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For college football fans, there is perhaps nothing more exciting than the atmosphere of the stadium and campus on game day, especially when it's the season opener. The adrenaline and anticipation of a new season palpitate throughout the town and can be felt on every corner as thousands fill the seats with school pride, spirit and the hope of a successful season.
The fans, the students, the stadium, the band, the team, the town, the media, the athletic department, the campus and more all play a role in creating the enjoyable environment, and Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is well aware of it.
"I love Saturdays," he told the media during his weekly press conference on Aug. 26. "From the moment we get up and have breakfast together to the walk-through to putting on our suits to coming down Bevo Boulevard to taking the field for pregame to watching the fans kind of sprinkle into the stands, the smell of the popcorn, the band coming in, the music playing, the other team on the other sideline, coming out of the tunnel. All of that. ... Everything. That's all part of this game that's going on on the field that we're so fortunate to be a part of. I look forward to everything."
Embracing Campus Culture
Sarkisian believes every team eventually takes on the personality of its head coach, and he hopes his current Longhorns team learns to embrace game day as he does.
"We work way too hard not to take a minute just to take it in and to breathe in the smell of the popcorn, to see the student section and the orange smoke going off or the drones at the night games," Sarkisian explained. "We try to embrace all that because all that's going on because we play football here at the University of Texas. We don't take that stuff lightly, and I think, for our team, they're excited for all of it. Saturdays, in the fall, are the greatest days of the year. It's incredible."
Texas Longhorns Team Culture
Of course, it helps the atmosphere of a college football game if the home team is good, and that's exactly what Texas thinks it is despite some crucial losses from last year's team. Much of that comes from the culture Sarkisian has built during his time in Austin, Texas, but it takes much more than preaching the same principles, values and fundamentals year in and year out.
"Every year is a new team and every team has its own personality," Sarkisian said. "We try to play to those strengths and so on and so forth, but it's not just a rinse and repeat and just do it over again. It's really important that we reestablish our brand, our style of football. ... That starts Saturday."
Sarkisian also acknowledged that he sees this year's team already forming its personality, and that could be a critical factor in their potential success this season.
"I really believe our culture's going to win us games," he said. "I felt that it did last year. I feel like it's going to this year more than ever because of the connectivity these guys have to one another."
"They're all in it together," he later added. "They know they need each other to make it happen. That's really the special ingredient for this team, which is different than past years."
Opener Excitement
Saturday's game will be the first time the Longhorns return to the field since a disappointing College Football Playoff loss to Washington put a sour taste in their mouths. Texas is expected to contend again this season as the playoff expands to 12 teams, and that has helped fuel the team in the offseason.
"This is a very hungry football team and they have worked extremely hard," Sarkisian said. "They have pushed one another, they have held each other accountable, they've picked each other up, they've been driven and they've been focused. Now, here's their first chance to take the field, and I think our players want to maximize it and they want to go for it. But on the flip side, they also want to enjoy it. Our players are looking forward to it probably as much as or more than the fans are quite frankly."
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