Steve Sarkisian addresses controversial fake punt vs Baylor
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian made a hero or zero call during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 31-24 loss against Baylor. Unfortunately, the gutsy play turned into a questionable call when punter Cameron Dicker failed to pick up the first down on a fake punt.
Steve Sarkisian addressed the controversial fake punt, and the resulting score during his postgame press conference.
“It was a run-pass option,” said Sarkisian. “They feathered it, played it pretty well. He had a goal-call option which he took and they played it well. Hindsight is 20/20, if I saw that look again I’d probably check out of it, punt the ball. But that’s – when you fake punts and you do those kinds of things – you’re rolling the dice. When they hit they’re great, when they don’t there’s a potential for a momentum swing. And that’s where you’d love to get the stop and we weren’t able to do that.”
If Sarkisian could have it back, he would probably opt to travel three weeks back instead. The Longhorns are now on a three-game losing streak with a road game against preseason top 25 Iowa State looming.
With a struggling defense and inexplainable second half collapses, Texas must focus on the task ahead: becoming bowl eligible. After Iowa State, the Longhorns face Kansas, West Virginia and Kansas State.
Texas’ fake punt controversy
Texas made a questionable decision to run a fake punt against Baylor in the fourth quarter. On fourth and eleven, Texas lined up for what looked like a normal punt. Instead, Texas punter Cameron Dicker opted to pull the ball and run for it, coming up short of the first down marker. Steve Sarkisian’s fake punt was unsuccessful, and it quickly led to a Baylor score on the other end.
The ball was on the Baylor 49-yard line on the snap. Dicker only gained two yards, giving Baylor the ball at their own 47-yard line with a 24-21 lead and just more than nine minutes on the clock.
Baylor quickly moved down the field following the questionable attempt from Texas, and the drive ended on a 32-yard score from running back Abram Smith. Smith’s score gave Baylor a 31-21 lead. Texas kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession to make it a 31-24 game.
Throughout the game, Texas and Baylor went back and forth. However, the Longhorns ended the day disappointed with another blown lead. Steve Sarkisian’s first season is off to a 4-4 start, including a 2-3 record within the Big 12.