Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian participated in a teleconference on Thursday to preview Saturday's SEC Championship Game against. Here's what Sarkisian had to say about the Bulldogs.
"Georgia is a great football team. I think Kirby and the University of Georgia have been the standard of college football for about the last seven years or so. National championships, conference championships. Recruited at a really high level. Has a great coaching staff. It's a great challenge for us, but one that I know we're looking forward to."
On the meaning of this game: "The meaning for this game is this is an SEC Championship. This is really hard to win. Was talking to Coach Saban a few weeks ago. There's two national championship teams that he had that he didn't even win his own division in the Southeastern Conference, not to mention he didn't make it to a game and win a conference championship. Winning an SEC Championship is one we hold in very high regard. Being a part of this game is something we hold in high regard. Our guys have worked extremely hard to get to this point. We take this very seriously. This is a big deal to us. I think so many times in the world that we live in, it's focusing on what's next, what's next, what's next, the CFP, the national championship. Hey, we've got a great goal in front of us that we have an opportunity to achieve, that I'm sure Kirby and his team feel the same way. We know how hard the Southeastern Conference is. To earn the opportunity to play in this game with an opportunity to be conference champions is something we hold in very high regard."
On what conference championships mean in modern college football: "It's a little bit of a war of attrition in our conference. I always kind of chuckle at people. Oh, yeah, we beat an SEC team this year. But you didn't play it eight straight weeks. You didn't have to go play in some of these environments that people have to play in week in, week out, deal with the injuries that we have to deal with in our conference. The reward to play in a championship game like this is one that we cherish. On the same token, I surely hope this year and the years to come that nobody ever gets punished if they don't come out on top in this game because it is a real grind. To earn the opportunity to hoist that trophy is a great one. I hope, if anything, we get recognized for making it to this game, not getting punished for the team that doesn't come out on top."
On how Quinn Ewers responded to being pulled in the second quarter against Georgia: "Well, I mean, truth be told, probably wasn't very happy about it, you know? As the coach, I felt like it was the right thing to do in the moment, to give him an opportunity to kind of recenter, regroup, take a minute to watch a drive or two, get him into the locker room, then have him come out and play a good second half, which I thought he did. I really thought he did a nice job in the second half. Like I've said before, I wish we would have played a little better around him, wish we would have coached a little better around him. I thought he competed at a high level in the second half of that game. Sometimes that's part of the job. That's why they call us Coach. You have to make some of those tough calls sometimes. In the end, I do believe when Quinn, whether it was that night, the next week, tonight, two years from now, there will be a moment that will come to him that he'll be, I'm glad Coach did that. It made me get recentered. The ability to respond to that adversity is one that I think has always been a trademark of Quinn's. He's dealt with injury. He's dealt with some play that wasn't his best early in his career. He's dealt with people always wanting, expecting more of him. Every time he responds. The guy is a steady sea. He won't get rattled. I didn't think that was going to rattle him any more. My goal and hope was that, if anything, it would have sparked the competitor in him to play even more charged than he had been. I think it worked. You're just always try to push the right buttons in players. Again, ton of respect for Quinn and the job that he's done for us, not only this season but for three years. For him back-to-back seasons get us back to a conference championship, more than likely an opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff I think is a tremendous honor. He deserves that. He's been a great teammate and a great leader on this team."
