Steve Sarkisian: Nobody thought Texas would win against Missouri
Texas answered its doubters in emphatic fashion Saturday, defeating No. 18 Missouri 34-20 on the road. The result gave the No. 7 Longhorns another major victory and strengthened their position in the SEC race.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian said the team was fully aware of the skepticism surrounding the matchup. Despite attempts to block out the outside noise, he admitted that the doubts were impossible to miss during the trip to Missouri.
Many observers expected Texas to struggle at the line of scrimmage and believed Missouri would control the physical battle. Sarkisian said his players used those expectations as motivation rather than allowing them to become a distraction.
“Nobody believed we’d win the game,” Sarkisian said after the victory. “Nobody thought we were going to come here and win. Nobody thought we were tough enough up front. Everybody thought we’d get pushed around.”
Instead, Texas dictated the tone for much of the afternoon. The Longhorns entered the fourth quarter tied with Missouri, then pulled away by scoring 14 unanswered points in the final period.
Sarkisian pointed to toughness as a defining characteristic of the program, both mentally and physically. In his view, that identity became especially clear when the game was on the line.
“The DNA of this organization is mental and physical toughness,” he said. “I think that poured out of our pores today in this ballgame.”
The coach also described his squad as a group that thrives in high-profile matchups. The win marked Texas’ sixth consecutive victory over a ranked opponent, according to Sarkisian, while also giving the team its second ranked road win of the season.
Quarterback Arch Manning played a key role in the performance. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, helping Texas finish strongly against a Missouri team ranked inside the national top 20.
The Longhorns have now won three straight games and improved to 7-2 overall. Their 4-2 conference record keeps them in contention for a place in the SEC Championship Game.
Texas faces another difficult stretch to close the regular season. The Longhorns will travel to No. 14 LSU next week, host Arkansas afterward and finish with a road game against Texas A&M.
