The Texas Longhorns hit their first speed bump in what had been a smooth 2024 season so far last week when they fell 30-15 to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The primetime loss dropped Texas to 7-1 on the season and saw the school fall four spots in the AP Poll, going from No. 1 to No. 5.
Texas has a chance to get back on track when they head to Nashville to take on the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores.
While Vanderbilt has previously been the conference’s punching bag, the ‘Dores have been a different team in 2024. They almost beat the then-No. 9 Missouri Tigers in Columbia on September 28 before pulling off a 40-35 upset of the then-No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide on October 5.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is well aware of his team’s challenge in going to Vandy. On the weekly SEC coaches’ teleconference, Sarkisian said the Longhorns have something to prove.
“It’s a heck of a challenge on the field, but it’s obviously a challenge for us off the field too, from a mentality standpoint, coming off of the loss to Georgia last week,” Sarkisian said via 247Sports.
“We’ve got a competitive locker room. We’ve got players that have great leadership, great competitive spirit about them. I think anytime you lose — real competitors, that leaves a bad taste in their mouth. I think we’ve got a football team that’s got something to prove. We’ll find out Saturday if we walk into the game with a chip on our shoulder or not. We’ll find out where we’re at,” the 50-year-old head coach added.
Texas and Vanderbilt kick off at 4:15 p.m. ET on October 26. The game will air on the SEC Network.
