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The last day of the year is when many people take time to reflect on their lives. Most people find themselves thinking about the highs and lows. Ultimately, that reflection leads many people to appreciate where they are on December 31 and look forward to the good things that await when the clock strikes midnight and January 1 is upon us.
As we sit here on December 31, 2023, your Texas Longhorns are one day away from playing against Washington in the college football playoffs. Texas capped off its final season in the Big 12 by winning its first conference title since 2009. The Longhorns are making their first college football playoff appearance. Texas is one victory away from the national championship game. You have not been able to reflect on a season that contained this much success in 14 years. You should smile tonight while singing Auld Lang Syne and reflecting on your Longhorns.
However, to fully appreciate this year’s success, you have to reflect on September 10, 2022.
That loss against Alabama.
No, this is not an effort to ruin your New Year’s Eve before your family does it for you.
Instead, that 20-19 loss is viewed as the turning point for this program by the players. Even though it was a loss, that was the moment Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian won the locker room.
September 10, 2022 has led Texas to January 1, 2024.
“After that, seeing that we were right there in the grasp of beating them,” Texas senior linebacker Jaylan Ford said. “It was the second game of the season, not really sure how good of a team you were. And then we went on to lose other games like Texas Tech and stuff like that.
“But, I think that game always kind of proved to me that we have enough talent to hang with the best of the best. It's just we need to buy into what our coaches are saying, and we just need to understand our identity as a team and start executing. That's kind of when I started believing and we saw a lot of success that year. And then going into the offseason, we knew how good we could be. I think we achieved it this year.”
Here is what I wrote after that loss:
“Nobody in sports likes to use the term “moral victories.” There is not a moral victories column in the standings. Sports are about wins and losses. Moral victories are reserved for youth sports at the YMCA or i9 Sports. Too many people roll their eyes when that term is uttered.
“Yet, I will argue that pointing out the positives after Texas narrowly lost to Alabama, the No.1 in the country, is not the exercise in futility that some sports fans claim it to be. Now, if you are Texas A&M looking for positives after an embarrassing home loss to Appalachian State, laughing while you walked away from the conversation would be an acceptable response. Allow me to pause this column for a moment.
“Okay, anybody who says there is nothing positive to highlight after seeing a team that struggled to win games last season nearly pull off a huge upset after Quinn Ewers was injured is either stubborn or willfully ignorant. Yes, a loss is a loss. And sometimes a narrow loss against the No.1 team in the country shows a program is taking a step in the right direction.
“Since the term moral victory is offensive to some, we can use other phrases – bright moments, reasons to be optimistic, my team doesn’t suck, etc. Use whatever term you feel comfortable with. Once we get past debating that phrase, everyone must admit this team looked damn good against Alabama on Saturday. We know if Texas can bottle that performance and unleash it throughout the next 10 games, it will be the sign of progress every Longhorn observer wants to see.
“Texas had a moment on Saturday.
“It is time to start the movement.”
I asked Sarkisian about that game on Sunday and he explained how that it was pivotal to their eventual success.
“Well, I think naturally -- and year one was a really difficult season in that we were -- we were trying to -- trying to turn the ship in the right direction,” Sarkisian said. “And we lost a couple really tough games against good teams. And we were struggling to kind of get our footing back in. You end the season 5-7, you're wondering is this the right path as a player. As a coach, I felt great about what we were doing. I knew it was going to be a process. So when year two came and we had a great offseason, I felt like we had a really good roster. And we played Bama earlier in the year with a very talented team, with Bryce Young and Will Anderson and that crew. To play them the way we played them, I think for the players it was an a-ha moment in that everything Coach is talking about, we actually are capable of.
“Now we have to put the final pieces together to really learn how to finish. That was a whole process. That took a whole other year to really get that done for us. But naturally, now, I think there is a level of belief in the fourth quarter of these games, when the games are tight, that we can find a way to win, that we're versatile enough to find a way to win in whatever phase, offense, defense, or special teams, to make that play in that critical moment. I do think there's something to be said for playing those types of games early in the season because it does give you -- it gives you a sense of a little bit of a bar of where you are at, where you need to improve, and what another one of the best teams in the country looks like and how you measured up against them early in the season.”
Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders echoed Ford and Sarkisian’s sentiments.
“That was a humbling loss,” Sanders said. “We needed to get back on the horse and just put the work in. We came back harder than ever, despite having gone 8-5 last year. All the summer workouts at 2 p.m., and 6 a.m. winter workouts, that all plays a part and our success today.”
Enjoy December 31, 2023.
