Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says his team must now avoid the “rat poison” of listening to praise after a close loss to Alabama.

Just when it seemed like the Texas football program had hit rock bottom, out came the shovels and the figurative hole was dug further.

Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.

Bijan Robinson spent far too much of last season watching others play football.

Huddle up! Here’s a look back at the first full week of the football season, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.

Sarkisian, who was hired Jan. 2, will make $5.2 million in his first year as coach and is guaranteed a $200,000 raise each year. He will additionally receive a one-time payment of $1.2 million if he is still head coach on December 31, 2024. Sarkisian’s starting salary is over $5 million more than former head coach Tom Herman and $10 million more than former head coach Charlie Strong, according to the Dallas Morning News. AdThe University is still paying Herman $15 million over the next three years as part of his termination contract. Before that he was head coach for the University of Washington and the University of Southern California.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Fresh off a national title with Alabama, Steve Sarkisian plans big changes to Texas’ football program. Sarkisian said that while discussion about “The Eyes of Texas” and other issues are welcome, “‘The Eyes of Texas’ is our school song. Texas, without a conference championship since 2009, is itching to see if Sarkisian can produce similar results in Austin. Texas expects quick results from Sarkisian, recent winner of the Broyles Award given to college football’s top assistant coach. Asked about scheduling A&M again, Sarkisian said “I would love to play that game.”Sarkisian is Texas’ fourth head coach since 2009.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian is the latest Alabama coordinator to be drawing up game plans for a national title showdown before leaving for a new head coaching job. The Longhorns fired Tom Herman and hired Sarkisian eight days before the national championship game Monday night against No. The difference this time is the accelerated time frame from Sarkisian’s hiring to the title game. Alabama beat Oklahoma in the semifinals before a 44-16 loss to Clemson in the national title game. Nearly a month passed from his hiring to the January 2012 title game rematch against LSU, which ’Bama won 21-0.

Texas coach Tom Herman watches from the sideline during the first half of the team's Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game against Colorado, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)HOUSTON – On December 13, Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte gave Tom Herman a vote of confidence announcing that Herman would return as head football coach in 2021. Now that we have rung in 2021, Del Conte’s stance changed and the school has announced that Herman has been fired. A home loss to Iowa State had Longhorn nation demanding a coaching change after Texas was eliminated from any chance at returning to the Big 12 championship game. Texas wasted no time, immediately naming Alabama Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian as head coach.

The move comes just a few hours after Texas announced the firing of Tom Herman after four seasons with no Big 12 championships. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas was tired of waiting for Tom Herman to deliver a Big 12 title and turn the Longhorns back into national championship contenders. Texas fired Herman on Saturday after four winning seasons, then hours later announced it was giving the job to the Alabama offensive coordinator. He will be Texas’ fourth head coach since the program’s last Big 12 championship in 2009. Of note, Sarkisian was a USC assistant when Texas beat the Trojans for the national championship in the epic 2006 Rose Bowl.

Texas coach Tom Herman watches from the sideline during the first half of the team's Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game against Colorado, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)The Texas Longhorns fired football coach Tom Herman after four seasons, the the University of Texas announced Saturday. While we have made measured progress during the past several years under Tom Herman’s leadership, Chris has recommended to the university president, Jay Hartzell, that UT make a coaching change to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals. “President Hartzell and the chair of our Board of Regents, Kevin Eltife, concur with this recommendation and have approved the change. We thank Coach Herman for his service and dedication to our student-athletes, our program and our university.”Prior to his stint as the head football coach at the University of Texas, Herman served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 2015 to 2016.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – Texas has been tested all year, but losing senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger to a shoulder injury was an obstacle the Longhorns never anticipated. 20 Texas overcame Ehlinger’s injury to beat Colorado 55-23 in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night. Ehlinger missed the second half after sustaining a shoulder injury in the second quarter. Thompson started the second half in place of Ehlinger and led Texas to a touchdown on its opening possession. Texas: The Longhorns found a capable replacement for Ehlinger in Thompson.

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, file photo, Texas head coach Tom Herman, center, walks on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas has ended widespread speculation about coach Tom Herman’s future, announcing Saturday he will return in 2021 for his fifth season with the No. Herman’s best season was 2018, the only time the Longhorns made the Big 12 title game in his tenure. Texas gave Herman a two-year contract extension after that season. Still, Texas will run it back with Herman and head into 2021 with even more pressure on the coach to have the Longhorns playing more like the elite programs in the country.

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert testifies during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on intercollegiate athlete compensation on Capitol Hill in Washington. And the sporting world hasn’t collapsed,” Emmert told AP. It recommended the creation of the National College Football Association, an independent body to oversee FBS. Major college football, the commission concluded, has created inequities across all NCAA sports and hinder the association's ability to govern equitably. Emmert called the recommendation “exactly the wrong thing to do.” He told AP he agrees football has "an outsized influence” over college sports.

(AP) – Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson combined for 311 rushing yards and six touchdowns and Texas beat Kansas State 69-31 on Saturday afternoon. Robinson scored on runs of 12, 30 and 75 yards Saturday. “I knew it would take time to learn to get a feel for the game,” Robinson said. “Credit to Texas because they were ready to play today,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “I’m excited about that and for our players to send them out with another winning season,” Herman said.

