{
  "id": 18858722,
  "title": "‘Nobody believed we’d win the game’: Steve Sarkisian plays underdog card despite Texas being favored",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/nobody-believed-wed-win-the-game-steve-sarkisian-plays-underdog-card",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-08T04:28:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nobody-believed-d-win-game-042819079.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 12, 2026, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian led his team to an impressive 34-20 road victory over No. 18 Missouri, keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive. In the post-game interview, Sarkisian defended his team against the doubters who thought they would struggle against the Missouri team. \"Nobody believed we'd win the game,\" Sarkisian stated, emphasizing that people expected the Longhorns to be \"pushed around\" at the line of scrimmage. Despite playing without star wide receiver Cam Coleman, the Longhorns entered the game as 2.5-point favorites and came back to win after trailing 20-13 in the third quarter. Quarterback Arch Manning delivered an impressive performance with 297 passing yards and three touchdowns. The win improved Texas to a 7-2 season record and 4-2 in SEC play. Sarkisian also referred to his team as \"big game hunters,\" highlighting six consecutive top 25 wins and two top 25 wins on the road. The Longhorns will face No. 14 LSU next week, and Sarkisian is eager to continue embracing the underdog role.",
  "summary": "The No. 7 Texas Longhorns picked up a big road win on Saturday, rallying to beat No. 18 Missouri 34-20 to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. After the game, head coach Steve Sarkisian was in the mood to take a shot at the doubters. Sarkisian claimed that “nobody believed” Texas would win the…",
  "key_points": [
    "Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns defeated No. 18 Missouri 34-20",
    "Coach Sarkisian dismissed doubters, called team \"big game hunters\"",
    "Arch Manning threw for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns in win"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Embracing an underdog identity despite being favored allows Texas to maintain momentum and build a reputation for winning high-stakes matchups against ranked opponents.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}