It hasn’t been a pleasant week around the Texas campus. Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt down on Music Row would sure be a good pick-me-up.

Just about everybody Longhorn could use it, from coach Steve Sarkisian to quarterback Quinn Ewers and everyone else inside the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center.

“I thought our players have done a really nice job this week of getting up off the mat, working really hard, preparing really well, so that we can go out and fight another round this Saturday,” Sarkisian said.

No. 5 Texas (6-1, 2-1 SEC) is back in its usual spot as a two-touchdown favorite over No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-1). Earth hasn’t totally spun off its axis yet.

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Last week’s Georgia loss was bad enough. But then came Sunday, when the school was fined $250,000 for all the water bottles thrown onto the field. That became perfect fodder for this week’s installment of “SEC Shorts.”

Then on Monday, when UT President Jay Hartzell sent out a blast email to all Texas students about how they “embarrassed Longhorn Nation.” The Minister of Culture also admonished students for the “bottle bombing the field glitch.”

On Wednesday, when the No. 7 Texas volleyball team lost a five-set stunner to unranked Texas A&M, snapping the Longhorns’ undefeated run in SEC play and their 79-match home winning streak against conference foes.

Next was Thursday, when receiver Isaiah Bond and safety Andrew Mukuba were downgraded on the SEC availability report. Neither are expected to play Saturday against No. 25 Vanderbilt.

Asked if he chewed on the players this week, Sarkisian said, “I just coached ’em like Coach Sark always does.”

His tone with reporters had a no-nonsense vibe. Sarkisian seemed ready to bash a guitar over the Commodores’ heads, not play one.

“Quinn's had a really good week of work,” the coach emphasized. “I think he’s really dialed into the game plan. I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence. And again, I’m looking forward for him to get another opportunity as a competitor, to go back out and compete at a high level.”

‘He’s the straw that stirs the drink for them’ — Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia could give Texas fits in Week 9

Nobody loves to study quarterbacks more than Texas coach Steve Sarkisian. Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia seems like a player Sarkisian would love. Pavia has taken the SEC by storm this season. The Albuquerque native was a three-time state wrestling finalist and multi-sport star while growing up in New Mexico. He started his college football career at […]

Ewers was benched briefly in the second quarter against Georgia. Nothing was working, and Sarkisian was hitting the Control-Alt-Delete buttons. It didn’t help matters when Arch Manning also lost a fumble and generally couldn’t get it going.

Ewers did reset himself in the locker room at halftime and played much stronger in the second half. The Horns managed 15 points, but in all honesty, they were running uphill and the Dawgs were having a night.

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea is prepared for anyone and anything. He’s expecting to face Ewers at FirstBank Stadium. He's going to unleash a roster featuring 20 Texans that would love nothing more than to beat the flagship school from their home state.

“I believe that this is a system on offense that doesn’t change dramatically with respect to who’s taking the snaps,” Lea said. “So we’re preparing to defend the system. Obviously, both quarterbacks have played, and so I wouldn't be surprised to see both.”

If Texas is who most of the nation thinks it is, then the Longhorns will come out and dominate the pesky ’Doers. Ewers and the offense should get back to doing their thing. The nation's No. 1-ranked total defense should play like it. Let Vandy's Diego Pavia lengthen his highlight reel against someone else.

Nobody’s throwing goal posts in the Cumberland River on Saturday night, as far as the Horns can help it.

“We all know what happened on Saturday, and we all take it. We all take the blow to the head,” linebacker David Gbenda said of Georgia. “You know, I’m saying we just understand that we’ve got to improve holistically and just got to put the past behind us and just take our next best step forward.

“We’re not going to give up, that’s what I’ve learned about this team.”