Ire of Texas: Sark sorry for skipping out on song

Texas manager Steve Sarkisian opened his Monday quality league pursuing the Longhorns' 41-34 nonaccomplishment to Oklahoma State by apologizing for not singing "The Eyes of Texas," the schoolhouse song, earlier leaving the field.

"As you know, I beryllium an apology to Longhorn Nation," Sarkisian said. "I made a mistake astatine the extremity of the crippled successful not singing 'The Eyes of Texas' erstwhile the crippled was done. That was not thing intentional. That was not thing that had to bash with our players. I deliberation our players conscionable followed maine up the ramp into the locker room, evidently upset by the mode the crippled ended."

The opus has been the taxable of a contention implicit the past fewer years arsenic the schoolhouse has reckoned with its origins successful a minstrel amusement sung by performers successful blackface. Former caput manager Tom Herman was criticized for letting players take whether they wanted to sing it oregon not.

At Sarkisian's introductory property league successful Jan. 2021, helium made a beardown connection that it volition not beryllium a question going forward.

"I cognize this much, 'The Eyes of Texas' is our schoolhouse song," helium said. "We're going to sing that song. We're going to sing that proudly."

But connected Saturday, aft the loss, lone a fewer players remained connected the field successful Stillwater for the song.

Sarkisian said. "I apologize to everybody for that. That'll ne'er hap again. But again, it was not intentional. It was not premeditated by immoderate means. That was conscionable a mistake connected my part. Nothing to bash with the players. They had followed my pb connected that. So that won't hap again."

Sarkisian addressed the Longhorns' nonaccomplishment to the Cowboys, successful which they had 14 penalties, their astir since 2015, and mislaid a 14-point pb they had successful the 2nd quarter. It was Sarkisian's 5th nonaccomplishment successful which helium had a double-digit pb since 2021, the astir successful the FBS successful that span. It was besides the Longhorns' 5th consecutive roadworthy loss, its second-longest roadworthy losing streak successful the past 80 years. Sarkisian said helium inactive sees betterment and is not acrophobic astir the trend.

"It's casual to look astatine the record," said Sarkisian, who is 10-10 with Texas. "We've travel a agelong mode arsenic a program. I consciousness precise bully astir wherever we've come. I emotion our benignant of play. I deliberation we play hard, we play tough. Like a batch of programs, I deliberation we're a enactment successful progress. You know, a mates balls bounce a definite mode and our grounds is different. I wouldn't alteration however I consciousness astir our programme and the absorption that we're going in."

And helium addressed Saturday's struggles by backmost Quinn Ewers, who went 19 of 49 for 319 yards, with 2 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. His 15 overthrows were the astir successful the FBS successful the past 3 seasons.

"Would I person liked much precision successful the passing game, does immoderate of that work autumn connected him? Yes," Sarkisian said. "Some of that work falls connected me. Some of it falls connected the receivers, immoderate that falls connected the O-line, the moving backs, everybody has to presume their ain work successful that. There's decidedly country for growth."

Sarkisian said helium ne'er earnestly considered benching Ewers for Hudson Card.

"I deliberation Quinn is wired the close way," Sarkisian said. "I deliberation he'll beryllium the archetypal 1 to archer you helium would emotion to play amended than helium did."

Texas has a bye week earlier traveling to Kansas State connected Nov. 5.