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It's safe to say Steve Sarkisian was exhilarated after the Longhorns' first victory over Ohio State since the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. A 20-point fourth-quarter comeback had the entire Austin home crowd jubiliantly roaring — everyone except ESPN's Holly Rowe, that is.
After the game, Rowe was just about to interview Coach Sarkisian on the field with his team celebrating behind him. After a few short words to the ESPN reporter, the Longhorns coach ran off and left Rowe statue-like with a scowl written across her face.
The clip of the Texas head coach running off went quite viral, and there could be a reason other than wanting to celebrate with his team that was the impetus of Sarkisian flying off.
Here's the video of the interview with Rowe, and some background information on the ordeal.
MORE: How did Texas storm back to overcome a 20-point deficit against Ohio State?
Watch Steve Sarkisian snub ESPN's Holly Rowe
On the ESPN broadcast, Rowe managed to snag Sarkisian for a post-game interview while the pair was still on the gridiron. The moment was short-lived, however, and the ESPN reporter couldn't even get halfway into her question before the coach blew her off.
Here is a video of the event, with Rowe's face going viral:
— On3 (@On3) September 13, 2026While Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium roared to the point that Sarkisian's words were barely audible, viewers were able to hear the end of what the coach said before leaving Rowe in the dust: "Texas fight, Hook'em."
Prior to the postgame interview, Sarkisian had already blown off ESPN's halftime interview. At that point, his Longhorns were down 20-3, and all hope looked bleak. Many fans originally believed he had no desire to speak with the media. However, ESPN's Laura Rutledge later revealed that the network had technical difficulties that prevented the interview.
"Alright, we actually just lost Sark because he had to go. I'm sorry about that, you guys. He waited for a long time. Credit to him for waiting. We'll try to get him on the way out of the half." - Laura Rutledge on Texas HC Steve Sarkisian pic.twitter.com/pacpABhvZh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 13, 2026Here's what Rutledge said after the game, giving viewers the full context that Sarkisian was not at fault.
Laura Rutledge: "I do want to make sure we clear something up. [Steve Sarkisian] did decline the interview at the half. He had waited a long time, been very patient with some technical issues that we had. He apologized to us. We should be apologizing to him, which we did." https://t.co/y9o6lXgNhx pic.twitter.com/yE08r5BNpD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 13, 2026MORE: Is Ohio State officially in trouble after fourth-quarter choke?
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