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Steve Sarkisian: ‘I kind of relish being the villain’

AUSTIN, Texas — In 1996, Steve Sarkisian was a second-year starting quarterback for Lavelle Edwards and the BYU Cougars, vaulting the Cougars into the Top 25 with a 41-37 win over the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies in Provo.

A week after smashing Arkansas State 58-9, BYU went on the road against unranked Washington at Husky Stadium in Seattle. It was there that Sarkisian had his first “OMG” moment as a player in a 29-17 loss to a Huskies team that finished 9-3 and No. 16 in the final AP poll.

Sarkisian was efficient, going 23-of-35 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns, but his line struggled in pass protection as Washington swarmed its way to eight sacks totaling 44 lost yards for BYU.