State Sarkisian is Prepared for a "War" against Kentucky

On3 image — Steve Sarkisian (Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)

This is nothing new. Coaches prefer to be melodramatic when preparing their players for a new opponent, particularly when there’s a large talent gap. Even so, I was taken aback when I heard what Steve Sarkisian had to say about Saturday’s game against Kentucky.

“We’ve got to be prepared for a war because it’s going to be one.”

My mind wandered to the Scottish highlands. Instead of Mel Gibson, it’s Sark in a kilt, screaming at his fellow countrymen, “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!”

It will not be a reenactment of Braveheart Saturday at Kroger Field, but Texas’ first-ever game in Lexington. These teams only met once before the Horns joined the league ahead of the 2024 season.

Last year’s game was not a clean one for Texas. They broke a tie ballgame with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, then let Kentucky hang around in the second half. Jamon Dumas-Johnson had a scoop and score, as Cutter Boley threatened to cut into the 10-point deficit multiple times.

“They’ve got good players and they’ve knocked off too many teams, we all know this,” Sark said on Monday. “This is the same team that went to Ole Miss and won last year and probably cost Ole Miss a playoff bid. It’s the same team that had the ball at the end of the game against Ole Miss this year.

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“The coaching is too good in this league that you better treat every game like it’s a championship game, and you have to give each game the credit it deserves. They’ve had two weeks to get ready to play. We’ve got to be prepared for a war because it’s going to be one. I’m just going to tell you that right now.”

Even though the language feels heavy-handed, Sarkisian is doing whatever he can to avoid a let-down. Texas has yet to play a home SEC game. They got their first win over a Power Conference opponent in a heated rivalry win over Oklahoma. Texas took a step forward. Instead of taking two steps back with a lackluster performance in Lexington, Sarkisian wants to build on that momentum with victory on Saturday.

Can Kentucky turn this metaphorical war into a low-scoring battle at Kroger Field? That’s the key to the Wildcats’ success against a diabolical Texas defense.