The college football Lone Star Showdown is about to commence for the first time in 13 years. The epic rivalry between the University of Texas and Texas A&M University is finally back. And just before the game began, Coach Steve Sarkisian of the Longhorns jokingly admitted that his team is “villain” of this year’s story.
‘These People Hate You,’ Sark Was Warned
During College GameDay, Sarkisian answered questions about the teams’ unique rivalry and the keys to the big game. The Longhorns are playing on the Aggies’ home turf, which is known for being a uniquely hyped and unnerving environment for the competition. At one point during his interview, he was jokingly warned that “these people hate you,” as some Aggie fans booed and hissed in the background.
“You need to embrace the hate,” Sarkisian said. “It needs to fuel you, and it’s okay to be the villain. We’re the villain in this movie this week.”
He also said he was glad the rivalry is back.
“In this era of college football of realignment, NIL, and expanding College Football Playoffs, and people talking about rivalries not happening anymore and conferences aren’t the same as they used to be, for us, this has been tremendous,” he said, noting that both the Texas A&M and Arkansas rivalries have returned.
“This one, more importantly than any, divides the state,” he added. “Houses are divided. All eyes are on the state of Texas today, that’s for sure.”
Sarkisian Is the Passing Leader Against Texas A&M
Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle revealed that Sarkisian has his own rivalry against Texas A&M. Zwerneman shared that Sarkisian is the “all-time single game passing leader” against the university, throwing 536 yards against A&M in 1996.
Sarkisian said in response to learning that he still held the record: “I didn’t know that was still true, but thanks for reminding me.”
A video showing highlights from the game can be watched below.
The game was the opener for the 1996 season, and it was a highlight of the season too, Austin American-Statesman reported.
BYU won 41-37 over Texas A&M.
Chad Lewis told the Statesman: “He was fearless in that moment. He came into that season with the proper amount of swagger. It wasn’t over the top. It was perfect. And because he had that moxie, he looked out there with the game on the line and said, ‘I’m going for it right now. We’re winning this thing.’ And that’s really inspiring. When a quarterback feels that way, everyone else rises up.”
The game is even more impressive when realizing that A&M’s defense at the time consisted of future NFL players Ed Jasper, Brandon Mitchell and Pat Williams.
Sarkisian said this season that one of the keys to his team’s formidable playing is culture.
“Culture is organic. It is not a sign up in your building. It’s not a t-shirt you wear. It’s not breaking the team down and saying ‘Culture on 3’…” he said.
The University of Texas vs. Texas A&M showdown begins at 6:30 p.m. Central/7:30 p.m. Eastern. The game is being played in College Station, Texas.
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