No. 7 Texas just took a gut-punch 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, and honestly, the defeat is just the latest red flag for a team that’s now 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. Head coach Steve Sarkisian hit his weekly news conference Monday, trying to calm some serious fan anxiety, but what he said about the team’s ongoing issues on both special teams and offense might not be what anxious Longhorns faithful wanted to hear.
Special Teams Is a Total Mess, But Sarkisian’s Sticking With His Guy
The special teams unit has been an absolute nightmare these past two SEC games, and it’s piling up like crazy. First, against Tennessee, they gave up a punt return for a touchdown *and* completely whiffed on covering an onside kick. Then, Saturday against the Sooners? A blocked punt recovered for a touchdown. You can’t make this stuff up!
But it’s not just the big plays. We’re talking small, bonehead mistakes adding up to huge problems. Kicker Gianni Spetic sailed a kickoff out of bounds, they burned two timeouts just trying to get aligned, and Mac Chiumento’s 29-yard punt basically gift-wrapped an Oklahoma touchdown. And what about Ryan Niblett? He was an All-American returner last year, but right now he’s chilling at fifth in the SEC for kick-return average (14.8 yards) and a dismal seventh for punt returns (8.6). Yikes.
Despite all this, Sarkisian is standing by special teams coordinator Jeff Banks. He’s got “no plans” to change anything up. His reasoning? He said “history is the best indicator of the future,” pointing to their strong special teams play since Banks arrived in 2021. Sarkisian said, “We’ve been good on special teams for quite some time around here. I have a lot of faith in coach Banks and his schemes, and I have a lot of faith in our players to get that done. Sometimes you go through lulls like you do on offense or like you do on defense, and I don’t question our ability to coach our way out of that [and] compete our way out of that to get back to the standard of which we play special teams.” That’s a lot of faith for a unit that’s coughing up touchdowns.
Offensive Struggles and Sark’s Play-Calling: The Buck Stops With Him
Now, let’s talk about the offense, because this is almost inexplicable considering the talent and experience on this squad. Texas is literally leading the SEC in three-and-outs. Think about that for a minute. They’re next to last in explosive plays, with only 16 snaps going for 20 or more yards. Overall, the Longhorns are currently ranked a pathetic 12th in the SEC in offense, averaging just 379.2 yards per game. That’s not No. 7 team football.
Sarkisian is the guy calling the plays, and he made it clear after the Oklahoma loss there’s “not a chance” that’s changing. So, on Monday, he had to look inward. He said, “I always look at myself first” when it comes to fixing the offensive woes. He added, “I think I always can do better. My job is to put our players in the best position to be successful. And if we’re not hitting on all cylinders, if we’re having” , and that’s where the quote cuts off, but you get the picture.
So, the head coach, who also calls the plays, is admitting *he* needs to be better for a top-10 team that’s struggling massively on offense and special teams. The No. 7 Longhorns have got a home game against Florida coming up this Saturday. They better figure this out, and fast, because the SEC isn’t going to wait around for them to “coach their way out of that lull.”
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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