Enjoy singing Auld Lang Syne tonight.
Enjoy your playoff game on Monday.
And remember how September 10, 2022, has led Texas to January 1, 2024.
“I mean, the buy-in process was gruesome, hard, dirty, gritty, muddy,” Texas offensive lineman Christian Jones said. “It’s never clean. You got to figure out who's with you and who's not with you, and that comes with pressure. Pressure makes diamonds and pressure burst pipes. So, we had a few people that went in different directions. Then we had the same group of people, a little bit smaller, who really bought into what coach Sark and his staff were really preaching. Just believing in him, understanding that he's been there before and that he really does care about you as an individual way before a player. It’s easy to back somebody like that. Super personable and he makes you believe that you can do anything.”
“Obviously, you do something a certain way for three years and then they basically came in and said the way that you’re lifting is wrong, the way you’re running is wrong, the way you’re practicing is wrong. Everything that you've done wrong, and this is right. So, of course, you're gonna be a little bit … But look at where we are now.”
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
I hear the farmers applauding
His first and last church recital
Time to fight (warning, it is pretty gross)
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers’ response when asked if Arch Manning has him on speed dial since becoming the No.2 quarterback: “Yeah, Arch is a great kid. And it's cool to be in the same quarterback room as him. His family has got a lot of history, especially in this state for sure. But he's learned a lot. He's grown a lot this whole year. It's cool to see his growth.”
2. Ewers’ response when asked about his relationship with Manning: “I guess we have to be buddies. We're roommates everywhere we go. He's awesome. He's cool. Cool to be around. Just like a humble guy. I can tell he really wants to be a good player in this country. So it's been cool to see his growth as well.”
3. T’Vondre Sweat’s response when asked if the Longhorns have the best defensive tackle tandem in the country: “I mean, like I said, without that guy (Byron Murphy II) and the other guys, I wouldn't be in this situation. I probably wouldn't even be doing media. You know what I'm saying? So just an honor to play along with those guys, and it's just amazing. You know what I mean? And, like I said, without those guys, we wouldn't even be in this situation. He probably wouldn't be up there. You know what I mean?”
4. Sweat on coming back to Texas in the future to help the program: “Yes, 100%. My major is youth and community service, so I'm going to be back. I'm a big guy that loves the kids. You know what I'm saying? So I'm always here to help any kids, no matter if it's here, other universities. It really don't matter. As long as I get to help, I really don't care where I'm at. But 100%, I'll be coming back to the University of Texas.”
5. This might be the most real thing you will hear about NIL
6. Washington co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell coach on Texas receiver Xavier Worthy: “Top-end speed. He might be one of the fastest guys, if not the fastest player that we've played against this season. Obviously, it's round two. We have seen most of these guys a year ago – almost exactly a year ago. And I think he's definitely improved his game. Really involved in their explosive plays. Doing a better job this year of running his route tree. And he's a threat any time he touches the ball.”
7. Morrell on Texas offensive coordinator describing the Huskies defense as an NFL-style most teams do not see: “Yeah, I would agree. Think about what we've had to defend this last season. Obviously, a lot of respect for the Pac-12 offenses. There's some incredible offensive systems that we've faced throughout the course of the year. And I think there's got to be a diversity in what you do schematically. There are so many good quarterbacks that we faced. Look at all the Heisman guys that are out on the West Coast this year.
“And if you show them the same picture, the same look, you're going to be in for a long day. So we've challenged our guys to be multiple in their approach, multiple in our looks, and multiple with every phase of what we do. And I think that's been a net benefit to us when some of the guys of the caliber – opposing quarterbacks that we've faced throughout the course of the season.”
8. Washington co-defensive coordinator William Inge on the difference between the 2023 Texas run game compared to last season: “ The run game, they're efficient and effective. I think the biggest thing that you know for them, their running backs, per se. No. 5, Bijan [Robinson] and those guys were not there. So they came with the next guys. But the biggest thing our guys did is we really pride ourselves on being able to be fundamentally sound and making sure we're executing our job at one time. We have 1 of 11 mission, every person doing your job exactly the way it's supposed to be done, when you're supposed to do it. So that's something we really set ourselves out to do on a day-to-day basis, in practice and games. So that's the core fabric of what we want to be able to do and continue to become.”
9. Washington defensive end Bralen Trice on the difference between the 2023 Texas offense compared to last season: “From my point of view, it just seems like they want it more; want it better than they did last season. Playing harder. Not really taking things for granted, I guess.”
10. Wrong answers only
Happy New Year
