Here are a few immediate thoughts about, and reactions to, Steve Sarkisian's Arkansas-week press conference as the team comes off a dominating win at home versus Florida in anticipation of an early Saturday kickoff in Fayetteville:
- Sark starts out by saying he was proud of the team's preparation coming off the bye. Said it was a fantastic first half of football. Over 150 yards and 14 points in the 1st Q, 21 points and over 200 yards in the 2nd Q and they were playing complementary football. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: All things considered it was a pretty good entire game of football. Sark also mentioned Alfred Collins tipping two passes that led to interceptions. Man, has that guy been making money recently, I'll have more about it in the Deep Dig later.
- Sark says it's been an "onslaught" on the football defensively lately with turnovers over the last month. Said Trey Moore, Alfred Collins, Jerrick Gibson were standouts and returning Isaiah Bond Mukuba along with a good performance from Quinn were big. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: All definite standouts.
- Anwar asked about the last Arky game: We didn't play great, playing hard but not great. We wanted to upgrade the roster, but the competitiveness of our team was good. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: Arkansas may have just given up a million points in their last game, but coming off a bye they are going to be ready to roll with two weeks to prepare. Texas needs to be ready.
- Sark was asked if the Arkansas rivalry was underrated. "Internally it's getting the respect it deserves. They absolutely hate our guts." ALEX'S THOUGHTS: LMAO
- Sark was asked by Eric Henry about going against Bobby Petrino in college: Sark told a story about he and Norm Chow had a disagreement about a play call and Lavell Edwards said to run the play Sark wanted to run. Eric also asked about playing young guys in the second half of the game. Sark said they played 12 OL, 30 guys on offense, 34 guys on defense. To play that many players in an SEC game and to coach them off that tape is huge. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: They even got tape on the young interior DL guys super early in the first half, valuable stuff for coaching them up using real-live reps that weren't garbage time.
- Sark on creating turnovers: 1) veteran secondary, 2) multitude of coverages and 3) pressure up front. Said it's not always about sacks that affect the QB. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: Alfred Collins was, again, in this game just an MVP of those non-sack plays affecting the QB in a HUGE way.
- On Cam Williams injury scare and what traits project him to be a RD1 pick: He was back at practice, feel good about that. It's his traits, his size, length physicality but now he's getting experienced. The right side gave up a stunt sack in the first Q, but they ran it again later and those guys picked it up. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: I haven't done the Deep Dig on offense yet, but in real time, Cam seemed to pick up his part of the exchange fine, it was Campbell on first glance who caused the sack -- but I'll review it when I do the work.
- On how he said he felt like the team is going on a heater before the UF game: There was real intent in the way they were practicing. When I hear communication, getting excited for teammates, celebrating with one another, it means they're engaged and they want to get it right. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: Hope they practice like that this week, I don't love going into a November SEC matchup with a team that has played in certain games at a really high level (remember they knocked off Tennessee for their one loss) when those dudes have two weeks to prepare. It's going to be their Super Bowl.
- Brian Davis asked about the 4th down deep in his own territory: "I think they want to know that I believe in them, too. We talk about being aggressive, so when I can back it up with my actions it gives them confidence." ALEX'S THOUGHTS: It worked out but I'm not man enough to have done it, especially giving the ball to a true freshman.
- Chip Brown said Jaydon Blue looked really fast out there and also about the fumbles with Gibson now fumbling this week: "When your fast guys get to play fast, that's a strength. Blue, Wingo, Bond, Silas, Wisner, those guys have elite speed. Our runners have really excelled catching the ball out of the backfield. Jerick it was good for him to know we have a power running game for him. Today, Jerick Gibson's got a football all day on the 40 acres." ALEX'S THOUGHTS: 1) LMAO Sark is making him carry the ball around. I wonder if players are trying to knock it out while he's not looking. 2) I don't put Wisner in the same category as those others speed wise by the old eyeball test but I guess Sark would know better than me.
- Is the rivalry something these young guys even know about? - We try to acknowledge history here, for a long time this was THE rivalry. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: It was never THE rivalry over aTm and Oklahoma was it? Maybe you old timers know better than me but that seems wild.
- Jeff Jones asked about Jerick carrying the football around: "have to carry it tucked up, high up against his rib-cage. The mindset, the value of the ball." ALEX'S THOUGHTS: I always tell my son that the game of football is about the actual football. The whole game is about where it goes and where it ends up and who controls it. It's something that some people don't really think about that much, but it's the simple truth. The ball is everything.
- What Trey Moore does well: 1) He garners attention. 2) excellent running games. 3) versatile. 4) Football IQ and awareness. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: Watch the first series of that game and tell me that Trey Moore didn't have a monster impact.
- Roger Wallace asked about Taylen Green's mobility -- he's huge. his size and run the way he runs, you don't think he's covering as much ground as he is, ability to make all the throws down the field and Petrino is an elite game caller and schemer. You have to defend a lot of offense. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: Is Taylen Green going to be the most dangerous running QB Texas has faced this season? I'd say it's Pavia, but Green brings a higher level of dynamism whereas Pavia is more of a wear-you-down kind of runner as far as his impact on any given down.
- Ed Clements asked if Sark likes his position in the SEC race: We can only control what we can control. We've been in this position before. Each Saturday is an SEC championship game, we can control it ourselves right now, but we have to do it one game at a time. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: Of course he has to like his positioning. How many other teams in the SEC would LOVE to currently totally control their own destiny?
- Kirk Bohls asked about how he treated rivalries at his HC stops: Never done the ex-players stuff, sometimes they get too emotional. In this day and age, you don't need bulletin board material, our guys see enough to know it's a big game. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: As he said in the last answer EVERY game right now is big, big, game.
- On downfield blocking: great things to look at. Matthew Golden makes an incredible block against an unscouted look. Cam Williams, Helm, he lists too many people and specific plays for me to even keep up with. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: I don't know how he keeps it all in his brain and just recalls it like that. I certainly noticed an awesome downfield kick out block from Kelvin Banks on a screen to Wisner.
- On Goosby being the first tackle of the bench: Super pumped for Trevor. Tall and skinny when he first got here. Worked with Becton, dieticians, -- always been extremely athletic and tough, but now he has the size to back it up. He wasn't perfect but he has a very bright future ahead of him. Great measurables that will equate to being a really good player. ALEX'S THOUGHTS: Big size 16 shoes, too. It's good that he's coming along well because there's a greater chance than not he's gonna need to start next season.
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