Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Isaiah Bond (7) after winning the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian compared the emotions of the College Football Playoff to an NCAA March Madness basketball game.
One of his biggest takeaways from the comparison were that experience in the situation helps, and this time last year, Texas fell to the Washington Huskies in the semifinal game of the 2023 Playoff.
"I'd say from a coach's perspective, the more times we get in these moments, whether it's now
back-to-back years of being in the playoff, back-to-back years being in the Final Four, playing in a Big 12 Championship and winning it last year, competing in the SEC championship this year, going on the road a year ago to Alabama, going on the road this year to Michigan," Sarkisian said.
When the Horns walk in the stadium, the moment doesn't feel too big anymore.
"That's what experience gives you," Sarkisian said. "It gives you being on this stage, being in the arena and understanding what it's like to be in the arena so that you can focus on your play rather than all of the other stuff that's going on."
And last year's loss was a topic of conversation during today's game. At halftime, Sarkisian talked to his players about how they handled the second half of the Washington game and how to improve the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils.
"Sark told us at halftime, this was the point where we were at last year, and we didn't handle
business and just to be able to have another opportunity to go out there and go out there and handle business, that was a blessing to do that," Jahdae Barron said.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers also emphasized the importance of experience and how the team had grown in the past year.
And it worked. Texas kept its head up to the last second, even when the Sun Devils seemed to take over the game at the end. The Longhorns came out on top and are advancing to the Cotton Bowl, where they will face the winner of Oregon vs. Ohio State.
"You can't really coach or teach experience," Ewers said. "So just the amount of maturity and poise that we have in these games I think has definitely helped us over time."
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