Steve Sarkisian raves about Texas offense, what led to strong day from Quinn Ewers
Texas went three and out to begin Saturday’s contest against Oklahoma, only gaining five yards before punting the ball away. From that point on, head coach Steve Sarkisian dominated, putting up 49 points in Dallas. A strong mix in the run and pass game guided the Longhorns to a blowout victory against their arch-rivals.
After the game, Sarkisian credited the offenses’ rhythm, saying Texas’ ability to run the ball helped quarterback Quinn Ewers. The head coach even joked saying his opening script went to waste with the quick three and out.
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“I thought we found good rhythm after the first drive,” Sarkisian said. “I look back now — so much for my openers. That didn’t start off so hot for us there right off the bat. We didn’t get the conversion on third down on the first drive but from that moment on, I felt like we had good rhythm offensively. I thought the run game set up a lot of what we were doing in the pass game.”
Winning on first down important for Steve Sarkisian
Sarkisian said in the week of preparation, Texas made a point to do well on first down. He thinks most of the damage was done with the two running backs, which in turn let Ewers have a great day at the office. The Longhorns’ playmakers, who were efficient themselves, received compliments from Sarkisian as well.
“And then, we were able to kind of win on first down,” Sarkisian said. “We kept saying it all week, ‘we got to win on first down because that’s going to give us manageable third downs when we got to them.’ I think we did that. Again, it started with the run game, was really effective. Though Bijan (Robinson), Roschon (Johnson) played really well running the football today and then Quinn was spot on.
“The ball was going where it was supposed to go, on time and the playmakers made their plays. Whether it was Xavier (Worthy), Jordan (Whittington), or JT (Sanders). I think all those guys showed up.”
Presnap motion paying off for Texas
When at Alabama, Sarkisian was able to move four first-round wide receivers all over the field. He’s used presnap motion to confuse defenses and get an early read on them. The same has been brought to Austin, installing a similarly powerful offense.
Sarkisian credited his team’s preparation once again, saying the presnap motion was key against Oklahoma. With how flawless it’s working, “it feels normal” for Texas and at this point, it’s routine for Ewers and company.
“I talked to the team last night and said ‘nobody else in college football is doing what you’re doing right now.’ The amount that we’re putting on these guys presnap, the way we go about our business — they allow us to do that stuff because of their preparation.
“They’ve owned it and been doing it at a high level. In the end, it doesn’t feel like we’re doing something so grand, it feels like normal. That’s just what we do. I think it’s been helpful.”