His 15-yard touchdown pass to Moore in overtime helped Texas knock off previously unbeaten and sixth-ranked Oklahoma State 41-34 on Saturday. “Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games, regardless of when that is and regardless of what’s happened earlier in the game," Ehlinger said. Sanders threw his fourth touchdown pass -- a 9-yard toss to a well-covered Wallace -- to give Oklahoma State a 31-20 lead. Oklahoma State got a final shot in regulation, getting the ball back with 1:13 remaining and no timeouts. Oklahoma State visits Kansas State on Saturday.

(AP) – Sam Ehlinger passed for an early touchdown, then ran for two more in the second half to lead Texas to a 27-16 win over Baylor on Saturday that snapped the Longhorns’ two-game losing skid. After the game, Texas players stayed on the field for “The Eyes of Texas” school song that had been embroiled in controversy. Ehlinger set up Texas’ first touchdown with a 42-yard completion on a leaping catch by Joshua Moore. After forcing a turnover on downs in the final minutes, Texas ran out the clock near the Baylor goal line. Most of the team left the field before the song after Texas’ first two home games and again in Dallas when Texas lost to Oklahoma, angering some fans.

At the top of USA Today's most recent revenue rankings for college athletic departments are Texas and Texas A&M. Texas and Texas A&M have everything you need to put out a national championship-level football program. The Aggies and Longhorns refuse to play each other, but combine to form an Axis of Underachievers in the Lone Star State. In three games against Alabama under Fisher, the Aggies are 0-3 by a combined 144-75. For now, though, Texas and Texas A&M continue to prove the old adage that money can't buy happiness.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, left, talks with quarterback Kellen Mond (11) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

including the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, highlights the fifth week of the college football season. 4 Georgia on Saturday night as the second month of the season starts, but only the second week of SEC play. The first of three games that decide the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy might have sneaked up on college football fans. The Falcons will play six conference games to go along with Navy and Army. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger scores a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas Tech, Saturday Sept. 26, 2020, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mark Rogers)LUBBOCK, Texas – Sam Ehlinger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Moore in overtime, sending No. 8 Texas to a wild 63-56 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday that saw the Longhorns rally with two touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of regulation. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders were on the brink of delivering second-year coach Matt Wells a signature win over a Top 10 team and big rival. The first two set up Texas touchdowns in the first half before the last one ended the game.

Michigan and Texas both announced financial cuts and dozens of layoffs in their respective athletic departments on Tuesday. Michigan is not playing football this fall; Texas is. Those come after the school previously imposed a hiring freeze, salary reductions and team expense cuts. Even so, athletic director Chris Del Conte announced 35 layoffs and salary reductions for more than 270 people throughout the program that will save about $13 million. Texas said salary cuts would range from 5% for workers earning $50,000 or less, 10% for those earning up to $100,000 and 15% for those earning more.

The quarantine is still in place, but University of Texas head football coach Tom Herman is here to talk football. Tom will speak in a Touchdown Club of Houston virtual event about the upcoming college football season and about UT. WHAT: Virtual Longhorn LuncheonWHEN: noon, Thurs., July 23, 2020COST: FreeWHERE: Zoom put name and email in this link to register:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WFyyU8bmRSeayAK68a15XwQUESTIONS: Call Neal Farmer at 713-849-9860, or email houtdclub@att.netWEBSITE: touchdownclub.orgThere's the winds of change and the winds of Lubbock, and Texas Tech coach Matt Wells is available to discuss both with the Touchdown Club of Houston. Matt will speak in a Zoom webinar about the upcoming college football season and about Tech. WHAT: Red Raider Round-up DinnerWHEN: 7 p.m., Mon., July 27, 2020COST: FreeWHERE: Zoom link -- https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_S0ZSwen5Rampp1uhaU2_VgQUESTIONS: Call Neal Farmer at 713-849-9860, or email houtdclub@att.netWEBSITE: touchdownclub.org

As the Longhorns get ready to kick off their season against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, here are six things to keep an eye on in the season-opener. Texas' Offensive LineThe Texas offensive line remains one of the biggest question marks with this team. His 6'6'' frame makes him an easy target for Ehlinger, who will be going against a confident Louisiana Tech defense. Louisiana Tech Secondary ConfidentDarryl K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is one of the most prized places to play in all of football. It appears that the Louisiana Tech secondary is ready to put these Texas receivers to work.

Best of the rest: Isaiah Chambers, DE, MacArthur High, Houston; Ross Blacklock, DT, Missouri City, Texas; Austin Myers, OT, Manvel, Texas; Sewo Olonilua, RB, Kingwood, Texas. On defense, the star of the class is McKinney, Texas, defensive end Justin Madubuike. Best of the rest: Devin Duvernay, WR, Sachse, Texas; Patrick Hudson, OL, Silsbee, Texas; Kameron Martin, RB, Port Arthur, Texas; Zach Smith, QB, Grandview, Texas. He had 56 tackles and four interceptions as La Vega went 16-0 and won a Texas Class 4A state championship. Now Gibbs has brought in different assistants and taken charge of bringing in 14 defensive players he liked.