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Steve Sarkisian reveals Ja'Tavion Sanders suffered ankle injury vs. Kansas

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•09/30/23•

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Ja'Tavion Sanders

Texas has been able to move the ball quite well on Kansas but finds itself only up six points going into the halftime break. While the top priority from head coach Steve Sarkisian will be finding a way to finish off drives with touchdowns, he will find out the status of tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.

After getting rolled up on in the first quarter, Sanders has not yet been back onto the field. During an in-game interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath, Sarkisian revealed Sanders suffered an ankle injury. As for the extent, he does not know yet and will find out when in the locker room.

“We got to check him here at halftime,” Sarkisian said. “He got an ankle. We’ll see how bad it is.”

If Sanders is not able to go the rest of the day, he will be replaced by Gunnar Helm. Texas does love the depth they have at tight end but Sanders is clearly the best player in the room. He would be a massive loss for the Longhorns in what’s proving to be a closer game than thought.

Sanders caught just one pass before his injury, going for 10 yards.

Steve Sarkisian assesses Texas offense, Quinn Ewers’ first INT of 2023

As for how Texas is playing, they are dominating on the offensive end. Their 342 total yards are well above what Kansas is at with 139. But there has been trouble finishing drives. Three field goal attempts have resulted in just six points, keeping Kansas in the game for the most part.

The drive at the end of the half may have been the most frustrating for Texas. Quarterback Quinn Ewers threw his first interceptions of the entire season, something Sarkisian chalked up to a simple misread.

“Just trust his read,” Sarkisian said. “I think he saw them go to one-high. Should have been the other side of the field — that’s human nature. We’re moving the ball fine, we just got to finish these drives.”

Outside of the interception, Ewers played nicely in the first half. He was spreading the ball out and even has been able to show off his mobility. A 30-yard score is the only Texas touchdown of the afternoon thus far.

Making sure the impressive drives result in points will be the emphasis of the second half. Texas will want to be putting Kansas away early, not letting the explosive offensive team hang around.