Steve Sarkisian talks Jacoby Jones impact on EDGE position

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian spoke on Tuesday about the importance of the edge rushing position for their defense and missing Jacoby Jones last year. Jones went down with a foot injury against Oklahoma last season, something that Sarkisian now believes was a bigger deal than he thought at the time.

Steve Sarkisian on Jacoby Jones

As a “super senior” under the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA for players affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones played his third season at Texas after transferring from Butler Community College. Jones had 61 career tackles and two sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, and became a key part of Texas’ defense by beating out the competition for the spot.

Losing Jones was a blow that Sarkisian claims he fully didn’t grasp at the time, and his impact is something that the Longhorns are looking to replicate at the edge rushing position with increased competition this year.

“I think one thing that stood out to me that maybe I didn’t give enough credit for in-season was — the loss of Jacoby Jones last year,” stated Sarkisian. “Jacoby was an impactful player those first four games and when he got hurt against OU, I don’t know if I gave it enough credit as the season when on not having him. And then we saw the impact of having him for that last game.

“And so we know that that’s an important position for us. I think we’ve kinda improved our depth there which has created healthy competition. And hopefully through competition guys will start to rise up and play collectively at a higher level. I think one — you can’t overlook the ability to defend the run at that position. It’s not just about rushing the passer, it’s about setting the edge of the defense. It’s trying to minimize that C gap. But then it’s also when you can convert to a pass rush and get those one-on-ones with tackles, tight ends or running backs to disrupt the quarterback.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to affect the quarterback. I know that sack numbers are what we want, but if we can move the quarterback off the spot, if we can get him to drop his eyes to where he’s not looking at the coverage. Force late throws, force errant throws — those are all impactful plays for us so that’s really what we’re looking for at that position.”