Steve Sarkisian appreciating coachability as the Longhorns offense continues to grow

Puzzles have plenty of pieces, but it’s hard to know what the picture is supposed to look like until they all come together.

[Sign up for Inside Texas TODAY and get the BEST Longhorns coverage!]

That’s not a bad analogy for the current state of the Texas Longhorns offense. The defense, just like last season, is playing at an elite level. The offense? Steve Sarkisian said Thursday that it has a certain word associated with it that he’d like to have dropped from any descriptions to come.

“Offensively, we can all feel and see potential,” Sarkisian said. “Now it’s our job as coaches to continue to push them and try to propel them so that we can drop the word potential and say this is who we are. We see glimpses of it. We’re seeing things that definitely excites us, but we’re seeing things that can be frustrating too as coaches. That’s our job as coaches, to find this level of consistency on the offensive side of the ball.”

Sarkisian mentioned Monday that there are some growing pains not only for players, but for coaches as well. Sark and AJ Milwee are learning what’s best for Arch Manning. Chad Scott is figuring out how to best deploy CJ Baxter and Christian Clark with Quintrevion Wisner “doubtful to out” for Saturday. Even Kyle Flood is learning more and more about his O-line.

Those are processes that play out in practice and in game. Sarkisian identified a specific sequence from the San Jose State game during his press conference on Monday that he believes illustrates his point.

Sarkisian said that this first instance of a certain play that resulted in lost yards for Texas was the result of the WILL linebacker running through the line.

Not too long after, Cole Hutson and company fixed what they needed to and the same play resulted in an explosive for Texas.

For Sarkisian, that’s evidence his players are listening and learning on the sideline. That quality is one he believes will not only help players like Hutson and his O-line cohorts, but also Manning and others who are working to get more yards and more points on the board for the Longhorns.

“What I like I about our offense right now (is) I think these guys are coachable,” Sarkisian said. “When we make an emphasis on things to improve upon, whether it’s individual players or as a unit, they’ve responded.”

Those growing pains have the Longhorns in an unfamiliar spot in some important advanced statistical rankings. Texas is No. 9 overall in ESPN’s SP+, buoyed by a No. 1 ranking in defensive SP+. For offense? Texas is No. 45 in offensive SP+. No other top-10 SP+ team ranks outside the top 25 in offensive SP+.

FEI is a little kinder to the Longhorns, putting Sarkisian’s side of the ball at No. 19.

Either way, there’s room for improvement. And for some younger players, Sarkisian believes it’s simply a matter of executing. That doesn’t just apply to the offense, but that’s where it can be seen most.

“They know we have good coaches,” Sarkisian said. “Our players know we are going to scheme people up. We’re going to scheme up free blizters. We’re going to scheme up coverages to disguise and get hands on balls. We’re going to scheme up plays to get people open down the field.”

And, for Sarkisian’s offense, some of that is simply doing their job instead of worrying about the greater play. That should be manageable on Saturday considering UTEP is is No. 108 in defensive SP+ and No. 112 in defensive FEI.

The pieces have to come together. Once they do, it’ll be easier to identify the greater picture.

“I don’t want our players relying on the scheme,” Sarkisian said. “I want our players relying on their fundamentals, their techniques, their details, and their effort.”