Onlookers expected Texas football to lose a game or two this season — the Southeastern Conference is a gauntlet that has already blemished the record of every one of its members.
But the population of those who anticipated the Longhorns to be a two-loss team in mid-October is likely much smaller.
This Texas team is fragmented, if not completely shattered, and head coach Steve Sarkisian is willing to do whatever it takes to put the pieces back together.
“I just felt like we didn’t play good offensive football, and we’re not playing great offensive football right now,” Sarkisian said after Saturday’s matchup. “Everything is going to be evaluated.”
Sarkisian repeatedly emphasized that he is going to “evaluate everything,” but what that’s actually going to look like remains unclear. It’s not easy to look at every single aspect of the game in a couple of days’ work, especially when so many different elements of Texas’ play were off-kilter.
What can be taken from his vague plan for total evaluation is this: no play, person or piece of the game is immune to his critiques.
Not even senior quarterback Arch Manning.
When asked about whether he considered making a quarterback switch during the game, Sarkisian addressed the offensive unit as a whole. He didn’t assign the majority of blame to Manning, but he did acknowledge that the second-year starter isn’t off limits when it comes to making adjustments.
“It was hard because everybody was taking turns (making mistakes), and it’d be easy for me to say ‘Hey, Arch was the problem today,’” Sarkisian said. “Was Arch perfect? No, but nobody was perfect on offense today. We took turns today, and that’s where I have to look at every aspect of what we’re doing.”
Sarkisian has also been a prominent subject of immediate criticism following the loss. As Texas’ offensive play-caller, he has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the Longhorns’ offensive woes.
“I’m probably harder on myself than anybody, and I’ll evaluate this game the same way,” Sarkisian said. “I’m sure there’s going to be situations (where) I’m going to be really hard on myself because we weren’t good enough.”
Texas struggled in all facets of the game on Saturday, scoring just 17 points in the first half against one of the conference’s worst-ranked defenses. The offense had a strong first half performance, but faltered as the matchup continued, only scoring seven points in the second half.
Due to this past Saturday’s outcome, the future of this team is in bigger question than ever before.
It’s hard to find a silver lining after Saturday’s onslaught, and it will probably be difficult for the Longhorns to reestablish the trust of their fanbase. Texas isn’t fully out of College Football Playoff contention, but it would likely require winning each of its remaining six SEC matchups to make the bracket.
The Longhorns have a tough slate ahead, starting this upcoming weekend against Ole Miss.
