The No. 2 Texas Longhorns enter what head coach Steve Sarkisian calls “Phase 2” of the season next week in the annual Red River Rivalry game against the No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners. That game kicks off a seven-week gauntlet of SEC contests that includes hosting the Georgia Bulldogs, a trip to the unfriendly confines of Fayetteville for the Arkansas Razorbacks, and ends with the rivalry renewed in College Station against the Texas A&M Aggies.
It’s no secret that Texas has goals that extend far beyond the next set of games and well into January, but the grind of SEC play will test them both mentally and physically every week.