21 fourth quarter points in a comeback win is bound to get any coach fired up. But for Steve Sarkisian, this was redemption which was due since last year. Unfortunately, the emotions overtook him and he did not live up to the expectations of how a winning head coach should behave after the final whistle has blown.

The Longhorns HC found himself in hot water for dodging the broadcast cameras. What should have been his proudest moment quickly turned awkward when ESPN reporters Laura Rutledge and Holly Rowe were left holding the mic with no coach in sight.

Viral video clips claiming Sarkisian blew off reporters hit their peak right after the game ended. As veteran journalist Holly Rowe stepped up for the mandatory live postgame interview, Sarkisian didn’t even stop walking completely. It was clear that all he wanted was to join his team. So he shouted “TEXAS FIGHT, HOOK ‘EM!” right over her questions and headed straight for the tunnel, leaving Rowe visibly shocked on national television. This live postgame brush-off, caught clearly on camera, is what truly fueled the fan backlash and cemented his unpleasant image for the night.

The outrage actually started building at halftime when Sarkisian ran up the tunnel without speaking to Laura Rutledge. While ESPN later clarified on air that technical issues on their side caused the delay, social media had already made up its mind. The broadcast glitch planted the seed among fans that Sarkisian was deliberately dodging the cameras, turning a simple technical delay into a viral narrative before the game even ended. This was not being completely fair to Sark.

After the halftime whistle, the Texas HC was operating under intense pressure. They had a lot to sort out as the program trailed by double digits after Ohio State dominated nearly every phase of the first two quarters. Quarterback Arch Manning was having a rough outing. Sarkisian’s main focus was getting into the locker room to salvage the game, not doing television soundbites. He still waited despite the state of the game in front of him. It was the delay on the camera crew that forced him to not do the interview questions.

Even with that context, fans online were not ready to let him off the hook. Many pointed directly to Rowe’s expression of disbelief at the end of the game as the coach brushed past her mid-sentence. Comments flooded X calling the move plain rude, with viewers noting they had rarely seen a veteran reporter like Rowe look so genuinely taken aback on the sidelines.

“So rude,” one fan commented on Sarkisian’s reaction when the reporter tried to ask his thoughts about the game. Another X user pointed to Rowe’s expression of disbelief as Sarkisian walked past her mid-sentence.

“I’ve never seen Holly look mad,” an X user wrote. An X user, on the other hand, echoed the same sentiment, pointing to Holly Rowe’s expressions as the camera moved to her. “She took it so personally,” the fan wrote.

Many fans felt Sarkisian should have shown basic courtesy to the two veteran journalists. Instead of the focus staying on Texas’ landmark win, social media spent the night debating coach etiquette.

Though Rowe was simply doing her job of reporting on live television, some fans even dragged her for asking questions that would be irrelevant to the celebration. “She is as going to ask the same lame a– questions,” another X user commented.

Questions Still Linger For Arch

Despite winning the game with three unanswered touchdowns in the last quarter, Manning struggled in the passing game. In multiple instances, he held onto the ball for too long and was sacked, losing precious yards. If not for the solid running game and a stout defense, Texas would not have been able to pull through.

The Heisman claims will need to wait as Arch needs to clean up his game and prove that he can stay poised in the pocket. It doesn’t get easier for them down the stretch either.

Strong SEC opponents like Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and the Aggies still lie ahead. There is plenty of season left for the wheels to come off. The Longhorns cannot afford to breathe a sigh of relief as they continue their playoff push.

But in the meantime, this victory was a monumental turning point for Steve Sarkisian’s tenure at Texas. After years of criticism over falling short in high-stakes games, knocking off top-ranked Ohio State flips the playoff race wide open and proves Texas is a legitimate national title contender under his watch.

Arch Manning walked away with the biggest win of his college career, and Texas proved it can pull off miracles against top-ranked teams. Yet, Sarkisian’s hasty exit stole the headlines. Winning on the field is one thing, but on live national TV, how you treat the people holding the microphone matters just as much to the fans watching at home.