Steve Sarkisian to review Texas offense after 27-24 loss to Florida
The Texas coach said his review will include his own play-calling after the Longhorns struggled to sustain drives and lost a late fumble.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he will review the Longhorns’ offense, including his own play-calling, after a 27-24 home loss to Florida on October 17. The defeat exposed problems sustaining drives and ended with a late turnover as Texas sought to complete a comeback.
‘We’re going to evaluate everything from an offensive perspective. Part of that is play-calling,’ Sarkisian said after the game, according to USA TODAY Sports and ESPN. He also identified scheme, execution and mentality as areas of concern. His comments set out a review; he did not announce a specific change to the offense.
Why Texas’ offense is under scrutiny
Texas ran 50 offensive plays against Florida, its fewest in a game since Sarkisian became coach, ESPN reported. Quarterback Arch Manning was sacked five times. He finished with 173 passing yards and a touchdown but lost a fumble on a sack with 1:58 remaining. Florida’s Kanye Clark recovered it, allowing the Gators to finish the win, according to ESPN.
The difficulties predated Saturday’s game. USA TODAY Sports reported that Texas entered it ranked 82nd nationally in total offense, averaging 379.2 yards per game, and had not scored more than 24 points against a Power Four opponent this season. Sarkisian cited route running, pass protection, blitz pickup and the inability to gain two yards in short-yardage situations among the problems he wants to assess.
Sarkisian resisted treating Manning as the sole cause. ‘Was Arch perfect? No. But nobody was perfect on offense today,’ he said, according to USA TODAY Sports. He said changing one player would not resolve everything. Manning said players are evaluated every week at Texas and that everyone needed to improve, ESPN reported.
Florida’s win and Texas’ next questions
Florida quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. was making his first career start. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns and ran 10 times for 41 yards, ESPN reported. The loss ended Texas’ 22-game home winning streak against unranked teams. ESPN Research said Texas became only the third team since the AP Poll began in 1936 to lose consecutive games to unranked opponents after being ranked No. 1.
Texas also lost pass rusher Colin Simmons to a lower-leg injury in the third quarter. He did not return, and Sarkisian said afterward that he did not know its extent, according to ESPN. For the offense, the immediate next step Sarkisian described was an evaluation that includes his own calls as well as the players’ execution.
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Sources and context
- Frustrated Steve Sarkisian says Texas to 'evaluate everything' after Florida collapseUSA TODAY Sports (republished by Yahoo Sports)
- Sarkisian: Texas to 'evaluate everything' after loss to FloridaESPN
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.