Sam Ehlinger said he’ll give it his all in Texas’ upcoming road game against Kansas State on Saturday, but he needed time to take a breather before he could get into preparation mode.
The senior quarterback was emotional Friday after the reality set in that he and his team would not meet their goal of winning a Big 12 Championship. He said in a Tuesday teleconference that the Longhorns’ crushing loss to Iowa State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on senior day left him frustrated and confused, but he’s focusing on the positive.
“I’ve been using this weekend — and also I’m going to use these next two weeks — to really just reflect on the beautiful experiences I’ve had here at The University of Texas,” Ehlinger said.
In a year like 2020, Ehlinger said he’s taking things day by day and controlling what he can control. That’s one of the biggest lessons the senior said he’s learned over the last several months.
He wouldn’t comment on what the future might hold. Ehlinger said he hasn’t given much thought to whether he’ll use his additional year of eligibility to return next fall or whether head coach Tom Herman will walk the sidelines of DKR again. The latter possibility is out of his hands and “not his job” to figure out, he said.
“I do know that there are so many different factors that go into a lot of different things, and it’s very easy to go at the head of an organization when things aren’t going well,” Ehlinger said.
After Cameron Dicker’s missed field goal sealed Texas’ fate Friday, senior defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham said he went to the Longhorn logo at midfield and spun his head around to take it all in.
“I guess I kind of thought about everything in that one single moment,” Graham said. “Just sad and disappointed how it ended but definitely grateful for these past four years.”
The last four years have been a roller-coaster ride for the seniors, and it’s all culminated in perhaps the strangest season of college football to date. This fall has seemed especially taxing for the team, which has dealt with the disappointment of an expectant fan base while navigating controversy over UT’s alma mater, “The Eyes of Texas.”
NFL hopefuls Caden Sterns, junior safety, and Samuel Cosmi, junior offensive tackle, have opted out of the remainder of the season, leaving the team without two of its captains. Now Texas’ final two games no longer have stakes.
Graham said it's his teammates who give him the motivation to soldier on.
“This season isn’t finished, and they deserve to have my all and for me to give my best until the final seconds tick off the clock for the last game,” Graham said.
Ehlinger said it’s the locker room and his passion for the gridiron that will move him forward.
“If you truly love the game of football and you love your teammates and you love this program and you’re doing it for the right reasons, every game matters,” Ehlinger said.
