‘Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do’ — Texas AD Chris Del Conte Rallies Longhorn Fans Ahead of Ole Miss After Two Straight Losses

Less than two weeks ago, Texas walked into the Cotton Bowl as the No. 1 team in the country.

On Tuesday, after two straight losses and an off-field controversy involving a fan and a middle finger, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte issued a rallying cry for Longhorn fans before Saturday night’s home game against Ole Miss: “Tough times don’t last, tough people do — and we are Texas Tough.”

Chris Del Conte Asks Longhorn Nation to Bring the Noise

Both losses ended 27-24. Oklahoma won the Oct. 10 game in Dallas on Tate Sandell’s 47-yard field goal as time expired, after Texas threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, including Peyton Bowen’s 42-yard pick-six.

Florida followed a week later at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, beating a Texas team that came in ranked No. 7. Now the Longhorns (4-2) host Ole Miss (5-1) in a game that will push their College Football Playoff odds sharply one way or the other.

Del Conte posted three days after the Florida loss dropped Texas to 1-2 in SEC play, and he started an address that included an apology to Florida for a fan wielding a middle fingers with gratitude for the rest of Longhorn Nation.

“Longhorn Nation, we love you, we appreciate you and we can’t thank you enough for your support!”

The request came at the end, aimed squarely at Saturday’s Week 8 game in Austin: “We’ll see you Saturday Night at DKR. Get those Horns Up, bring the noise & let’s Hook ‘Em.”

The second loss got away late. Texas led Florida 17-3 in the second quarter before the Gators scored 24 straight points. Arch Manning cut the deficit to 27-24 with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman with 4:21 left, and the defense forced a three-and-out that gave Texas the ball at its own 46.

Two plays into that drive, Manning lost a fumble with 1:58 to play. Kanye Clark recovered for Florida, and the Gators held on.

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The Gators also had the ball for 38:11, which left the Texas offense watching from the sideline for most of the game.

Steve Sarkisian Wants a Rabid Crowd Against Ole Miss

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian made a similar pitch a day before Del Conte posted. At his Monday press conference, he pointed to the turnout for the Florida game: “We had the 11 a.m. kick last Saturday and they showed up. I’m expecting a rabid fan base Saturday night.”

Sarkisian didn’t dodge what went wrong against the Gators, a game in which Texas converted 2 of 10 third downs: “We just were really poor in critical situations in the game.”

He was just as direct about the gloom building around the program. He argued that “it’s easy to listen to the outside noise, and the sky is falling, and the season’s over, and what are we gonna do next year? Hey man, we’re 4-2, okay? Let’s be part of the solution.”

Asked what fans need to understand about this team, Sarkisian ended his answer on the stakes: “This is a very big game against a top 10 opponent, a very good football team. We’re going to need their energy. We’re going to need their passion. We’re going to need their crowd noise Saturday night.”

Sarkisian also said: “We’re right in the middle of an SEC race.” Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter is less hopeful about that.

It gives Texas a 2.5% chance to reach the SEC title game and a 1.1% chance to win it. The at-large route is wider, and the meter gives Texas a 30.8% chance to make the playoff.

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Saturday’s game swings that number either way. The meter gives Texas a 35.1% chance to beat Ole Miss.

On the meter, a win would lift the Longhorns’ playoff chances to 56.5%, and a loss would drop them to 16.9%. The meter gives the Rebels an 82.5% chance to make the field, which rises to 92.3% if they win in Austin and falls to 64.4% if they lose.

Texas and Ole Miss meet Saturday night at DKR. The Longhorns then stay home to host Mississippi State on Oct. 31.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.