Steve Sarkisian built Texas for this moment. That was the narrative heading into the 2024 season. Of the 2 newcomers to the SEC, most believed Sarkisian had built Texas to such a level that it could walk in the door and be competitive in its new league.
Texas was picked to finish second in the preseason SEC media poll.
With a 17-7 win on Saturday night, Texas clinched its spot in the SEC Championship Game, where it will face Georgia with a chance to claim conference championships in consecutive seasons.
“Well, that was the goal coming into it,” Sarkisian told ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the field after the game. “It doesn’t matter what conference we’re in. Our goal is to be champions year in and year out. That’s the standard here at the University of Texas and that will never change.”
Texas had a 7-0 lead on the Aggies after the first quarter and then extended that lead with a dominant second quarter. In the second half, mistakes from the Longhorns kept A&M in the game for much too long. Texas turned it over in the red zone on back-to-back possessions in the third and then struggled to extend drives in the fourth.
But the defense rose to the moment and protected the lead.
A&M turned it over on downs at the Texas 4 with less than 5 minutes to play in a 10-point game, then fumbled on its final drive of the ballgame. The Aggies also turned it over on downs at the Texas 10 on their opening drive.
In total, A&M crossed the 50 on 7 of its 9 offensive possessions and failed to score a single offensive point.
The lone touchdown of the game for the Aggies came from a pick-6.
The crowd inside Kyle Field was electric to start the game. Texas scored on 3 straight possessions in the first and second, then buckled down to completely take control of the game.
“Our defense was fantastic all night,” Sarkisian said. “They really shut them out.”
Saturday’s game marked the first entry in the rivalry since 2011. Texas won that game by 2 points in College Station. With Saturday’s win, Texas now holds a 10-3 record against the Aggies since the start of the century.
The reward? A rematch with Georgia.
“Feels pretty good. The rivalry’s one thing, but an opportunity now to go compete for an SEC championship in our first year in the conference is pretty exciting,” Sarkisian said. “It’s going to be a heck of a challenge.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
