"It's a really hard thing": Steve Sarkisian has eye catching remarks for Peach Bowl opponent Arizona State

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian isn't taking the Peach Bowl challenge against 2024 Big 12 champions Arizona State Sun Devils for granted. The Sun Devils beat Iowa State 45-19 to earn a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The fifth-seeded Longhorns, coming off a 38-24 win over 12th seeded Clemson Tigers in the first round, will play the fourth-seeded Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl, which is also the CFP quarterfinals, on Jan. 1.

A week ahead of the highly anticipated matchup, Sarkisian addressed the media, lauding Kenny Dillingham's program for their performance this season.

"We were in the Big 12 for 27 years, we won four. This is their first year, and they won the Big 12 Championship. It's is a really hard thing to do...The last two months, I think they're playing as good of football as anybody in the country," Sarkisian said.

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ASU's Kenny Dillingham and Steve Sarkisian has nothing but respect for each other ahead of Peach Bowl

On Monday, when both coaches faced the media, they had nothing but respect for each other. Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns coach, spoke highly of his counterpart Kenny Dillingham, calling him a "very bright football coach."

"The way he attacked them, not only on offense, but on defense, on special teams, that was a head coach that was trying to win the game," Steve Sarkisian said. "I have a lot of respect for him in that approach.

"A lot of guys put on a head coaching hat and then they go find that head coaching manual, and they kind of cookie-cutter it because that's how we're supposed to do it. I give him a lot of credit. I have a lot of respect for him, because he does what he thinks is the best thing to do, and sometimes that's not always what the manual says to do."

Dillingham, during his address to the media, also spoke highly of Sarkisian.

"There's a lot of good offensive schemes out there, and then there's offensive coaches who change their scheme and are constantly getting better. I think that's something that he's done as good, if not better, than anybody in the country," Dillingham said.

"If you turned on his tape from 10 years ago, it's going to be unrecognizable to his tape right now. That is very challenging to do when you're successful. When you're successful, you want to keep doing what got you successful, and it's very challenging, in my opinion, to be humble enough to constantly, continually adapt to the current landscape of the rules."

Interestingly, Dillingham and Steve Sarkisian have faced each other on the field before. In the 2019 Iron Bowl, Dillingham, who was the offensive coordinator of the Auburn Tigers, helped the team to a 48-45 win over Alabama whose OC at the time was Sarkisian.

The winner of the Peach Bowl will face the winner of No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 1 Oregon in the CFP semifinal.