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Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian did not express the same concerns some Longhorn observers expressed after the spring game on Saturday.
This was the first glimpse fans and media members had at Sarkisian’s team since he was hired, outside of the short videos UT posts on social media. Longhorn observers were informed about specific players and practice outcomes, but the Orange-White game provided everyone with a chance to finally peek behind the curtain. It was our opportunity to see Sarkisian’s new offense and witness the attacking defense Longhorn observers heard about this spring.
All gas, no brakes?
Sarkisian was watching the speed limit on Saturday.
“Spring game,” Sarkisian said.
There it is.
I am not saying to ignore everything you saw on Saturday. Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood has the tough task of figuring out how to get the most of a group of players he inherited. Neither quarterback distanced themselves in their competition. Receivers coach Andre Coleman needs some of his guys to stay late after practice and work on their craft. Coach Bo Davis looks like the defensive line whisperer. Terry Joseph has a lot of talented cornerbacks to work with. We witnessed good and bad outcomes on Saturday.
Here is something most Longhorn observers did not know in the moment yesterday - Sarkisian did not call plays during the spring game.
Instead, Sarkisian delegated play-calling duties to his assistant coaches. Also, Texas operated with a limited playbook during the Orange-White game. The Longhorns were focused on installing plays in their 14 practices before Saturday. Everything was about learning and executing the playbook.
A playbook that was not on display this weekend.
Sarkisian was not trying to win the spring game. Instead, Sarkisian wanted to spend the final practice evaluating his players. He wanted to see how they reacted in specific situations. Sarkisian was focused on how his players handled the pressure. He wanted to see if players lined up in the right spot. The first-year coach watched how coaches interacted with players. He examined how players communicated with their teammates during the spring game.
Those checkmarks cannot be found inside the game statistics.
“On days like this, you know, you try to split the staffs as best you can and let those guys kind of manage some of the personnel,” Sarkisian said. “I just wanted to make sure we are getting some substitutions done and let them understand the situations. I literally was sitting back and watching our guys compete, watching them play. Seeing the guys that could kind of persevere and fight through when they got a little when they got a little tired. That was some of the things I was looking for. I really wasn't involved in any of the play calls or anything. I was really letting it go and let those guys handle it.”
We have to remind ourselves that Sarkisian’s strength is play-calling. Longhorn observers remember watching Sarkisian’s offense pick apart Ohio State during the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Sarkisian is a game planner who pinpoints the weaknesses of opposing teams and exploits them.
I believe the floor for Texas this season is eight wins. If Sarkisian’s preparation, play-calling, and in-game adjustments are successful at Texas, he becomes the “It” factor who wins 10-or-11 games every year.
In other words, try not to hit the panic button.
The season opener against Louisiana is 132 days away.
Texas quarterback Casey Thompson completed 23 of 42 passes for 242 yards and threw two interceptions, while Hudson Card completed 12 of 25 passes for 168 yards one touchdown. Most Longhorn observers were expecting fireworks from the quarterbacks. However, Sarkisian thought they played well.
“I thought they managed it fine,” Sarkisian said. “I thought maybe both guys were maybe a little bit jittery at times in the pocket and lost our eyes, but that's understandable in a spring game. I thought there were some other really good throws that were made, and we had a couple of drops in there, but, again, I think overall efficiency, not bad. Now, we just got to make sure we're efficient in the red area and we’re scoring touchdowns.”
There is a reason why Sarkisian is not freaking out.
Here is a portion of an article describing the quarterback performance at Alabama during the 2019 spring game:
“Crimson was led by starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the first-team offense, while the first-team defense played for White. Tagovailoa had somewhat modest production aided by a late touchdown with 265 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 19-of-37 passing, and he was outperformed by backup Mac Jones on the White team.
“Jones had the benefit of facing the second-team defense, but he took advantage by throwing for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 19-of-23 passing. Tagovailoa's brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, also played for White and went 6-of-9 for 93 yards with one touchdown and one pick.”
If you want to know what overreacting to a spring game looks like, here is what an AL.com columnist wrote after that contest.
“On Saturday, he wasn’t consistent in Alabama’s spring game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tua’s Crimson team lost to the White team 31-17. He had his moments, but it wasn’t a very Tua-like performance.
“Kind of like the national championship game.
“For Alabama, it’s time to start worrying. For everyone else, it is time to compare.
“Some of those throws Tagovailoa attempted in San Jose were awful, and Hurts, the backup quarterback, saved the season in Atlanta. For all of Tagovailoa’s greatness in 2018 against mediocre teams (LSU, Auburn and Oklahoma), his struggles in championship games defined his first full season.
“Now he’s a junior, and he can be drafted in the NFL this time next year, so people like good ol’ Trent are pretty confident this is Tua’s last season at Alabama. Before even being projected as a first-round pick, Tua still has a lot to prove. (Trent [Dilfer], for the record, said Tua is already a better prospect than Dan Marino, Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers.)
“Crack kills, Trent.
“And so does hype.”
I think we can agree that Tua Tagovailoa was a damn good quarterback when healthy that season.
Clearly, I am not comparing Card or Hudson to Tagovailoa.
Instead, it explains why Sarkisian did not overreact on Saturday.
“I thought the receivers, in general, were a little anxious to start,” Sarkisian said. “I thought they settled down and settled in. I thought we laid a good foundation for these guys heading into the summer.”
Sarkisian may think highly of Roschon Johnson, but Bijan Robinson is special. The coach hinted toward rotating running backs this spring. Yeah, Robinson is Sarkisian’s best offensive player, and this coach is known for playing his best athletes until opposing teams scream uncle.
The defensive line was very impressive. We heard that unit was making plays throughout the spring, and this might be the time to load up on Moro Ojomo stock – snatch up Keondre Coburn if you can afford it.
