Steve Sarkisian details the value of having versatility on offense

The way Steve Sarkisian has built the Texas roster, they have the opportunity to be incredibly versatile on game days. Sarkisian wants to be able to win games in various different ways, depending on the opponent. Of course, most of his attention is naturally on the offensive side of the ball.

Usually when thinking about versatility on offense, it’s a single player having the ability to perform at multiple positions. Deebo Samuel is the popular comparison across football at the moment. Sarkisian took it a step further though, talking about his offensive ideas as a whole.

“The more we can do really well, the tougher we are to defend,” Sarkisian said during his Baylor postgame press conference. “We never want to be a one-dimensional team. We really want to be versatile on offense. Whether it’s the style of runs, the personnel groupings, the formations, the motions, the shifts.

While Quinn Ewers might be the big-name star of Texas’ offense, Sarkisian does enjoy running the ball behind the offensive line. Two different types of back are on the roster, with Jonathan Brooks and CJ Baxter being the early-season contributors. When Jaydon Blue steps onto the field, he can bring a different element to the game.

What Sarkisian is looking to do is create problems for opposing defenses. If they have multiple different styles to defend against, game planning for the Longhorns can become difficult. And then the only thing Texas has to do to have success is execute at a high level.

“When you can use a multitude of personnel groupings and still formation people and do different things — hopefully, it creates some issues for our opponent,” Sarkisian said. “And then ultimately, we can get back to doing what we do and that’s just getting down to execution.”

As for how Texas is able to execute during the week — Sarkisian credits the preparation everyone in the program puts in leading into games. Outside of the win against Wyoming, the execution has been spot on and led the Longhorns to a 4-0 record for the first time since the 2012 season.

“I credit our coaches and I credit our players,” Sarkisian said. “We don’t go into games with simple game plans and simple formations. We tax our guys because we know it’s going to tax our opponents if we execute it right. They do a really good job in their preparation to get ready for the ball game.”