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'I Have The Utmost Respect For Him': Why Saturday Means More To Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian
Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is the master of manipulation and phrasing comments. So while he likely wasn’t looking to hit below the belt against one of his favorite assistants of all time, Saban made sure to let Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian feel his wrath entering Saturday.
“We’ve played several teams that kind of know us,” Saban told the local media in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. “But you act like we don’t know them.”
Without Saban, who knows if Sarkisian would be coaching at Texas? Who knows if he’d be coaching at all? Before joining the Crimson Tide’s staff in 2016, Sark was ready to head to the broadcast booth for gamedays.
Saban saw more in the former USC head coach. He saw a person in need of a second chance. And Sarkisian, less than a year after being fired by the then-USC athletic director Pat Haden for "not meeting USC's standards,” has never forgotten the kindness bestowed by the seven-time national champion coach.
Then again, he too is a competitor. He wants this win for the Longhorns (1-0) and their future more than for himself.
“For me, the challenge is, I can’t worry about what he’s doing in their locker room and in their team room,” Sarkisian said. “I got to shift my focus on making sure that we’re game-planning really well, that we’re scheming really well, that our guys are motivated to play and have the right mental intensity.”
Two years removed from helping Alabama win its 18th national title as the offensive coordinator, Sarkisian is looking to bring Texas "back." After a rocky 5-7 first year, things look stable thanks to an offseason of working the transfer portal in his favor and building a high-end recruiting class.
Texas will enter Saturday as a near three-touchdown underdog to the Crimson Tide. That shouldn’t be viewed as a knock on the future of the Longhorns but rather a testament to what Saban has built over 16 seasons.
According to early odds, Alabama will be favored by at least 10 points in every matchup this fall. And outside of fans of the city of Austin, the expectation is that Saban will pick up another win over a former assistant.
The master of college football has dominated his protégés since his time at LSU. Before last October, Saban held a 24-0 record against all former assistants. Everything changed when Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher pulled off the 41-38 upset in College Station.
Three months later, Saban fell short of surpassing Bear Bryant for the most titles in Alabama history by losing in the national championship game to Georgia and former defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.
What does all this mean? It’s possible to take down Saban — especially away from Bryant-Denny Stadium. Sarkisian likely knows a few tricks to keep Texas fighting early. He also probably pocketed a few lessons learned during his three seasons on the staff with him to the Forty Acres.
“He’s tremendous at game-planning,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a very good schemer in all three phases. And he’s a really good motivator. [He] does a nice job motivating his team and getting them ready to play.”
A win for Texas likely catapults the program into the national spotlight and top 25 ranking in the polls. It also shows progress under Sarkisian after a challenging start to his tenure. Sark, however, is worried about playing with consistency and urgency as much as he’s looking to win.
In a sense, Sarkisian is taking a play out of Saban’s book when it comes to rebuilding a program. During his first season with the Crimson Tide, Saban posted a 7-6 record with losses to schools such as Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State. Two years later, he hoisted up the first of six national titles.
Sarkisian isn’t looking to become the next Saban. He wants to establish his own culture and style of coaching during his tenure with the Longhorns.
Of course, Sarkisian isn’t blind to the notion that everyone takes something away from learning under Saban’s wing. Fisher established something unique in College Station and eventually picked up the win. The same happened with Smart in Athens.
Sarkisian knows that he could be next in terms of taking down one of the greatest to ever do it. While he hopes to pick up the win for the program, he’s simply thankful for the opportunity to be coaching against the one person that gave him a chance.
“I have the utmost respect for him, not only as a man but as a coach,” Sarkisian said.
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