Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian’s wife, Loreal Smith, has often grabbed fans’ attention with her game-day fashion choices. The fashion designer turned heads in a couture cowgirl outfit ahead of last month’s clash against the Oklahoma Sooners. She also made a statement with her killer boots during the Buckeyes game in September. However, Smith was absent from Saturday’s Week 10 matchup against the Missouri Tigers. And the reason behind her absence is worrying.
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“Hey everyone, unfortunately I am not at today’s game,” she said on her Instagram story on Saturday. “My son and I have been sick the past, like, week and a half, and it just wasn’t smart of us to travel. So, we’ll be watching the game from home. Happy game day. Peace out.”
The 41-year-old did not disclose the exact nature of her illness. This is not the first time she has fallen ill this season. Back in September, Smith revealed that she had been “severely under the weather with the flu” and nearly missed Texas’s season opener.
Although she eventually recovered enough to attend the game, Smith disclosed that she and Steve stayed on opposite sides of the house to prevent him from catching the illness.
While unrelated and years in the past, Smith had suffered a chemical burn to her eye that affected about 30% of the cornea, temporarily impairing her vision. She took a short break from social media while it healed. That same year, she also suffered a minor hand injury when a clothing rack collapsed at work and pinched her hand. The 41-year-old covered the bandage with a glove while attending a Texas game.
Regardless, while Loreal Smith had to stay back home, her husband’s team rallied from behind to defeat Missouri, improving to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play. Despite trailing 20-13 in the third quarter, the Longhorns fought back through Arch Manning, who threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Raleek Brown also played a crucial role, contributing 133 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
Texas scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. This allowed Steve Sarkisian to reflect on the criticism and doubts surrounding the Longhorns before the game.
“Nobody believed we’d win the game,” he said. “Nobody thought we were going to come here and win the game. Nobody thought we were tough enough at the line of scrimmage. Everybody thought we’d get pushed around.”
He credited the team’s resilience and ability to stick together despite injuries and adversity, adding, “The DNA of this organization is mental and physical toughness.” Sarkisian also highlighted Texas’ record against ranked opponents, declaring, “We’re big game hunters. And we showed up again today.”
Texas now faces three crucial matchups to close out its regular season: the LSU Tigers on Saturday, November 14, the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, November 21, and the Texas A&M Aggies on Friday, November 27. With their College Football Playoff hopes still alive, the Longhorns will need to win at least two of these remaining games to strengthen their case for a place in the 12-team postseason field.
Hopefully, Sarkisian’s wife, Loreal Smith, will be healthy enough to cheer on the team from the stands for all three games.