Steve Sarkisian has offered a new explanation for one of the most painful losses of his Texas tenure, and it is one that may leave some Longhorn fans scratching their heads.

Reflecting on Texas’ College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Ohio State, Sarkisian said his team was not simply worn down physically. According to the Texas head coach, the Longhorns were also dealing with significant mental fatigue after navigating a long and demanding season.

“I felt like the year we played Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, we were tired,” Sarkisian said. “And not necessarily physically tired, we were mentally fatigued as well.”

That explanation adds another layer to a defeat that has continued to bother the Texas program.

The Longhorns entered the Cotton Bowl semifinal after a 13-3 season and had already survived a difficult College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Arizona State. Their reward was a matchup with an Ohio State team that was playing at an extremely high level. Texas ultimately lost 28-14, ending its hopes of reaching the national championship game for the second consecutive season.

The final score, however, does not tell the entire story.

Texas was within striking distance late in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns had first-and-goal from the Ohio State 1-yard line while trailing 21-14. A touchdown would have tied the game and potentially changed everything.

Instead, Texas failed to score.

The Buckeyes’ defense stopped the Longhorns on four consecutive plays, turning what looked like a potential game-tying drive into one of the defining moments of the season. Shortly afterward, Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer stripped Quinn Ewers and returned the fumble 83 yards for a touchdown, effectively ending Texas’ comeback hopes.

That sequence naturally led to criticism of Sarkisian’s play calling and Texas’ offensive execution. The Longhorns struggled to run the football consistently, finishing with only 58 rushing yards. They also failed to take advantage of their opportunities in the red zone, an issue that had troubled the team throughout the season.

So when Sarkisian now points to mental fatigue, it is unlikely to erase those questions.

Still, his explanation is not entirely unreasonable.

College football seasons are physically demanding, but the mental side of competing at the highest level can be just as exhausting. Texas had spent months preparing for an SEC schedule, dealing with enormous expectations and playing games with postseason implications. By the time the Longhorns reached the playoff, every mistake carried enormous consequences.

Sarkisian appears to believe that managing that mental burden is something Texas must improve.

“That’s a long season, man,” Sarkisian said while discussing the experience. He noted that his players had been working since June and July and emphasized the importance of managing their energy, not simply their physical workload.

That lesson could be particularly important for a program with national championship ambitions.

Texas has reached the College Football Playoff in consecutive seasons, establishing itself as one of the country’s premier programs under Sarkisian. But getting to the playoff and winning once there are two very different challenges.

The Ohio State loss demonstrated just how small the margin for error can become in the postseason.

For some fans, however, “we were tired” will inevitably sound more like an excuse than an explanation. Texas had a chance to tie the game from the 1-yard line and could not finish the drive. Ohio State, meanwhile, made the decisive plays when the game was on the line.

That is ultimately what makes Sarkisian’s comments so intriguing.

He is not necessarily saying fatigue was the only reason Texas lost. Rather, he is acknowledging that he believes his team was not in the ideal mental state to handle the biggest moments of the game. The goal now is to make sure that does not happen again.

The painful memory of the Cotton Bowl has already been used by Sarkisian as motivation. He has reminded his players of how close they were to reaching the national championship game and how quickly the opportunity disappeared. The loss, he believes, can become part of the foundation for a better team rather than simply another disappointing chapter.

For Texas, the challenge is straightforward: learn from the mistakes, improve the details and find a way to stay mentally sharp when the stakes are highest.

Sarkisian may believe fatigue played a role in the collapse against Ohio State. But ultimately, Texas will be judged by what it does with that lesson.

The Longhorns have already shown they can reach the biggest stage.

Now they have to prove they can finish the job.