AUSTIN (KXAN) - Texas football had a pretty incredible season in 2023, making it to its first College Football Playoff behind a Big 12 Championship.
The Longhorns lost just one game in the regular season. The only problem for many around the Texas program is who they lost to in Oklahoma.
"We definitely carry that along with us for a while," Longhorns senior tight end Gunnar Helm said. "And not having that gold hat with us inside the facility outside of our team meeting room was weird this year. We're looking to change that."
The Longhorns came into the Red River Rivalry unbeaten last year, just as they are this season. Texas made some key mistakes in the 2023 edition of the showdown.
Asked Monday about the biggest takeaways from the loss in 2023, Steve Sarkisian noted how Texas needs to value taking care of the football, scoring touchdowns in the red zone and playing good situational football.
"When [those issues] are highlighted in real time and what it looks like and you can go back touch on them, hopefully that reinforces why we prepare the way that we do," Sarkisian said. "That way we can negate some of the things that happened in last year's game."
The sting of the loss last season to Oklahoma was clear in the moment for the Longhorns. It still persists now for some players.
"Just the pain that you feel when you lose," Longhorns junior defensive back Michael Taaffe said. "You never let that go away. You take that and you remember that. You got to let it out somehow."
Jake Majors was injured early in the Red River Rivalry last year. Despite not being able to finish the game, the veteran Texas center is pulling from the emotions of 2023.
"Lean back on the feelings you had at the end of the game," Majors said. "You kind of go about [this] week doing whatever you can not feel that again."
Ahead of Texas and Oklahoma doing battle Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Dallas, Texas Gameday will air at 1:30 p.m. on KBVO. Jonathan Thomas hosts the official pregame show of Texas football.
