Steve Sarkisian's continued lobbying for Texas as a College Football Playoff team took another interesting step on Saturday, Nov. 7, as the Longhorns coach described his team as underdog "big game hunters."
Immediately following Texas' 34-20 win at No. 19 Missouri – the game was closer than the score indicated – Sarkisian said he was proud of a team that, he claimed, no one thought would win on the road.
"I'm really proud of our football team overall, because our guys are not naive to noise. As much as I'd love to say, 'Hey, tune it all out,' and we try our best to do that, I can hear the talk getting on the plane yesterday," Sarkisian said. "Can hear the talk when we got here. Nobody believed we'd win the game. Nobody thought we were going to come here and win the game.
"Nobody thought we were tough enough at the line of scrimmage. Everyone thought we'd get pushed around. And, you know, the DNA of this organization is mental, physical toughness. I think that poured out of our pores today in this ballgame today."
Of note, Texas was at least a 2.5-point road favorite as of Monday, Nov. 2, according to BetMGM odds.
Quarterback Arch Manning had an efficient showing, completing 28 of 38 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. The Longhorns needed his passing acumen as well, with the team rushing 31 times for 104 yards (3.1 yards per carry) and a score.
That said, Texas' win wasn't without controversy, as Missouri fans and neutral observers alike wondered aloud whether officials had not improperly called several plays in favor of the Longhorns. As it stands, Texas improved to 7-2 on the season and further entrenched itself as a top-12 playoff team after opening as the No. 7 team in the initial rankings.
That, of course, didn't stop Sarkisian from opining on his team's CFP resume.
"All in all, a really cool team win," Sarkisian said. "A tough win on the road against another top-20 opponent. I think that's six straight top-25 wins for us. I think the next-closest team in the country has two. Our second top-25 win on the road. So, like we say, we're big game hunters and we showed up again today."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Steve Sarkisian unloaded after Texas' win vs Missouri
