Following the Longhorns' loss to the Florida Gators, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and a few of his players were seemingly grasping at straws to defend their poor performance in the season's conference opener.
After allowing the Gators to earn nearly 500 total yards and falling to the unranked SEC team by eight points, Sarkisian, wide receiver Ryan Wingo, and defensive tackle Hero Kanu took the podium at the post-game press conference. Nothing they said quite explained the poor outing for the Horns.
"I'm not going to lie, it was loud. I think we handled it okay, but it was loud," Wingo said about the Gators' home stadium.
The veteran wideout earned 73 yards and one touchdown on just four receptions, struggling to connect with quarterback Arch Manning.
"Don't question [Manning's] heart at all, he battled," Sarkisian said, followed by Wingo sharing that the young QB is the reason the " team goes."
Kanu, who didn't earn any defensive stats in the matchup, shared that the team still means everything to him, and that it is all about controlling "how you respond."
"I love everyone on this team; we have to stick together, and we're going to need support from the people who support us," Kanu said.
Texas injury updates after loss to Florida
Before his players spoke to the media, Sarkisian shared that Manning had suffered a "stinger" on his shoulder during the game, while also updating the Parker Livingstone situation, sharing that his X-rays came back "clean and negative" for the young wideout.
The loss was beyond abysmal for the Horns, dropping the team to 3-2 on the season and 0-1 in SEC play. Next Saturday, the Longhorns face the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry, which is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and be aired on ABC.