What I want to hear from Steve Sarkisian's post-UTEP press conference

Every Monday, No. 8 Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and select players address the media to recap their previous game and the ones ahead.

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This week’s press conference will feature one of the oddest tones yet. After Week 1, there was a feeling that the team still had a chance to be the best in the nation following their loss to Ohio State. After Week 2, the Longhorns seemed up in their spirits after a fairly solid game against San Jose State, with the major concerns coming in the penalty department.

But after a gross Week 3 win over UTEP, 27-10, who knows what we’re in for.

Firstly, I want to hear something new about Arch Manning.

We’re all tired of how Texas Sarkisian and even Manning talk about themselves. It’s tired, regurgitated coach speak in a lot of ways.

Manning continues to say he needs to play better; Sarkisian says he needs to build up his confidence. Getting booed at his own stadium is a good thing, apparently.

Well, what does it actually mean to build confidence? What steps are you taking to become that better player, Mr. Manning?

I hope Manning gives us a bit of a deeper dive into how his Sunday went reviewing the tape. Not “I gotta give my guys a chance” or “I know I can be better”—what actually must improve in your game?

I doubt this is given to us, though.

Secondly, the health of the team is always an important piece of information to learn as we get into the season.

The two names we’re clinging to are CJ Baxter and DeAndre Moore. We feel pretty confident Quintrevion Wisner and Alex January will be ready to go sooner rather than later, and Emmett Mosley and Jonah Williams are going to need ramp-up time, no matter how soon they are healthy.

But Texas has two starting players whose health we know very little about. Moore left the SJSU game with a concussion and sat out on Saturday. Where is he in the recovery process?

Baxter played one snap against UTEP before hurting his hamstring. Sarkisian did not give us anything detailed on that timeline going forward.

Hopefully we get some answers today. Texas is no longer looking to get right before SEC games—the SEC games are right around the corner. The Longhorns need as many healthy players as possible on that offense as we near Florida.

Next, what does Sarkisian feel he needs to change after a slow start to the season?

I can think of a lot of things, especially with the way he plans to run his offense, but this can go broader.

Are there any position battles he needs to look closer at, specifically for the No. 3 RB in the offense and at LG?

Does his situational playcalling need to be toned down a tad? Taking points with this good of a defense is never a bad thing.

What about the types of run plays he calls? Should he be making it simpler for his offensive line? Texas needs to find its way out of 3rd-and-long and 4th downs. Converting on the first two will be key for Texas going forward.

Lastly, what are the defensive players saying about their performance, and how do they find ways to improve going forward?

It’s hard to find something to talk to the defensive players about each week. By all means, this is the best unit in the nation, and they show that every week.

It’s clear that the media attention, and probably a lot of the coaches’ attention, is on the offense at this point. So how do they make sure they’re able to self-critique and improve upon their game?

Sarkisian is likely to hit the stand around 11:35 today. Follow along on the Inside Texas Twitter and boards for live updates all day.