Steve Sarkisian reveals 'nastiest' environment he's coached in

Steve Sarkisian has coached in some raucous environments during his career. He’s been on the home sideline at The Coliseum at USC and an opponent at Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium, not to mention a few loud NFL stadiums while coaching with the Atlanta Falcons.

But one atmosphere stood out above the rest — and it goes back to the Texas coach’s NFL days.

“I coached in Philadelphia in the playoffs when I was with the Falcons,” Sarkisian said. “That is a different environment because it’s truly a home field advantage. … When you go to Philadelphia in January and the weather’s not really conducive and the fans are pretty nasty — let’s just leave it at that — and I give [them] a lot of credit. It’s a great home field advantage.”

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That was the “nastiest” environment Sarkisian coached in. But he’s getting ready for a “unique” stadium atmosphere at The Cotton Bowl Stadium this week when Texas takes on Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. More than 90,000 fans will be on hand for the rivalry matchup between the two rivals and the return of Quinn Ewers, as Inside Texas reported Thursday.

Sarkisian said there’s not really a true “home field advantage” at the Cotton Bowl, though. That’s because of the way the stadium is set up.

“This one’s different,” Sarkisian said. “It’s unique in that one end of the field, it feels like a home game. The other end of the field, it feels like a road game. Clearly, any time there’s a rivalry involved — especially from a proximity standpoint that we are — a lot of the players know one another, a lot of the fans might know one another, households could be split. There’s a lot that goes into this and that’s what makes college football rivalries so unique, and this one in particular.

“But that’s what you love and this is why we do it. Like I said, you just want to embrace this opportunity, make sure you’re putting your best foot forward to go out and perform and perform at a high level.”

The news of Ewers’ return is already adding intrigue to the game. Las Vegas oddsmakers have shifted the spread, making Texas almost a double-digit favorite. The Longhorns will look to win the game for the first time since 2018 Saturday at noon ET on ABC.