Steve Sarkisian calls out Big 12 on missed calls vs Oklahoma State

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian contacted the Big 12 regarding a pair of missed calls in a 32-24 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday. The coach preached that Big 12 officials call the game with “consistency,” which he felt was not the case over the weekend.

Longhorns edge rusher Ray Thornton was called for roughing the passer with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. The penalty put the Cowboys in field goal range and allowed them to pull within one score of Texas.

Later in the quarter, Texas quarterback Casey Thompson took a hard hit from Oklahoma State linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. Thompson was shaken up and forced to leave the game briefly. There was no call.

“They’re tough calls,” Sarkisian said in his Monday press conference. “We sent them to the league and I haven’t heard back. All we ever ask for is to just call it consistently. If we’re gonna protect the quarterback, then let’s protect the quarterback. If we’re gonna not be handsy at (defensive back) then let’s not be handsy at (defensive back). Consistency is all we’re looking for. So that was the only thing that was my frustration.”

Texas entered the fourth quarter with a 23-16 lead, but the Cowboys outscored them 16-0 in the final stanza. A touchdown early in the quarter made it 24-22, but Texas stopped the two-point conversion attempt to maintain the lead.

But with 4:37 to go, kicker Tanner Brown hit a field goal to give OSU a 25-24 lead it would never relinquish.

Coming off of an explosive offensive performance against Oklahoma, Thompson struggled against a stout Cowboys defense. He finished the game 15-of-27 for 179 yards passing and a touchdown but threw two interceptions.

The victory allowed Oklahoma State to stay undefeated on the season. The Oklahoma Sooners are the only other unbeaten in the Big 12, with the two schools scheduled to meet on Nov. 27 in the final game of the regular season.

Texas, on the other hand, fell to 4-3 and 2-2 in conference play. The Longhorns have a long way to go if they hope to reach the conference title game. That road begins after a bye this week when they face Baylor at 11 a.m. CT on Oct. 30.

Hopefully, Steve Sarkisian doesn’t have to contact the conference about any missed calls in that one.