Iowa State is the next stop for No. 22 Texas’ “revenge tour.”

Last season, the Longhorns dropped six consecutive games to finish the year at an uninspiring 5-7 record. Playing all six of the opponents that bested Texas during last year’s losing streak, head coach Steve Sarkisian labeled these matchups as opportunities for revenge in an effort to inspire his team.

The Longhorns already got the best of West Virginia and Oklahoma, two of the teams on the circuit. Now, Sarkisian and the Longhorns are focused on the Cyclones, which handed Texas its worst loss of the 2021 season. 

“Inevitably, there’s a lot of these games that we’re going back into to play these same teams,” Sarkisian said on Thursday. “There’s got to be a little bit of a sense of revenge, and not so much revenge on our opponent. Revenge our own actions of how we performed in those moments in those games.”

While Iowa State is just one of many programs that defeated Texas last year, the aftermath of the embarrassing 30-7 loss was the lowest point of Sarkisian’s disastrous first season. 

Following the game, defensive line coach Bo Davis was secretly recorded on the team bus. Davis was recorded shouting expletives at the players for reportedly laughing about the team’s performance. 

In the video, which was later leaked on social media, Davis is heard suggesting that players who do not take the program seriously should transfer. 

It appears Davis ultimately got his wish. With 28 freshmen and seven transfers arriving prior to this season, the Texas roster looks drastically different. 

Entering this revenge game against Iowa State with a freshly constructed roster, Sarkisian believes his team is more mature and possesses a stronger culture. 

“We can talk about (culture) and put it all on a board and all of that,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “The reality is it’s about our actions. Our actions are ones that tell me that’s the direction we’re headed in and continue to head (towards) in a positive way.”

Sarkisian believes his team’s culture is improved based on what he has personally seen out of his players. Specifically, he likes the effort that he’s seen his team play with. 

For instance, Texas’ receivers have shown willingness to block along the perimeter this season. That type of unselfish play shows that the Longhorns are playing good team ball, Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian also is encouraged by how team leadership has treated the little things this season. He said when one of the veterans sees a player doing something incorrectly, such as leaving the locker room dirty, he’ll call it out and correct it. 

“The leadership by our veterans comes when they see something that’s not right, they take the initiative to get that rectified,” Sarkisian said. “That’s the positive sign, that those guys are not wanting to let anything slip through the cracks. Their focus is heightened, not just in their play but in everything they do.”Iowa State match presents opportunity for Texas to show its cultural growth