Steve Sarkisian explains how lowered energy level led to slow start: 'We're thermostats'

After an emotional home battle with Alabama that ultimately resulted in a loss, Texas came out a bit sluggish the next week against lesser foe UTSA. However, the Road Runners came ready to play and made it a dicy first half against the Longhorns. Eventually, Texas snapped into gear and cruised to a three-touchdown victory. But for 30 minutes, UTSA had Steve Sarkisian sweatin’ bullets.

After the game, Sarkisian reflected on his team’s lack of intensity in the UTSA game. He noted that the whole stadium was less energetic than the week before — from the players all the way to the crowd itself.

“You know, I think some of it is mental intensity. As much as I think that we practiced well this week as much, as there was 102,005 people in the stadium. I didn’t think the energy was the same as a week ago from our team. The stadium, it wasn’t — let’s just call it like it is — it wasn’t quite the same. And regardless of who our opponent is, I think we all need to learn, man. When we step into DKR, when we step on the field, our energy level’s got to be right.”

Sark then went on to use a thermometer-related analogy to illustrate his point on why the ‘Horns have to come out with better energy to start games.

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“We dictate the temperature in that stadium, right. And we’re not thermometers, we’re thermostats. We set the temperature and then the opponents have to choose to decide if they want to rise to that temperature or not. Tonight, I felt like our opponent set the temperature and then we had to start to raise our energy level to get to where they were and then surpass it to play our style of football. So lesson learned. And I think that our guys understood that.”

Overall, though, Steve Sarkisian thinks a little first half adversity was good for the team. A good lesson in what can happen if you let an opponent’s name dictate your level of energy and focus on the field.

“I thought this was good for us. I thought the adversity was good for us. The way we responded to it, I think, is going to be something that we can lean into and lean back on, because we’re going to get faced with other tough moments this year. I’d love to call every perfect play in the first quarter and things be clicking and going and rocking and rolling. But they coach too, they got good players too, and sometimes it doesn’t always go your way. But you got to keep fighting, you got to keep battling and then, over time, you start to get the momentum back in your favor.”