Steve Sarkisian's Road Record Should Give Texas Fans Confidence vs. Tennessee

After spending the first three weeks of the season, the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns will hit the road for the first big test of the season in hopes of keeping the undefeated record alive.

It won't be easy, though, as the Longhorns will face-off against the Tennessee Volunteers in one of the most hostile environments in college football for one of the most anticipated top-25 showdowns on the week four slate.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian had one of his best records on the road last year since taking over the program, but can the Longhorns continue that trend and keep the undefeated season alive after a visit to Neyland Stadium?

Winning on the Road Isn't Easy

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks across the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Sept. 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Since taking over the program in 2021, the Longhorns are 14-9 on the road under Sarkisian, and that number only includes true road games, not neutral site matchups. That also features a perfect 9-0 on the road in 2023 and 2024, two of the most successful seasons of his tenure.

The most recent 2025 season, however, paints a different picture. The Longhorns went 2-3, which is far from awful, but not to the standards the Longhorns typically hold themselves to. To make matters worse, the two road wins they did finish with, the program needed overtime heroics, to escape back to Austin with a win.

The inexplicable loss also came on the road, dropping the first conference game of the season to the Florida Gators last year. A program who had a lame-duck coach and any pulse of life, were able to defend their home field against the Longhorns.

While that isn't the exact same situation approaching the week four matchup between the Longhorns and the Volunteers, the affair being the first conference game of the season, does match up. This time though, the Longhorns got the win over the Buckeyes under their belt, and while it wasn't pretty, perhaps the monkey is off their back as well.

What is different this time, however, is this marks the first time in program history that Texas will have traveled to Neyland Stadium. The two teams haven't met in over 50 years, and there are generations of fans who have waited to make life miserable for the Longhorns in Knoxville.

Sarkisian has a loaded roster, and the best win in college football. Fixing the trend from last year is paramount to finding a way back into the College Football Playoff, and it all begins with a visit to a first time stadium.

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