LONGHORNS: Steve Sarkisian Gives Brutal Honest Opinion After Texas’ Inaugural SEC Win
Texas football’s first win over an SEC conference adversary was not as lovely as head coach Steve Sarkisian had hoped.
Texas football HC Steve Sarkisian talks about the SEC opener win vs. Mississippi State
The Longhorns (5-0, 1-0) managed to defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-4, 0-2) 35-13 in a game that can be described as gritty and disorganized as they entered SEC play. Texas turned the ball over three times, incurred eight penalties for 65 yards, and possessed the ball for only 25:03 of the game.
Nevertheless, as the top-ranked team in the nation, Texas demonstrated the resilience of great teams by securing the victory.
This marks the second consecutive season that Texas football has started 5-0. They aim to maintain this momentum heading into a bye week before facing No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia in back-to-back games.
Here’s everything Coach Sark shared following the Longhorns’ first SEC victory:
On the win:
“It’s always a positive to secure a win.”
“Absolutely, we took them seriously, but our performance wasn’t up to par.”
“We needed to face some challenges to gauge our response, especially since tougher times are ahead. I thought our players handled it well today, displaying poise and composure. No one lost their temper; they stayed focused and managed to fight back and pull ahead in a challenging game. That’s what the SEC is all about.”
“I’m not sure if we would have been able to overcome what we did today in previous years.”
“When I come in on Monday, I have a lot to cover. There will be plenty for me to go over, so expect an extended review of the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
On the offense:
“I thought offensively, a lot of self-inflicted wounds today that maybe could have changed the flow of the game.”
Sark observed that running only 62 plays and finishing with almost 500 yards demonstrated explosiveness. “But we can’t keep getting behind the chains.”
Coach Sarkisian said of DeAndre Moore, “The ball really found him tonight.” Moore did not practise much this week due to a hip pointer injury he sustained against ULM, according to Sark. He gives Jordan Whittington a lot of credit for Moore’s growth.
On the defense:
“I’m sitting here thinking we gave up 13 points in an SEC game, and I wish it had been less. But we played solid defensive football and made them work for it.”
“Colin Simmons is a really good football player that is willing to learn and to grow.” Coach Sark cited Simmons and Vernon Broughton as reasons Texas was able to pressure the quarterback.
Sark stated that Michael Taaffe experienced a “stinger” and that keeping him out of the game was “precautionary.”
On Arch Manning:
“I think Arch played an excellent football game. 26 for 31, which is really efficient. Much more efficient than a week ago, but we still found explosive plays. That was positive.”
“I wanted to make sure we were getting him the completions. “I didn’t want him to feel like a home run hitter every time he stepped into the box.”
“What a privilege to have a player of his calibre as our backup quarterback. We have two excellent players. We were fortunate to get through this without having to throw Quinn (Ewers) out there, and he now has two weeks to get healthy for the second part of the season.”
On turnovers and penalties:
“We can’t keep playing games with two turnovers, false starts, and holding penalties while constantly being pushed back; that’s a formula for disaster, so we need to address those issues.”
“We’ll figure out the fumbles with Jaydon Blue. We’ll need him as the season progresses, and I don’t want anyone to think we’re giving up on him. However, in this game, sometimes you have to make adjustments. We were fortunate to have Tre Wisner healthy this week, and I thought he had an outstanding second half, providing us with a great spark.”
“I had decided that on third down, if it was 4th and 3 or less, I would go for it. When they jumped offsides on the field goal, it turned into 4th and 3, so I followed through with my decision to go for it. Leaving three points off the board could have altered the game’s outcome.”
On Quinn Ewers:
“We can’t continue to play games with two turnovers and false starts and holding penalties and playing behind the chains, I mean, that’s a recipe for disaster, so we have to clean that stuff up.”
“We will sort out [Jaydon Blue’s fumbles]. We are going to need him. We’ll need Jaydon Blue throughout the season, so I don’t want anyone to think we’ve given up on him. But in this game, you sometimes have to move and pivot. We were fortunate to have Tre Wisner healthy this week to step in, and I felt he played a great second half for us and gave us a very nice spark in the game.”
“I had decided on the third