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Steve Sarkisian targets penalty avoidance after a sloppy weekend in college football

by: Evan Vieth7 hours ago
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Steve Sarkisian (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has made it clear that he is an avid college football fan.

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It’s part of why he likes an 11 a.m. kickoff: play your game, wrap up at the stadium by 6, and be home in time to watch the night slate across the college football world.

With Texas’ bye week behind them, Sarkisian noted that he and his players spent plenty of time watching football, especially in the SEC. Asked about his biggest takeaway from a weekend that featured five SEC matchups, his answer was a bit surprising.

“I thought there was a lot of penalties this weekend, if you want to know the truth,” Sarkisian said. “So I don’t know if we’re calling things a little tighter. I don’t know if teams are a little sloppy. I know what our penalty situation has been this year, so we’re looking inward for the first four weeks, and this weekend gave me a chance to look outward and see what else was going on around the country.”

Sarkisian brings up a good point. Coaches, players, and fans often get so caught up in their own team that they miss what’s happening nationally. While Longhorn fans have every reason to be frustrated by the penalty issues this year, the same problems show up all across the country.

Believe it or not, only four teams allow fewer penalty yards per game on the defensive side of the ball. In that respect, Texas is actually elite.

On offense, however, it’s a different story. Texas is one of eight SEC teams averaging seven or more offensive penalties per game, currently sitting at 8.5. The likes of Texas A&M and Ole Miss, who each are ranked ahead of Texas in the most recent AP Poll, are dealing with just as many unforced errors.

The Aggies and Auburn combined for 23 penalties in a sloppy 16-10 A&M win, with A&M alone responsible for more than 115 yards.

Ole Miss beat LSU, but not before committing 14 penalties of their own. Without them, the Rebels might have dominated the game.

Even powerhouse Georgia wasn’t immune, drawing six penalties for 68 yards at home against Alabama.

The point is, Texas is not alone in its penalty woes.

“Us continuing to try to drive that number down and play cleaner football, I think is important,” Sarkisian said.

The good news for Sarkisian’s team is that they’ve now entered phase two of the season. Texas used the bye week to focus on the finer details, something Sarkisian was pleased with heading into Florida prep.

“I just got done commending the team and the staff at the end about the real sense of urgency you could feel in the building this morning and on the field today—the energy, the intent with which the guys went at it,” Sarkisian said.

Penalties are a problem for every program, not just Texas, and this past weekend was a reminder of that—along with plenty of other lessons for the Longhorns as they dive into SEC play.

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