As the College Football Playoff approaches, Texas is gearing up for a crucial clash with No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal. With the No. 5 Longhorns looking to secure another playoff victory, head coach Steve Sarkisian has emphasized an important area of focus for his team: improving their discipline. Despite a successful season and consecutive playoff appearances under Sarkisian’s leadership, Texas found themselves in a moment of reckoning following a tough SEC Championship loss to No. 2 Georgia on December 7.
After the 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia, which came after a series of critical penalties, Sarkisian revealed that the team had a frank “come-to-Jesus” meeting to address the glaring issues. Texas, which had looked dominant at times throughout the year, shot itself in the foot with undisciplined play in the championship game.
“We had a real come-to-Jesus meeting after the SEC Championship Game when we essentially lost that game because of penalties,” Sarkisian admitted during a Peach Bowl teleconference.
In the game against Georgia, Texas had a 6-3 lead at halftime, but the team’s inability to stay disciplined with penalties was a major hindrance. The Longhorns were penalized eight times in the first half alone, which prevented them from extending their lead and put them in a position where they couldn’t recover. Texas ultimately finished the game with 11 penalties for 94 yards, while Georgia had just five penalties for 49 yards.
Despite Texas’ solid play throughout much of the game, the penalties contributed significantly to their downfall, especially as Georgia’s backup quarterback, Gunner Stockton, led a comeback that ended with the Bulldogs’ overtime victory.
Sarkisian reflected on the pivotal meeting, emphasizing that the team needed to refocus on clean, disciplined play moving forward. “We just said we’re not going to do that anymore,” Sarkisian explained. “We’re going to play as clean football as we can play, as fundamentally-sound football as we can play. We’ll still be aggressive, we never want to lose our stinger, we never want to lose our aggressiveness, but we can play smarter.”
The improvements were evident in Texas’ subsequent game. In their first-round CFP victory over No. 12 Clemson, the Longhorns displayed remarkable discipline, committing just two penalties for 10 yards in a 38-24 win. Sarkisian’s emphasis on clean, efficient football paid off in that game, and it could make all the difference in their upcoming matchup with Arizona State.
Looking ahead to the Peach Bowl, clean play will be a crucial factor for Texas as they face a red-hot Arizona State team that has been on a tear in recent weeks. Under head coach Kenny Dillingham, the Sun Devils have won six consecutive games after a slow start to the season. Arizona State enters the playoffs on a high note, having secured their first-ever playoff appearance in program history.
With the Peach Bowl set to kick off on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Texas will need to maintain their discipline and minimize mistakes against an Arizona State team that is playing with confidence. Despite the Sun Devils’ momentum, the Longhorns are favored by 12.5 points according to ESPN BET, signaling that many expect Sarkisian’s team to bounce back strongly and advance in the College Football Playoff.
As Texas prepares for this high-stakes contest, the lessons learned from their “come-to-Jesus” meeting following the Georgia loss will likely be a key component of their strategy. Playing clean, smart football could be the difference between advancing further in the playoffs or suffering another setback.
