The 2025 Texas Longhorns were an absolute penalty nightmare, finishing a mind-blowing 134th out of 136 teams in total penalties. Seriously, let that sink in. They were practically last in the entire country, and when you look at penalty yards per game, they weren’t much better, landing 132nd. Head coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t sugarcoating it, and he’s made it crystal clear this offseason: they’re not just aiming to commit fewer penalties, they’re going to educate these guys on *how* and *why* they’re getting flagged in the first place.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: A Penalty Problem of Epic Proportions
Let’s talk brass tacks. Last season, the Longhorns averaged 8.3 penalties per game. That’s a whopping 108 flags for a staggering 906 yards over just 13 games. Think about that for a second: almost a thousand free yards given away. For some perspective, the least-penalized team in the nation, Army, averaged a mere 2.4 penalties per game. The median team was at 6.0. Texas wasn’t just “a little worse” than average; they were in a completely different universe of giving opponents gifts. It wasn’t just the sheer number, though, it was the soul-crushing timing of these boneheaded mistakes.
When Every Flag Feels Like A Punch To The Gut
The stats might be ugly, but they don’t even capture the full gut-wrenching pain of watching these penalties unfold. We’re talking about a huge third down where a flag would extend an opposing drive that should have stalled. Or a false start on offense, putting the team in a brutal hole before the snap. A massive play gets wiped off the board by a holding call. These weren’t just random hiccups; they were drive-killers and momentum-shifters. Just look at the first two games of the 2025 season, a preview of the misery to come. Against Ohio State on the road, Texas got flagged six times for 50 yards. Doesn’t sound horrible on the surface, right? Wrong. Two of those six flags happened on Ohio State’s first touchdown drive. An otherwise stalled possession ended with seven points because of a total lack of discipline. Ohio State was facing a 3rd and 4 at the Texas 44-yard line, score knotted at zero in the second quarter. Longhorns nickel back Graceson Littleton made a clutch play, breaking up the pass and forcing a tough fourth-down decision. Instead, Texas edge Colin Simmons got hit with a 15-yard face mask! That negated Littleton’s awesome play, extended the drive, and put Ohio State right into field-goal range. Two plays later? Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad gets flagged for a 10-yard holding penalty on an incomplete pass on 2nd and 9, moving the Buckeyes into the red zone. They punched it in for a touchdown. Later, a penalty started a drive down 7-0 for the Texas offense, putting them in a bind.
Sarkisian knows this can’t happen again. He said it himself: “It’s one thing just to say we don’t want penalties anymore. But I have to educate our team on how and why we’re getting the penalties we got.” That’s the key. This offseason focus on understanding the penalties, not just avoiding them, is the only way forward. If they can actually clean this up and play smarter, the 2026 season could be a completely different story.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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