'We have some unfinished business': Hungry Longhorns feel they still have a lot to prove

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In their last season as members of the Big 12 Conference, the Texas Longhorns left on a high note, achieving their goal of winning the conference title and riding off into the sunset. Everything was going great.

Then, they lost in the College Football Playoff semifinals to Washington, replacing the joy and elation of winning a championship with the gut-wrenching most uncomfortable feeling of "what if?"

It's something that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was awful during the moment, but now as the Longhorns summon all the uneasy feelings from getting close but not close enough last year to gear up for the Southeastern Conference, it becomes fuel.

KXAN Sports Director Roger Wallace sat down with Sarkisian for an exclusive, 1-on-1 interview ahead of kickoff for the 2024 football season. You can watch the complete interview Saturday evening on the CW Austin after the Dallas Cowboys-Los Angeles Chargers preseason game, which starts at 3 p.m. Saturday.

"There wasn't one person in that locker room that wasn't pissed, livid, upset, emotional because when you get that close, you want to achieve it all," Sarkisian told Wallace in an exclusive interview. "It set us into the offseason with a real sense of hunger, a real sense of we need to get back there, we have some unfinished business. As the coach of it all, I'm like, this is perfect. This is exactly what we need because it wasn't a team that rested on their laurels, thinking that we won the Big 12 and they've arrived. We know there's more out there."

Sarkisian knows what to expect from every team the Longhorns will face this season, and that's their best shot. Last year's somewhat tongue-in-cheek mantra of "embrace the hate," has turned into a very intentional slogan "tough all day," inspired by none other than former Longhorns fireballer Roger Clemens, who coincidentally was Sarkisian's favorite baseball player growing up.

The Rocket signed a Boston Red Sox jersey for Sarkisian after a practice with the tagline on the shoulder, and now it's within the fabric of the team's culture. When you're on the road and 90% of people in a giant stadium want you to fail, there's a level of toughness and mental fortitude that takes time to develop.

"This is perfect for us. That's what we need to be," Sarkisian said. "If you're not a Longhorn, everyone hates you, right? In the end, we have to be tough all day. We have to be tough every time we work, every time we take the field. We have to be really tight and stick together."

Texas has already faced adversity, weeks before the opening kick against the Colorado State Rams. Sophomore running back CJ Baxter, the presumed lead back who showed tremendous ability in his freshman season, tore two knee ligaments on the first day of full-contact practice at training camp. He's done for the year, as is freshman runner Christian Clark who suffered a similar injury. They've got a third-year quarterback in Quinn Ewers who will provide a type of steadiness to the offense and a boatload of talent around him.

Sarkisian said Ewers has grown exponentially since he returned to Texas after his true freshman year at Ohio State.

"Year 1 was a tough year for him," Sarkisian. "He transferred back home, and he's trying to find his footing with the expectations that the golden boy has returned and he's going to throw for 8,000 yards and 100 touchdowns — it's a process. He led us to a Big 12 title game in his second year and dealing with injuries along the way, having him back for a third year is tremendous."

Ewers is also the newly-anointed "Deputy" of Fansville, so he's got that going for him, too.

It hasn't always been a walk around DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium for Sarkisian. He checked into rehab for substance abuse following his midseason firing at Southern California in 2015, and then started over with help from legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban. He joined the Crimson Tide as an offensive analyst, then quickly reascended the ranks before taking "the greatest job in America," as he put it.

"We have the best athletic department in the country, and I get to be surrounded by greatness every single day," he said. "That fuels me, and I love that aspect of the job."

He also gets to coach his son Brady, a sophomore linebacker, something he doesn't take for granted.

"It's awesome. It's amazing," he said. "He's worked extremely hard. He's in great shape and he's loving it. It's fun to watch him grow and mature. That's all part of it. I see it with the 119 other guys every day, so to see with him is a pretty cool moment."

Where to find CW Austin for Sarkisian interview

• AT&T U-Verse: Channel 1012 (HD) – Channel 12 (SD)
• DirecTV: Channel 54 (HD/SD)
• Dish Network: Channel 54 (HD/SD)
• Astound TV: Channel 812 (HD) – Channel 12 (SD)
• Over the Air: Channel 54
• Optimum: Channel 715 (HD) – Channel 12 (SD)
• Spectrum Cable: Channel 12 (HD/SD)
• YouTube TV
• Hulu+ Live TV
• DirecTV Stream