Like last season, Texas Longhorns need conference title game mentality every week

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas is coming off its first loss of the season and has to turn the page quickly to play another quality opponent, treating that and every other game remaining like a conference championship. If that sounds familiar, it's because that's what they had to do last year, too.

The No. 5 Longhorns play No. 25 Vanderbilt at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee. After a humbling 30-15 loss to No. 2 Georgia at home last week, head coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that it's familiar territory. Last season, Texas lost to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry 34-30 but then refocused and ran the table to win the Big 12 Conference title. Sarkisian said it's a similar mindset this year's team needs to take.

"We have to make sure we take care of our business one week at a time. We can't just point to one or two games and say if we win that one then we're going to be OK," Sarkisian said. "From here on out, we're in a SEC championship game. That's the same mentality we have in the Big 12; every game matters to that degree. We have to put ourselves in Atlanta (the site of the SEC championship game) every Saturday and that's what we're competing for."

Rebounding from a loss, especially one that was on the biggest stage a regular season game can be on as the country's marquee game, isn't the easiest thing to do. But what will help the Longhorns put it behind them and move forward to preparing for Vanderbilt are things Sarkisian said the team has plenty of — leaders and coachable players.

Sarkisian said in his first year coaching the Longhorns, he may have had one player be vocal about a loss. This year, there were "several."

"Before I even went in there to speak, I could hear a few of our leaders speaking of," Sarkisian said. "The beauty of that statement is I said, 'a few.' They were speaking our language and believing what we believe in."

During practice Monday morning, Sarkisian noticed the players' pride took a back seat. They wanted to learn from their mistakes in the Georgia game.

"A lot of times after a tough loss, pride can get in the way of being coached," he said. "I didn't feel that way today. I felt a lot of guys wanting to get better, wanting to get coached and where they can improve. They came out with a good spirit about them today. Naturally, there's a bad taste in our mouth and we've got a chip on our shoulder."

Vandy QB Pavia is 'the straw that stirs the drink'

The ascension of the Vanderbilt football program is one of the biggest stories in college football this season. One of the biggest reasons the Commodores are in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings for the first time since 2013 is the play of transfer quarterback Diego Pavia.

Pavia helped engineer the season's biggest upset when the Commodores, typically an SEC doormat when it comes to football, took out Alabama 40-35 on Oct. 5. The Crimson Tide was the No. 1-ranked team in the country following a win over Georgia, but Pavia's play lifted a program that most people didn't care about to one that's known for its fans throwing the goalpost into the river after winning the game.

Pavia completed 16 of 20 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 56 yards on 20 carries against Alabama, and Sarkisian said he's a handful to prepare for.

"He's a heck of a player. He's the straw that stirs the drink in their run and pass game," Sarkisian said. "He's infused a competitive, winning mentality into that team and we've got our work cut out of us in defending him."