Commish to Tech: ‘Take care of business’ vs

Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff WriterAug 23, 2023, 07:00 PM ET

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Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com since 2010. He formerly worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.Texas coach Steve Sarkisian

stated previously this month that his message to his team this year was “welcome the hate.”He may not have actually anticipated it to come from

the Big 12 commissioner, however.When league employer Brett Yormark spoke at Texas Tech’s Red Raider Club kickoff luncheon Wednesday, he provided a message to coach Joey McGuire about his expectations for Tech’s game versus the Longhorns in their final regular-season game in the conference before leaving for the SEC.”Coach [McGuire], I’m not going to put any pressure on you, however I’m gon na be

in Austin for Thanksgiving, OK? And you ‘d better take care of business like you did right here in Lubbock in 2015, “Yormark said to cheers from the audience.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated The comments will add a little extra spice to the game that was currently circled after in 2015, when

the Red Raiders beat the Longhorns 37-34 and the Texas Tech social media team tweeted a video of McGuire in the locker space stating,”I told you they were gon na break, and they did. The nation’s gon na find out: Everything runs through Lubbock!”McGuire smiled at Big 12 media day this year when inquired about the video, saying his comments were meant for his locker room and not the general public, but that he waits them, adding, “There’s nothing that comes out of my mouth that I do not genuinely 100 percent think.”Sarkisian said on Aug. 1 that the Longhorns understand they’ll have a bull’s- eye on their back all season, saying they were”on a mission.””I believe that they have actually type of assumed this mentality of, ’em brace the hate,'”

Sarkisian stated. “We get it. We’re the University of Texas, we get it. This is our last year in the Huge 12. We can

sit there and be a punching bag, or we can go attack the people that we’re going to play. And I believe that they have actually assumed that duty to say, hey, we’re gon na go after everybody else, too. I think that that’s the right mindset to have. “Oklahoma and Texas’Big 12 grant of rights went through 2025, but both schools agreed in February to pay an overall of$100 million to leave early and sign up with the SEC next season.Texas president Jay Hartzell said when the early exit was revealed that the

Longhorns were eagerly anticipating completing a last season with “our friends and rivals.”” Openly, we had the ability to get Texas and Oklahoma out of here early,”Yormark said Wednesday.

“That was a huge offer for us and I think [for] all of you.”