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Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian did not anticipate his current challenges before the season.
Sarkisian believed the offensive line he inherited was serviceable and instead focused on pursuing a multitude of linebackers in the transfer portal. Sarkisian told us this defensive line was the team's strongest unit throughout the offseason. Hudson Card was named the starting quarterback before this season. Sarkisian expected Texas to compete for the Big 12 title in his first season. In fact, he mentioned a rematch against Oklahoma in the championship game after the regular season more than once since the Red River Showdown.
However, the offensive line has struggled more than Sarkisian anticipated. The defensive line is not the team’s strength. Card was benched during the loss against Arkansas (yes, I know some Longhorn fans believe he deserves a second chance). It is very unlikely the Longhorns will appear in this year’s Big 12 title game.
Sarkisian's only remaining option is to salvage the season.
Texas currently sits at 4-3 (2-2 in the Big 12) with a mathematical chance of still making the title game. Nevertheless, a rational person without a burnt orange IV drip will not make that leap of faith after two straight disappointing losses.
Salvaging the remainder of this season entails winning at least four of the last five games. Finishing with eight wins and not advancing the championship game is a disappointing season at Texas. Nevertheless, if Texas wins at least eight games and adds a bowl victory, Sarkisian can restore the optimism Longhorn fans had after he was hired. If Texas can run the table, Sarkisian's first season would be viewed as successful.
After the bye week, Texas will travel to face Baylor (6-1, 3-1), a team that knocked off BYU on Saturday. Texas will face Iowa State on the road after Baylor, followed by Kansas at home, West Virginia on the road, and the season finale against Kansas State in Austin. It is easy to envision at least one more regular season loss. I predicted Texas would finish 8-4 before the season, and barring a five-game win streak, Texas is on pace for another Alamo Bowl or Texas Bowl appearance.
Winning is hard.
Texas held a 24-13 lead in the third quarter against Oklahoma State on Saturday before its eventual 32-24 loss.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Texas has blown double-digit leads to lose in consecutive games within a season for the first time since October 1996.
“Like anything, practice only shows you so much about individual players, about schemes, about offense, defense special teams, and then your overall team,” Sarkisian said. “Like anything, as you navigate your way through a season, things show up, and then it's our job as coaches to try to get those things fixed as quickly as possible.
“And sometimes it's individual players or technique or scheme or sometimes it's psyche. To me, coming out of this game, it was about psyche. Now, seeing it two weeks in a row, we can't play cautious. We can't play trying to hold on. I think that we do that. I think that we just are hoping the other team might make a mistake and Oklahoma State didn't make the mistakes. They just kind of kept playing their game, and ultimately we made the mistakes that caused them to get back into the game and then ultimately take the lead and win the game.”
The first-year coach is still figuring out his team.
Sarkisian said the Longhorns had their best practice before a loss against Oklahoma. He said the team rebounded from that loss and had a great practice week before a loss against Oklahoma State.
Yet, during the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State, the Longhorns were outscored 16-0 and out-gained 170-1.
Texas has been outscored 41-7 in the fourth quarter the last two weeks by Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
In addition, Texas entered the game scoring 44.5 points per game and converting on 51.9 percent of its third-down opportunities. The Cowboy defense held the Longhorns to 24 points and 4-of-14 on third down (28.6 pct.).
Texas quarterback Casey Thompson entered the game ranked fourth nationally with a 187.4 pass efficiency rating. The Oklahoma State defense held him to a 108.7 rating.
“I thought we were playing fine [against Oklahoma State], but ultimately, when you go three-and-out four consecutive series, that's tough, man,” Sarkisian said. “We did not play very good complementary football again, late into the third quarter and then in the fourth quarter. We just didn't. Teams win championships. Not one side of the ball or one area of your team. It's an overall team thing that wins ballgames and ultimately wins championships, and that takes complementary football. That's everybody playing together. That's when one side is maybe struggling, the other one can pick it up for a little bit until the other one can get going. We didn't do that today.
“It's really been two straight weeks of where we haven't done that. When offensively things are going good, it's okay to have a three-and-out now and then. It's okay to have maybe even two, but to go four in a row, that's tough because sooner or later, you get out of a gap, or you get cut off and then the ball spits out and you end up with some fatigue. That's just football, and that's why it's a complementary game. It's not about one side or the other. It's about playing collectively as a team, and we haven't done a great job of that for two weeks now.”
Sarkisian can try to hide their weaknesses during the next five games, but it is hard to make drastic changes seven games into a season.
Prior to Sarkisian, Texas struggled to consistently obtain elite offensive linemen. Javonne Shepherd was a member of Texas’ 2019 class but entered the transfer portal after his freshman season. Junior Angilau was a top recruit who signed with Texas. However, most Longhorn observers anticipated the offensive line would struggle due to the previous recruiting deficiencies.
