Texas Longhorns ranked No. 1 in nation after win against UTSA
AUSTIN, Texas - After an impressive win over UTSA, the Longhorns jumped past Georgia to the No. 1 national ranking. UT now turns its focus to Louisiana Monroe, but the Longhorns will likely be without their starting quarterback.
The Horns are ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time since 2008. Another box checked for Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns head coach.
"You have a vision and goals of where your program is gonna be in the future. This is what I was anticipating we would be. And it was probably hard for alot of other people to see when you're 5-7," said Sark.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 14: Isaiah Bond #7 of the Texas Longhorns catches a pass and runs for a touchdown in the second half against the UTSA Roadrunners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Ti
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- Texas on top! Longhorns take over at No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time in 16 years, jumping Georgia
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- Texas QB Quinn Ewers departs with strained abdomen and Arch Manning takes over for Longhorns
"It's really cool to get that recognition because, like I said, where we've come from, how far we've worked to get to this spot, but if we just settled right now, then we're not gonna be legendary," said Michael Taaffe, junior defensive back.
"The key component to that is, better never rests," Sark said.
Quinn Ewers will likely rest. This after UT's QB 1 strained his oblique on a highlight throw to Gunnar Helm.
"He would be listed as questionable. OK, so we're gonna monitor him day-to-day," said Sark.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 14: Ty'Anthony Smith #26 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates with Barryn Sorrell #88 after a fourth down stop against the UTSA Roadrunners in the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2024 in A
That will likely open the door for the nation's most popular QB 2, Arch Manning, to get his first college start. And after his electric five touchdown performance in relief last Saturday, the Arch buzz may be at an all-time high.
That said, it sounds like the highly touted redshirt freshman has a five-star mindset to handle it well.
"Arch, he's a selfless teammate. He cares about the guys on the team, he cares about Quinn, they have got a great relationship. He works his tail off, he wants to play good football for them because he knows how hard everybody's working, so
I literally don't address it with him, I don't address it with the team. He's just part of the team," said Sark.
The Longhorns will take on Louisiana Monroe at home on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m.