Texas Longhorns Coach Steve Sarkisian Cherishes Relationship With BYU's Kalani Sitake

Saturday isn't a homecoming game for the Texas Longhorns, but rather a "coming home" matchup against BYU.

The No. 7 Longhorns last played in front of fans at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Sept. 30 when Kansas rolled into town. After that came a heartbreaking weekend getaway to Dallas to take on No. 5 Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. Then came a bye week. And after that, a road trip to bring up old Southwest Conference memories in a 31-24 victory against Houston.

Sure, players are elated to play in front of their fans for the first time in nearly a month. They have something to play for in hopes of keeping their Big 12 title aspirations alive and well.

But Steve Sarkisian has something to coach against the Cougars, too. Bragging rights against his alma mater. And he'll do so against fellow BYU grad and head coach Kalani Sitake.

"My relationship with Kalani is one that I cherish,” Sarkisian said earlier this week. “We definitely talk and share ideas and thoughts and different things. This isn’t just since my time here (at Texas), this has been going on here for the last couple of decades.”

Sarkisian began his career at El Camino College in Alondra Park, Calif., before entering the transfer portal. Sitake, a four-year starter at fullback, hosted Sarkisian on a recruiting visit, thus building a nearly decade-long friendship.

The two coaches never played as teammates under legendary Cougars coach LaVell Edwards. Sitake served on a two-year mission in Oakland before returning to the program in 1997. Sarkisian would commit soon after his visit and become a staple of the Cougars' offense.

A two-year starter, Sarkisian is one of six quarterbacks in program history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a single season. In 1996, he led BYU to a 41-37 upset win over Texas A&M in the season opener and its first 14-win season, capped off with a 19-15 win over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl.

Sarkisian threw for 4,027 and 33 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while completing 68.8 percent of his pass attempts. BYU finished No. 5 in the AP Poll, its highest finish since winning the national championship in 1984.

“I jokingly said I would never have recruited myself as a player after watching the way I play,” Sarkisian said. “But you know, some great memories. I will say that we had a heck of a team my senior year and I had some awesome, awesome teammates and some great coaches.”

BYU (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) and Texas (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) have met five times, dating back to 2011. The Longhorns are 1-4 all-time against the Cougars, losing back-to-back matchups in 2013 and 2014.

Kickoff from Royal-Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.