Why The Kentucky Wildcats Could be a Tougher Opponent For Texas Than People Think

With the help of a rowdy crowd in Dallas, the Texas Longhorns fought their way to a 23-6 victory in their Red River Rivalry matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

This win is one that could help redirect the trajectory of their season, but the road ahead remains long. The rigor of the SEC doesn’t allow for much time to celebrate big wins, and what matters more is what the Longhorns do next.

They are set to face the Kentucky Wildcats on the road this upcoming Saturday, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has addressed what has the potential to make this battle a tough one.

Sarkisian on Texas vs. Kentucky

Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian wears the Golden Hat after the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Wildcats are currently the lowest-ranked team in the SEC, but Sarkisian noted that road games in this conference can get complicated quickly.

"When you go on the road and you play at night in some of these environments, you had better buckle up,” he said in a media availability on Monday.

Texas and Kentucky will kick off their matchup in Lexington, Kentucky at 6 p.m. on Oct. 18, in a stadium that promises to be filled with more fans in blue than in burnt orange.

They were met with a similar environment in Gainesville, Florida, against the unranked Florida Gators in their opening week of conference play, and the result was a 29-21 loss for the Longhorns.

This season has been somewhat of an inconsistent one for the Longhorns, but they look to use the momentum from a decisive victory against the Sooners to propel them into this next matchup.

For the Wildcats, a home game against Texas serves as an opportunity to put themselves on the map in this conference. They are 0-3 against SEC opponents so far this season, losing to Ole Miss, South Carolina and Georgia.

That being said, Sarkisian mentioned how tight most of the teams within this conference are, regardless of rankings and records.

"That's this conference,” he said. “That wasn't the only game [Auburn vs. Georgia]. There were a ton of one-score games in our conference and probably a lot of games closer than the final score indicated."

Upsets occur nearly every week in the SEC, making it of the utmost importance that the Longhorns bring their best level of play to Lexington for this road game.

If all goes as planned, they will fly home with a conference record of 2-1 and more momentum for their next road matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.