Texas football has a defense that’s thinking about a natty | Golden

DALLAS — Texas football blew the doors off Oklahoma two years ago, but Saturday’s 34-3 shellacking at the Cotton Bowl felt different.

The Horns haven’t arrived just yet but the expectations are so much larger than at any time during the Steve Sarkisian era.

Buoyed by the program’s stingiest defense in nearly 50 years, the top-ranked Longhorns feasted on a tasty Sooner morsel but they are after bigger game in 2024. A win over the Oklahoma Sooners is cause for celebration but the Horns, to a man, wore the look of a team that has history on its mind.

They want it all.

GOLDEN: Texas puts clamps on Red River rivals, stamps itself as the nation’s top team

Earning a Corny Dog

In many ways, this beatdown was even more impressive than the 49-0 win two seasons ago because the Horns spoke like a team that expected to hand Oklahoma hat and wear the Golden Hat back to the 512.

Speaking of morsels, coach Steve Sarkisian strode into the interview room with a State Fair staple held up to his mouth.

“I got my Corny Dog, y’all!” he bellowed to reporters.

So how was it?

“It’s amazing,” he answered.

But no way was it tastier than the victory he authored. That said, the postgame celebration, while joyous, didn’t have the visible outpouring we witnessed after the 2022 beatdown Texas administered — one season after they blew a 28-7 lead and lost 55-48 as OU freshman quarterback Caleb Williams introduced himself to the nation.

“Two years ago when we won the Golden Hat, you might have thought we won the Super Bowl,” Sarkisian said. “This year, was like, ‘OK, we got the Golden Hat back. Alright, let’s put it in the trophy case. Let’s keep going.’ So I think that’s the mentality of our team.”

Texas safety Michael Taaffe dons the Golden Hat as fans celebrate Saturday’s 34-3 win over Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl. The Horns…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-football-defense-thats-thinking-100744267.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-10-13 10:07:44

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.