In addition, the defensive backs played extremely well.
“I thought secondary wise, again, it was a little bit of a watered-down version of our defense,” “Not as much variety as you’ll see in the fall, whether it was from a coverage standpoint or a pressure standpoint. I thought our guys were competitive on the ball. Obviously, Jamison with a big interception there at the end of the first half to return it for a touchdown was a huge 14-point swing. As our defensive line is concerned, I think we're an active group up front. We were active today and we weren't moving them as much as we'd been moving them coming into this game. So, again, I think that they provide a real strength to our team, starting up front on your defensive line, but their activity in our attacking style is going to be critical to our success.”
Sarkisian is not worried because the following injured players missed the spring game and are expected to participate in training camp: P Ryan Bujcevski (knee), OL Rafiti Ghirmai (hamstring), LB D.J. Harris Jr. (knee), WR Dajon Harrison (ankle), LB Jaden Hullaby (knee), OL Derek Kerstetter (ankle), TE Brayden Liebrock (shoulder), DS Justin Mader (shoulder), LB DeMarvion Overshown (shoulder), WR Jake Smith (foot), and DL T’Vondre Sweat (shoulder).
Also, the incoming freshmen and transfers will hit campus later this year.
“Clearly, we've got a long way to go, but that's why we work at it,” Sarkisian said. “We've come a long way here over three and a half months, but we got plenty of work to do here, starting in June, and then in the fall camp.”
It was just a spring game.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
If you ever worked in customer service, get ready for a huge morning laugh
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Steven Adler’s distant cousin
Sports On A Dime
1. Sarkisian on what the next few weeks will look like: “I will meet with every player. Have an individual meeting with every player. We got to do a great job of finishing school, finishing the semester and then doing a great job with finals. They'll get a couple of weeks off there and then we'll crank it back up here, June 1.”
2. Sarkisian on what the quarterbacks need to do going forward: “The biggest thing we're looking for is a level of consistency. I think naturally, especially when people come to the spring game, they're looking for the wow plays. The wow plays are dangerous plays if you don't play consistently because they can distract you from maybe some mishaps along the way. We look for consistency. We look for doing what you're asked to do, consistently doing your job down after down, after down. And then those plays, those wow-type plays, naturally occur. We didn't try to force those things today. We just wanted to see and manage the offense that they were charged to manage and see how consistently we could play. I think we definitely have some room to grow in that area as we go into the summer and into fall camp.”
3. Is it time to give Kai Money some damn respect? Money caught a touchdown pass and threw a 41-yard pass to tight end Gunnar Helm. He may not be a superstar, but Money is definitely consistent.
4. Speaking of respect, he is no longer known as “The kicker.” Sarkisian actually said “Cameron Dicker” when asked if the kicker is an option to remain at punter when Ryan returns: “I think Cameron's a real option at punter. He's a really good kicker in general. Kick off, field goal, and punter. We'll go through fall camp there and when the time comes to start the season, we’ll put the best players in a position that gives the team the best chance to have success at every position, and punter won't be any different.”
Enjoy the respect, Cameron Dicker.
5. This was the best play on Saturday
6. Staying with the theme of spring game overreactions …
7. Longhorn fans will finally learn if former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger will be drafted. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero interviewed team executives, scouts, and coaches and believes Ehlinger, ranked 11th on his list, is either a seventh-rounder or undrafted:
“With 43 career starts, Ehlinger (6-1 1/8, 220) is the most experienced QB in this class and accounted for 127 touchdowns with the Longhorns -- 94 passing and 33 running -- in a no-huddle, run-first, spread offense light on NFL-style concepts. "He can throw the s--- out of the RPO slant, I'll tell you that. If I need him to complete an 18-yard dig route, I have no idea, because it's not on tape," an NFC quarterbacks coach said. "I just liked [Ehlinger] as a tough-ass, competitive dude." Ehlinger's vertical jump (36.5) was the best among draftable QBs who tested this year. He was a two-time team captain and a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy (a.k.a. the academic Heisman).
"I'm not an Ehlinger guy," an NFC coordinator said. "Now, his interview was unbelievable. That kid should be a coach." Ehlinger fulfilled a lifelong dream by suiting up for Texas, the alma mater of his father, Ross, who passed away in 2013 from a heart attack while competing in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. "This kid is super mature, really grounded," an AFC quarterbacks coach said. "He doesn't quite throw it well enough."
8. Here is what Pelissero said about SMU quarterback Shane Buechele, ranked 12th on his list:
“Buechele was the starter at Texas before ankle and shoulder injuries in 2017 opened the door for Sam Ehlinger, who never gave back the job. Buechele left as a graduate transfer and spent the past two seasons at SMU, leading the Mustangs to a 17-6 record while completing 63.8 percent of his passes for 7,024 yards and 57 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. "Just watching him play, he's a little bit like [Case Keenum]," an AFC coordinator said. "He's not the best passer, but he'll move around to make plays and improvise a little bit." Like Ian Book, Buechele has size (6-0 1/4, 210) and arm talent working against him. But Buechele has leadership traits, is competitive, and has the chance to develop into a solid backup with upside. "He's a good little college football player," an AFC quarterbacks coach said. "Probably a real low ceiling, but he'll be in the mix."
9. Do you want to know how special Max Verstappen so special? Verstappen ran side-by-side with Lewis Hamilton while driving on the grass in the rain and then passed him during a difficult turn. That’s the kind of precision driving that will constantly have him on the podium for a long time.
10. Floyd Mayweather has perfected the art of taking fights that result in a huge payday with very little risk. Mayweather’s fight against Logan Paul will last as long as the champion desires.
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