Older, Wiser Sarkisian on Texas: 'Don't Want to Be One-Hit Wonder'

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The football coaches sat down at the front podium, on either side of the Alamo Bowl trophy, and Steve Sarkisian looked as if he'd stepped out of an episode of Miami Vice in his earth-tone colors while Kalen DeBoer presented a much more conservative, buttoned-down approach.

Clearly different styles for these coaches, different images to reflect, different comfort zones, as they prepare to send their respective Texas and Washington football teams up against each other on Thursday night at the Alamodome.

Sarkiasian, as the resident Longhorns football coach just 75 miles removed from campus, took most of the questions. He was asked once more about the 2011 Alamo Bowl, in which his then-Washington team lost 67-56 to Baylor and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III.

"My neck was sore after that," quipped Sarkisian, who was forced to fire three Husky defensive coaches once he returned home from that overly generous postseason point fest. "It felt like it was a tennis match."

Prodded about the chances of another scoring free-for-all in San Antonio 11 years later, Sarkisian complimented the UW for its legion of playmakers, well-crafted offensive scheme, sturdy offensive line and prolific quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

"We've got to score, we understand that," the Texas coach said. "Hopefully we won't get ourselves to 60. That would not be good for us and not for them either."

Sarkisian, 48, has gone through a lot of personal turmoil since leaving the Huskies for USC at the end of 2013. His firing just a season and a half into that Trojans job, which was not unlike Jimmy Lake's abrupt UW dismissal a year ago. His well-publicized struggle with alcohol abuse. His equally well-documented return as a college football coach.

Before coming to the UW, Sarkisian spent seven seasons at USC with Pete Carroll and, after losing the Trojans coaching position, he rebounded by working three years for Nick Saban at Alabama.

He was asked if he better resembled Carroll or Saban in what he does as the man in charge?

"The end result is both guys are winners and they do it their way," he said. "The biggest thing I found for me is how do I be Steve Sarkisian? Not try to be Nick Saban or Pete Carroll, but be me?"

As the Texas coach, Sarkisian still seems to be sort of a free-wheeling guy, frequently interspersing his comments with the word "man," much like one of his players might do.

He'll forever be remembered in Seattle for getting up in front of an arena full of Don James mourners and treating the moment like a pep rally rather than a solemn occasion, not the best decision.

Yet he definitely seems older now, his hair is receding and lessons have been learned. He also appears to grasp the importance of hanging on to this Texas job, one of the most demanding in all of college football, and one that needs to go well for him or there won't many more chances after that.

Asked what an Alamo Bowl victory would mean to him and his 8-4 Texas football team, Sarkisian offered the following, "For us, getting nine wins. Look at the last decade of Texas football and how many times has there been nine wins in a season? We're trying to build something that is sustainable, that can withstand the test of time. We don't want to be a one-hit wonder."

That goes for both the Longhorns program and its coach.

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