Texas’ defense was ranked ninth in the Big 12 before Saturday. Sarkisian and his staff are loading up on defensive linemen in the 2022 class. The staff understands the need to win the line of scrimmage and stockpiling talent.
Of course, Texas has more talent than Oklahoma State. The Longhorns have more talent than every team not named Oklahoma every year. The obstacle this program has endured is finding a way to consistently win in the Big 12 with a more talented roster. And if Texas is struggling against Big 12 teams, imagine what Saturdays in the SEC will look like.
Arkansas defeated Texas, 40-21.
That same Arkansas (4-3) that looked like a powerhouse against Texas is currently 1-3 and holding down last place in the SEC West.
“Ultimately, to me, when things aren't going your way, I think you have to try to get back into executing," Sarkisian said. "How do you get all 11 guys just doing their job for numerous plays in a row to try to get momentum back? We've struggled at that for the last couple of weeks when things didn't go our way. That's on me, getting them back, and how do I get them back, and what frame of mind and state of mind do I get them to get them back.
“But that's a great challenge. That's why we coach. That's why we do what we do and love what we do. If it was easy, everybody would do it. We’ve obviously got a great challenge ahead of us and we’ll welcome the challenge. We got work to do and we'll make it happen.”
Sarkisian must salvage the season.
Individual and Team Notes
CASEY THOMPSON, QB
• Completed 15 of-27 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.
• Has thrown a touchdown pass in five-straight games.
• Has a passing or rushing touchdown in all seven games this season and each of the last eight.
BIJAN ROBINSON, RB
• Rushed 21 times for 135 yards (6.4 ypc) and two touchdowns. Also caught three
passes for 38 yards and one touchdown.
• Had rushes of 25 and 38 yards, giving him 11 plays of 20 or more yards this season and 25 in his career.
• Has scored 19 touchdowns (14 rushing and five receiving) in his last nine games.
• Has scored multiple touchdowns in four of seven games this season and six of the last nine games.
• Has scored three or more touchdowns four times in his career.
• Has scored a touchdown in nine straight games.
• Has rushed for at least 100 yards in five-straight games, tied for the fifth-longest streak in UT history.
• It was his sixth 100-yard rushing performance of the season and ninth of his career.
• Has rushed for 100 or more yards in eight of his last nine games.
• Has surpassed 100 yards rushing in eight of the last nine and nine of the last 11 games.
• Over his last 11 games, Robinson has totaled 1,446 on 193 carries (7.5 ypc) with 15 touchdowns, while hauling in 22 receptions for 336 yards (15.3 ypc) and scoring five touchdowns. All told, he has 1,782 yards on 215 plays for 8.3 yards per play and 20 touchdowns.
XAVIER WORTHY, WR
• Led the Longhorns with five receptions and 28 yards finished with 28 yards.
• Longest reception of the day was a 19-yard connection from Thompson.
MARCUS WASHINGTON, WR
• Led Texas offense with 60 receiving yards on two receptions.
• His 60 receiving yards established a new career-high.
• Had a career-long 58-yard reception.
D'SHAWN JAMISON, DB
• Had an interception in the second quarter, the fourth of his career, and first since 2019.
• Recorded five solo tackles, matching his season-high and making it two straight games with five solo tackles.
JAYLAN FORD, LB
• Had 12 tackles (seven solo) and one TFL and one quarterback hurry.
• Established career highs in tackles.
• Now has 12 solo tackles on the season, 17 assisted.
RAY THORNTON, EDGE
• Finished with six total tackles, five solo.
• Had a career-high three tackles for loss.
• Now has 13 solo tackles this season and 4.5 tackles for loss.
CAMERON DICKER, K/P
• Dicker's career points total is 356 points - fourth on UT's all-time scoring list and second among kickers (Dusty Mangrum - 358).
• Has made 55 straight PATs after going three-for-three today and added one 28-yard field goal to add to his total.
TACKLE TALLY
• The Longhorns collected a season-high eight tackles for loss, the most since
registering 12 against Oklahoma State last season in Stillwater.
• Four players registered career highs in tackles, led by Jaylan Ford with 12.
Ovie Oghoufo (eight), David Gbenda (seven), and Ray Thornton (six) also posted career bests.
• Alfred Collins tied his career-high with five tackles.
STRETCHING THE FIELD
• The first quarter featured a Keilan Robinson shovel pass for a 25-yard gain and Marcus Washington caught a career-long 58-yard pass
• Bijan Robinson had a 25-yard burst in the second quarter and a 38-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
EFFICIENT IN THE RED ZONE
• The Longhorns converted 3-of-4 red zone opportunities today with two touchdowns and one field goal.
• Texas is 31-of-34 in the red zone this year.
