'Unacceptable': Steve Sarkisian Explains Texas Longhorns Second Half Woes
AUSTIN, TX -- The Texas Longhorns are 9-1 and on the verge of clinching a spot in the Big 12 championship game in Arlington next month.
And if the Longhorns can win vs. Iowa State on Saturday, and then vs. Texas Tech in the final week of the regular season, they will do just that.
However, that is unlikely to happen if they continue their recent trend of blowing big leads to their opponents.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, Sarkisian is aware of where the issue lies, and what they need to do to fix it.
“We did things out of character. We have to do a better job of keeping our mental intensity, our focus, and continuing to play the brand and style of football that got us that lead," Sarkisian said." For a team that has been so good in the fourth quarter all year, for us to get outscored 20-3 in the fourth quarter I would say is out of character and I would say is unacceptable.”
Sarkisian is right that the Longhorns have been, for the most part, a fourth-quarter team this season.
Against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Longhorns dominated the fourth frame, closing out the game in what remains to this day the most impressive win for any team in the 2023 college football season. They did the same against Kansas, outscoring the Jayhawks 27-7 in the second half.
Texas Longhorns defensive back Terrance Brooks defense a TCU wide receiver
Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK
However, that has certainly not been the case over the last four weeks, with the Longhorns blowing leads of 21, 20 and 20 points to Houston, Kansas State and TCU, respectively - each game of which the Horns survived by a single score.
In fact, the only game they truly won comfortably since the Kansas matchup, was against BYU on October 28.
So why have the Longhorns been prone to giving up those leads? According to Sarkisian, it is a multi-faceted issue. But as far as the Longhorns' defense goes, he believes they need to minimize explosive plays and stay aggressive.
“How do you get back into a game when you’re behind by 20 points? You get quick scores. We have to minimize their ability to score quickly on defense, yet still remain aggressive," Sarkisian said. "We can’t let people get comfortable and I think that we let them get comfortable on the flip side."
That said, that doesn't mean the offense hasn't been without its issues either. Sure, the Longhorns were without Quinn Ewers vs. Kansas State. But against Houston, the Cougars got back into the game with Ewers still perfectly healthy.
Meanwhile, against TCU, Ewers played all four quarters - so it is not a quarterback question.
Instead, Sarkisian believes the issue to be in the offense's ability as a whole to possess the football and extend drives.
"Offensively, we have to possess the ball and how do you possess it? You don’t turn it over. You extend drives on third down. Turnovers two weeks ago, not converting third downs the other night. Makeable 3rd and 1s, 3rd and 2s. That’s what you ask for as a coach and to go 2-for-8 in those scenarios, that’s not good enough.”
Luckily for the Horns, there is still time to figure these issues out.
Either way, they remain 9-1 and in the thick of the Big 12 and College Football Playoff races.
And that's exactly where they want to be.
“This is the fun part, to be in the middle of November and be in a championship race,” Sarkisian said.
