Showdown at Michigan draws parallels with 2023's game in Tuscaloosa

AUSTIN (KXAN) — About half of the current Texas travel roster was on the field in Tuscaloosa last season for the Longhorns' 34-24 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, marking the program's return to the national spotlight and spearheading an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

The Longhorns have another marquee matchup on the road Saturday when they face the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines at "The Big House," in Ann Arbor. Head coach Steve Sarkisian said he'll rely on his veterans to make sure the team stays focused in an extremely hostile environment.

"One of the keys is that you have to have great poise and composure when you're on the road," he said. "This is a game of emotion, but you can't get emotional in the arena."

Sarkisian said 46 players from last year's squad that went into Bryant-Denny Stadium and ended the Tide's 21-game home winning streak are making the trip to face Michigan. He said that will help the most if the game takes a similar path as the matchup with 'Bama did — with the Longhorns facing adversity late in the game. Texas trailed 16-13 going into the fourth quarter and scored three touchdowns, then bled the clock out with a punishing, SEC-style drive that took seven minutes off the clock to seal the victory.

One thing Sarkisian said his team will have to be better at against the Wolverines is run defense, which seems like an odd thing to say since the Longhorns were so good against the run last season. Colorado State's Justin Marshall ran for 106 yards on 25 carries and was the bright spot for the Rams offensively in the Longhorns' 52-0 victory,

The Wolverines pound the ball in their opponents' teeth with a power run game led by Donovan Edwards, Kalel Mullings and quarterback Alex Orji. Michigan ran for 148 yards in a 30-10 win over Fresno State to open the season. Orji averaged 6.2 yards per carry and adds an element to Michigan's rushing attack that the Longhorns will have to account for.

"We have to be better at stopping the run that we were a week ago. That is critical," he said, "but we don't want to do that at the expense of giving away explosive plays in the passing game. That's the fine line we have to walk going into Saturday."

This will be the first time the Longhorns and Wolverines have met during the regular season and on either team's home field. The programs have met once before in the 2005 Rose Bowl with the Longhorns winning 38-37. Needless to say, The Big House will be covered in maize and blue with the hopes of a 23rd-consecutive home win for the Wolverines.

"There's going to be over 100,000 people there hoping that we play bad, and about 100 or so who want us to play well," he said. "We'll lean into those 100 and make sure we're as strong as can be."