In football, there are winners and losers in every game. Sure, a game can end in a tie, and a player can have a star-making performance in a losing effort, but as a general rule, the term “moral victory” is about as memorable as being the fourth-place finisher in the Olympics who will eventually fade into obscurity.
Could the Texas Longhorns' loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide be considered a moral victory? Sure, the team only lost by one point to arguably the best team in the NCAA and very well might have pulled out the win in the end had their final drive lasted more than a literal second, but ultimately, their win-loss recorded will sit at 1-1 with a chance to make it into the college football playoffs a much more challenging endeavor.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian, however, doesn't think about things that way. No, directly quoting Vince Lombardi to the assembled media in a game against his eventual understudy, Nick Saban, Sarkisian told reporters, “We didn’t lose today. We just ran out of time.”
Now granted, technically, Texas did lose the game, as their aforementioned win-loss record confirms, but as a general rule, his statement to the fans, to his players, and to Longhorn nation as a whole is one of hope. Though the team won't join the SEC until a few years down the line, getting reps now against teams like Alabama is crucial for continued success, even if there's no guarantee Sarkisian is even still coaching the team that far into the future.
Quoting Vince Lombardi after falling to Nick Saban. Respect it. https://t.co/ZmA40Es9yl
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) September 10, 2022
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