Texas ready for ‘bare-knuckle fight’ against Michigan: ‘It starts now!’

AUSTIN — The No. 4-ranked Texas Longhorns started the 2024 season with a bang Saturday, beating the Colorado State Rams in a 52-0 home victory.

Attention now turns to the Week 2 game against the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, but the Longhorns aren’t waiting until the weekend is over to begin their preparation before heading north.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and several players were asked about the upcoming matchup with the defending national champions after Saturday’s win. Here’s what they had to say:

Steve Sarkisian Talks Michigan Talent

“Going to Michigan is a heck of a challenge,” he said. “I know everyone’s going to point out that they lost 13 draft picks. Well, we lost 11, right? And so, everyone says we’re a pretty good team. So I think good programs reload. They have players. They know how to develop their players. They’ve been to the College Football Playoff three years in a row. And then they finally won last year. So they’ve got a heck of a team, a heck of a roster.”

Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron prepares for Michigan

“It starts now, it doesn’t start Monday,” Barron said after the game on the Longhorn Radio Network. “And what you do now in preparation for today is just take care of your body and things like that to be ready for Monday.”

Texas QB Quinn Ewers on facing defending champions

“We’re all looking forward to getting on the podium and being able to play against the defending national champions,” Ewers said. “We’re excited for the opportunity and we’re looking forward to seeing how we handle this week.”

Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. talks about the ‘fight’ ahead

“I feel like we did a good job, but it could always be better,” Hill Jr. said. “Obviously, we know where we’re going next week. We know we have to be more physical. We know what kind of battle we’re getting into. … A fight.”

Steve Sarkisian talks about players already preparing for Michigan

“They told me in the locker room that the preparation starts now, they’re doing a team recovery. Cold bath, icing, they don’t want anybody to come out of that locker room,” Sarkisian said. “They want to get ready to play.”

Texas LB David Gbenda on being ‘excited’ for the game

“Michigan is a great team with a lot of tradition and they’re coming back with a lot of talent,” Gbenda said. “It’s going to be a great game and I know they’re going to be as motivated as we are. So going into that environment and getting ready to compete is going to be incredible. It’s going to be fun. But the level of preparation, of course, is going to have to be more detailed than that, but Coach Sark and the coaches are going to get us ready for that.”