LIVE UPDATES: Steve Sarkisian recaps Oklahoma, looks ahead to Kentucky

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will be available to the media at 11:30 a.m. It will be aired on Longhorn Network and we’ll have everything Sarkisian and a few other players say below.

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Updates from Steve Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian: “I really commend our players for showing some mental toughness. Early in the game it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. We were stubbing our toe a little bit offensively with some penalties, which we cleaned up later on. They got a field goal early in the game, but then we settled in.” 

Sarkisian says Texas had opportunities to score points on its final six drives, the kneel down drive excepted.

Steve Sarkisian: “We were able to win on 1st and 2nd down on defense as well, which in turn gave us some opportunities to rush the passer, get some hits on the quarterback, get some sacks, and create a few turnovers.”

Sarkisian: “Now, we’ve got to show more maturity.”

Sarkisian says Kentucky has played good defense all year, has run the football well: “As we know, playing on the road in the SEC at night, it’s going to be a tough environment.”

Sarkisian: “We’ve got to continue to instill confidence, but you gain confidence throughout the week by knowing what to do. That allows you to cut it loose and play more freely in all aspects of the game.”

What’s the key to playing well against a team coming off of a bye Sark: “We have to do a good job of scouting ourselves. I’m sure they’re going to do some things in previous weeks that our opponents have done that have caused us problems.”

Steve Sarkisian on Arch Manning: “I think one thing that Arch has done is he’s been very even keeled. He’s continued to work at his craft. Last week, he had a ton of 3rd down conversions. Used his legs on one, had seven other completions on 3rd downs to a variety of people. Some of them were off schedule, and that’s a strength of his. — “I thought what he’s doing better is keeping his eyes up and keeping his vision up.”

Sarkisian on Kentucky and HC Mark Stoops:

"They want to play great defense. They want to minimize the explosive plays. They want to run the football and create explosives off the run game. And they do a very good job of that. They've played very good defense all year."

— Evan Vieth (@EvanVieth) October 13, 2025

Steve Sarkisian: “I thought the offensive line did a really good job. That’s a tough front, OU’s got a really good front. They’ve got some very talented players. They’ve got a really good scheme. We knew they were going to cause us issues, we just tried to minimize the negative plays which is an area we know they’ve thrived.”

Halfway through the season, Steve Sarkisian says he likes the current resolve of his team. Also likes that multiple players on offense are making plays at critical moments, mentions Tre Wisner, DeAndre Moore, Parker Livingstone, Ryan Wingo. Says Nick Brooks provides some energy and attitude. On defense, Sarkisian likes the depth on the defensive front and the good work done by backup corners Warren Roberson and Kobe Black: “Our depth on defense is starting to show up.”

Sark on Nick Brooks: “I think he’s in the best shape he’s been in since he got here. He was over 360 pounds. We were in training camp, he was in the 350s. This weekend, he was a shade over 330. He’s getting in better shape, he’s better conditioned.” — “He’s playing in between two really smart players in Trevor and Cole. If he trusts those guys to make the calls, he’s got the ability to go do it.”

Steve Sarkisian on his freshman class, mentions guys like James Simon, Graceson Littleton, Kade Phillips, Nick Brooks, Jonah Williams.

Steve Sarkisian says the young WRs from the 2025 class are improving, but “the tough part with the young wideouts is who are you going to play them over right now?” — “It’s not anything to take away from those guys, but it’s hard to go into a game and think you’re going to play eight wideouts going into a game, including a one score game with the way it was going.”

Sarkisian says his EDGE room is very versatile, highlights Brad Spence: “We got into a little different scheme Saturday where we were able to put Brad on the field and put him into a little different spot so he could have an impact on the game.”

Steve Sarkisian: “It doesn’t matter what people write or say. It’s about what we do. It’s a lesson learned for us, and that’s where I talk about the maturity of our team. This is a great week for us to show our maturity for how far we’ve come as a team.”

Sarkisian on freshmen WRs:

"The tough part with the young wideouts, who are you going to play them over right now? I mean, we've got a good group now. They're improving, and Kaliq and Jamie, they're coming along. But I think our older players are getting better, too."

— Evan Vieth (@EvanVieth) October 13, 2025

Steve Sarkisian on why Kentucky is a dangerous opponent: “That’s this conference. That wasn’t the only game (Auburn vs. Georgia). There were a ton of one score games in our conference and probably a lot of games closer than the final score indicated.” — “When you go on the road and you play at night in some of these environments, you had better buckle up.”

Steve Sarkisian on Ryan Niblett: “He was a really versatile player in HS… When we got him here, we just had to try to figure out what is his role. He went from receiver, to running back, to defense in spring, back to receiver, now he’s dual-ing running back and receiver.” — “I credit him because there were moments when he was thinking about leaving this place. I didn’t let him leave. I fought to keep him here.”

Steve Sarkisian says Kentucky is “running the heck out of the ball” but also highlights what Kendrick Law is doing at receiver. Also mentions “they’re finding ways to create some plays and they’re close on some others. They’re a dangerous team that way.”