Steve Sarkisian: Texas' passing problems are not all on Thompson, Card

Texas’ offense has struggled in recent weeks, particularly in the second half of games, but Steve Sarkisian said that neither Casey Thompson or Hudson Card deserve to shoulder all the blame.

Losers of four straight, Texas has blown a first-half lead in each of those losses. And last week, in a 30-7 loss to Iowa State, Sarkisian replaced Thompson, his starter, with Card, after Thompson went 2-of-6 for two passing yards in the first quarter. It’s a decision similar to one Sarkisian made early in the year, only last time, he was replacing Card, his opening-day starter, with Thompson.

Card finished the game against Iowa State with 14 completions in 23 attempts, 101 passing yards and a touchdown. But Texas’ offense was unable to produce much when it mattered most, turning in five punts and one turnover-via-fumble in six second-half drives. Regardless, Sarkisian said the quarterbacks aren’t the only ones to blame; rather, it falls on three constituents: the quarterbacks, the wide receivers and the coaching staff.

“We’ve played some pretty good defenses in the last three weeks. I’ve got to give those guys credit. It was Oklahoma State, Baylor, Iowa State — three pretty quality teams,” Sarkisian said of the last three opponents, which rank No. 1, 2 and 3 in Big 12 team defense. “I think we haven’t been efficient enough at getting the completions that we don’t have to work as hard for. Part of that is on the quarterback, but part of that is on the receivers and the consistency, and part of that is on me, making sure that I’m calling enough of those things to get some rhythm to what we’re doing in the passing game.”

Sarkisian has not yet named a starting quarterback for Texas’ upcoming contest with Kansas. It seems likely that both Thompson and Card will see the field, seeing as neither quarterback has done enough to lock up the starting role: Card has completed 61 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and just 415 yards in limited playing time (two starts, five appearances), while Thompson has completed 63 percent for 1,556 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions (seven starts, nine appearances).

Sarkisian has benched both of Texas’ quarterbacks in the past. But for fans and media alike, he said, “it’s easy to point to the guy that throws it.”

“And we have plenty of work to do there,” Sarkisian said of the quarterbacking. “But I think I have a responsibility to help them to that point, not only fundamentally and understanding the gameplan, but also understanding what we call. Then, there’s a responsibility from the receiver standpoint to being where you’re supposed to be on time, and then, ultimately, making plays on the ball. We’ve had a couple plays where the balls hit the ground, not because of the quarterback’s issue. That’s a point of emphasis.

“If you want to be a complementary team, if you want a balanced offense like we want, we’ve got to find that consistency in the passing game,” he continued.

Texas, now 4-5, needs two wins in its last three games against Kansas, West Virginia and Kansas State to earn bowl eligibility. The quarterbacks may not deserve all the blame for the passing struggles, but surely, it’s hard to find “consistency in the passing game” without a consistent option under center.

“That consistency in the passing game — it’ll be a big point of emphasis for us this week,” Sarkisian said.