• UT has scored 25 touchdowns in their 31 successful red zone appearances
this season.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
(These videos are always funnier after wins)
You cannot leave kids alone for more than a minute
This dog deserved the fruits of his labor
Damn it, Derek
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian of his team’s offensive struggles: “I think we are all kind of taking turns. For whatever reason, we had a couple of false starts, which we don’t have early in the game but for some reason, they rear their ugly head. We have two issues on snaps, we don’t block the same play versus the same front like we blocked it earlier in the game. Ultimately, somewhere in there, that’s where I’m talking about that uncertainty in our mind and the cautiousness and not executing with a level of confidence like we do early in the game. Ultimately, that’s on me and I have to get that fixed in order to get us to a point where we’re believing in what we’re doing like we’re doing earlier in the ball game. Football is 60 minutes and this has been two weeks in a row where we’re trying to hold on as opposed to attacking, but we have to get it rectified because you can’t play the way we’ve played the second half of this game or the second half of last week’s game and be the team that we want to be. The thing is that we are capable of it because we show it. Now, we have to sustain that during the entire ball game. That is the issue and that’s what we have to get fixed.”
2. Sarkisian on Casey Thompson and the momentum swing: “Casey had kind of banged up his thumb, but trainers got him right and he felt good. Obviously, he played a heck of a game with almost 400 yards passing and five touchdowns, and some critical throws there. Obviously, they captured the momentum late in the third and into the fourth quarter. Momentum, when it mounts on you, I think one of the keys for us is to get it back and focus on the positive. That is something for us, we need to work on. We were kind of in their end of the field with their crowd, you could feel it and that's where you have to really execute and get the first down, then two and three to swing that momentum back. We just weren’t able to do it quick enough, but it was a good learning lesson on that front where our mental state needs to go when you're in that type of game like this.”
3. One bad aspect of Texas’ loss against Oklahoma State was Hudson Card lost a year of eligibility by taking one snap after Casey Thompson’s injury. If Sarkisian knew Thompson would return after one snap, he may have run a wildcat package with Roschon Johnson. Nevertheless, I give Card credit for being selfless at that moment and not worrying about his eligibility.
4. I did not realize it in real-time, but Texas allowed Oklahoma State to score with a little over two minutes remaining. If you go to the 3:06 mark in this video, it is clear Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski decided to let Oklahoma State score with the hope of getting the ball with enough time to score. If Thompson does not throw the interception after that touchdown, Sarkisian’s decision could have been rewarded.
5. Oklahoma State’s victory improved its record to 8-4 in its last 12 games against Texas and 6-1 in its past seven games against Texas in Austin. There is a reason why Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is dancing.
6. Say a prayer for former Texas football players D’Onta and Armanti Foreman, who lost their father, Derrick Foreman, in a trucking accident this weekend.
7. Texas has struggled to stop the run and faces Iowa State on November 6. Buckle up, Longhorn fans.
8. David Beaty finally received vindication after Kansas threw him under the bus and alleged he committed an NCAA violation. Dallas-based attorney Michael Lyons helped Beaty reach a $2.55 million settlement with Kansas in 2020 (he was owed $3 million). The NCAA officially removed Beaty from its investigation this past week, clearing the way for the former coach to pursue a college position. Former Texas coach Tom Herman tried to hire Beaty as an analyst but athletic director Chris Del Conte rejected hiring a coach under an NCAA investigation. Beaty no longer has to worry about those limitations.
Here is a portion of a story in The Kansas City Star:
"Beaty was emotional when talking about the development during a press conference with his attorney Michael Lyons on Thursday afternoon.
“Today’s a great day because when you get your name back — and you only get one of those — getting your good name back ... I’m very fortunate, because a lot of times it doesn’t happen,” Beaty said. “And I’m just so thankful to Mike.”
9. The NFL continues to find ways to make something out of nothing. Instead of two wild card teams just playing on a Saturday afternoon, putting one game in a Monday night time slot is a brilliant decision by ESPN and the NFL.
10. Yahoo boxing writer Kevin Iole made the argument that Tyson Fury is arguably one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Let us think about it for a moment. Does he have a point?
LAS VEGAS — It’s become fashionable to look down one’s nose at modern boxers and say there’s no comparison between them and the legends of the past.
And while that may largely be true, it is decidedly untrue when we’re discussing one Tyson Luke Fury.
What heavyweight in history are you certain would beat this 6-foot-9, 277-pound hulk of a man, who has an uncanny boxing ability, a heart to match his 81-inch frame, and an awkward style that is impossible to figure out?
It’s too early in his career and he has too many big fights ahead of him to slap him at the top. But Fury definitely deserves to be in the talks as one of the greatest big men in the sport’s long and sometimes glorious history.
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