Steve Sarkisian addresses offensive line hole left by Junior Angilau's season-ending injury

The injury bug dealt Texas a bad hand over the weekend when the Longhorns suffered multiple season-ending injuries. Fifth-year senior Junior Angilau was one of those players Texas lost during the scrimmage with a torn ACL. Angilau has started 34 games for the Longhorns over his career in Austin. There’s no time to rest, though, for Steve Sarkisian and his staff in finding how they’ll fill in for him.

Sarkisian talked about the blow to their offensive line and how they’re planning to repair it during Monday’s media availability. He says it will be by committee with several young players getting the opportunity they’ve been waiting for.

“I still feel comfortable about Cole Hutson being able to play center, Connor Robertson, and Logan Parr has center experience. We came into camp very deep at that position intentionally,” said Sarkisian. “I don’t think we’re in dire straits anywhere but what it does is it puts our young players in a position to see who can step up and who can fill those spots as they present themselves.”

The loss of Angilau has given Sarkisian a new position battle to worry about with their opener two weeks out. However, he thinks there are some positives that could come from it. While it cost Angilau his season, he is hoping it can give another player an opportunity to excel.

“Whether it’s a Cole Hutson, a DJ Campbell, a Neto Umeozulu, some of these guys are going to get real opportunities to step into these positions…There’s going to be great competition and, like every other position competition, should bring out the best in the guys that are in the midst of it,” said Sarkisian.

Losing the experience of a player like Angilau from a position like O-line is a difficult pill to swallow. Someone will have to slide in by the time opening snap comes against UL Monroe and it’s coming down to the wire for Steve Sarkisian to find them.