‘It’s going to be a great deal for us:Good news for Texas Longhorns

For the teams hoping to advance to the College Football Playoffs, that is the name of the game in college football. The Longhorns only need to win out to have a chance at making their College Football Playoff debut, even though they aren’t in the top-4 right now and probably won’t be until the final rankings are announced, if that does happen. But it is much easier said than done to come out on top.

First of all, no team in the nation will simply fold in the hopes of making the playoffs; this is especially true if your team is from Texas. In fact, when a team plays Texas, everyone gets even more excited, no matter how good the team is.

But the Longhorns have always had a problem keeping up with their opponents’ intensity, particularly when they are ahead. Texas has built a 20-point lead in the first half of three of their last four games, but they have only won by seven or fewer points in the end.

Speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Steve Sarkisian brought up the issue once more, pointing to the staff’s motivation and the players’ lack of mental toughness.

“We played poor football in the fourth quarter, and that starts with our ability to continue inspiring the players to have the proper mental intensity,” Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian also talked about how players should keep their composure throughout the match to prevent further collapses.

“We acted in an unconventional manner,” Sarkisian remarked. We need to improve at maintaining our mental toughness, our concentration, and our brand of football, which is what gave us the lead. We are a team that has excelled in the fourth quarter the entire season, so losing by a score of 20-3 in the fourth quarter seems uncharacteristic and unacceptable.

Texas plays its final two regular season games against in-state rival Texas Tech and Iowa State, two teams that consistently give the Longhorns a run for their money. In particular, Sarkisian gushed about the Cyclons’ defense, praising them for being innovators.

Teams in the Big 12 naturally tended to play that defense, according to Sarkisian. We will be facing that same defensive structure for the third week in a row in our conference. — Iowa State plays the game in its most authentic manner. They adhere to it quite closely. They think it’s real.