Texas woeful in SEC comparisons but Steve Sarkisian stays confident in play calls

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed on Monday that he intends to continue in his roll calling plays for the Longhorns, despite a miserable performance against Kentucky that drops Texas near the bottom of the SEC rankings in most offensive categories. Long reknown as an offensive wizard, Sarkisian has Texas fans scratching their heads after Week 8.

Sarkisian comments on keeping the play-calling duties

Asked if he would be handing off play calling duties, Sarkisian shook his head. "That's why I got hired, because I was a really good offensive coordinator," said Sarkisian. "Being a play caller on offense is one of my strengths. Some may disagree; that's okay."

Texas's offensive struggles

More than a few might have questioned Sarkisian after Texas gained just 179 total yards in a 16-13 overtime win against Kentucky. It's the fewest yards that Texas has managed since a 38-3 loss to Notre Dame in 2015. Of Texas's 12 games since 1985 with under 200 yards, none of the others were wins.

Texas now ranks 11th in the SEC in scoring offense at 26.7 points per game and 11th in yardage with 368.1 yards per game. Despite the presence of preseason Heisman candidate Arch Manning, Texas is 13th in the SEC in passing yardage (218.7 yards per game) and 11th in QB rating. Texas ranks 11th in the league in rushing with 149.4 yards per game.

It's not just the most obvious stats that confirm how awful Sarkisian's offense has been. Texas is 13th in the SEC on third down conversions (38.1%) and 15th in fourth down conversions (41.7%). The Longhorns are 13th in the league in red-zone scores (80%) and 12th in touchdown red-zone conversions (60%). The Horns have also managed just 88 plays of 10+ yards on the season, which is 13th in the SEC.

This is a massive decline from Texas's first SEC season, when the Longhorns were fourth in the SEC in scoring at 33 points per game. Texas hasn't finished under 30 points per game since 2017, when Tom Herman's team averaged 29.5 ppg. Even in his initial 5-7 season at Texas, Sarkisian's offense put up 35.3 points and 425 yards per game.

But 5-2 Texas will still have Steve Sarkisian calling the plays. For once, the rest of the SEC might breathe a sigh of relief at that information.