Steve Sarkisian shares initial thoughts on Washington

Washington had quite a year in the first year of the Kalen DeBoer era. The Huskies finished No. 12 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings and ranked second in the Pac-12 in scoring offense.

The latter was Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s biggest takeaway before the Alamo Bowl.

“They score a lot of points,” Sarkisian joked in his press conference this week. “These guys, they score a lot of points. They throw it around, man. Wish I could clinic with Coach DeBoer.”

Sarkisian knows his defense will have its hands full defending Washington’s high-powered offense, led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The former Indiana QB led the Pac-12 with 4,354 passing yards to go with seven touchdowns. On top of that, two Huskies receivers — Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan — rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the Pac-12 in receiving yards.

They have a lot of ways to attack opponents, and Sarkisian said the Texas defense has to do everything it can to stop them.

“Michael Penix, those receivers, they do a heck of a job,” Sarkisian said. “Their ability to rush the passer defensively and create havoc on the quarterback are issues. But they can score. They score on everybody. It doesn’t matter the helmet. Doesn’t matter who they’re playing. They go score.

“You got to be prepared to make sure you’re playing four quarters and score collectively against them because they can do it at a high, high level.”

Steve Sarkisian details balancing bowl game, offseason tasks

Bowl game preparation is underway across college football, but teams also have to get their preparations started for the offseason. With the transfer portal open for business, that balancing act is even tougher, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian had a candid answer about that.

“I think at the end of the day it’s … about prioritizing,” Sarkisian said. “It’s what are you doing today. Today, we happen to be here for this press conference, then you go on to doing your home visits, then you get ready for practice tomorrow. You just go through it. I think at the end of the day, our players understand that. We dive into what we need to dive into. We go according to the process of what’s expected of us. That’s what we do.

“I wish I could say it more eloquently, but that’s exactly what happens. You just handle what’s in front of you, then you go tackle it.”