For Texas football, playing Georgia in what is essentially an away game might be exactly what the Longhorns need to win on Saturday.
Texas is 11–1 — The one loss came at home at the hands of the Bulldogs. While head coach Steve Sarkisian admitted that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and his team’s out-preparation of the Longhorns was the deciding factor in the game, Sarkisian’s team may be better equipped to win on the road, having now won 11 straight games in hostile territory.
“We see it all over our conference every Saturday, that if you’re not prepared to play in this conference, you will get beat,” Sarkisian said. “And it doesn’t matter what you think of an opponent or not. There’s too many talented players on every roster, the coaching is too good, the environments are too tough when you go on the road, and if you’re not prepared to play, you’ll get beat.”
Though Texas is the designated home team as the higher-ranked team, it will be wearing its road “icy white” uniforms and doing everything it can to treat this game like a road game. Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is about 70 miles from the University of Georgia campus, and Sarkisian is using that to his advantage.
Texas has gone into some of the most hostile environments in college football and come out victorious. Dating back to last season, junior quarterback Quinn Ewers led Texas to victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium, home of the Alabama Crimson Tide. This season, Texas beat both Michigan and Texas A&M in their home stadiums, and both are widely regarded as some of the hardest places to play in the sport.
“I just love the mentality of which our guys have when they go on the road, the connectivity they have with one another, focused on the task at hand and not getting caught up in the surrounding things and what’s going on,” Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian isn’t the only one who knows that his team thrives on the road. Senior defensive back Andrew Mukuba said something similar, and he is no stranger to playing Georgia in big games.
A three-year starter at Clemson, Mukuba started his college career against the Bulldogs, where he recorded eight tackles and one pass breakup. Now, as a Longhorn, Mukuba has recorded 23 solo tackles and four interceptions this season.
“On the road, obviously, we try to stay composed,” Mukuba said. “Because being on the road, it’s not gonna be easy. It’s not gonna be an easy win. We’re going against the crowd, and they’re not on your side, and things like that. So we just try to own the arena, stay composed, and then, just make the plays that come to you. And I feel like that’s kind of the key to every road game we’ve had here, to just keep our composure and everything (is) gonna work out.”
Most of the Texas roster has played in big-time road games, either with the Longhorns or their previous school, so they are no stranger to the moment. Junior wide receiver Isaiah Bond transferred to Texas from Alabama, where he defeated Auburn on the road in a tense Iron Bowl last season. Bond made the catch on the famous fourth-and-31 throw from quarterback Jalen Milroe to give Alabama the game. He also was a member of the Alabama team that beat Georgia in the SEC Championship last year, knocking the Bulldogs out of the college football playoff.
Texas could not have a more perfect setting to match up with Georgia for the second time. Now, all the Longhorns have to do is go out and execute.
