 2021 and 2023.
Beyond retaining the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-texas-coach-steve-sarkisian-200737624.html
Author : Austin American-Statesman
Publish date : 2024-10-09 20:07:37
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