Steve Sarkisian opens up on Texas' late-game struggles in 2022

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian knows his team has to do a better job of closing out game if it is to take the next step forward in 2023. The Longhorns finished 8-5 this past season in Sarkisian’s second year but could have added a couple more victories if not for its late-game collapses.

In three of its five losses, Texas held a lead going into the fourth quarter only to surrender it. That included a 20-19 loss to Alabama in Week 2 in which the Crimson Tide escaped on a last-second field goal.

Although those losses were certainly frustrating, they also show just how close the Longhorns were to reaching the 10-win mark, which they’ve done only once in the past 13 years. Sarkisian pointed to being more effective in third and fourth-down situations as well as the red zone as being a possible solution.

“I think when you really break down football and you start looking at the special situations within the game, you look at third down, you look at fourth down now, which has become such a, you know, just a change in philosophy wise, of what’s going on,” the coach said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “You look at what we were able to — our inability just kind of score in the red area. That Alabama game, we were in the red area five times and scored one touchdown.

“You know, what a difference that game could have been if we could have punched in a couple different times. You know, how we control the ball in the fourth quarter to close out some of those games that we had leads in. But inevitably, I don’t look at it as a burden. I look at it as an unbelievable opportunity.”

Many believe Texas has what it takes to do so as the Longhorns were picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason conference media poll. The return of quarterback Quinn Ewers for his second season as starter and a loaded receiving corps is a big reason why.

More than the returning players, however, Steve Sarkisian believes the new additions are what could ultimately help Texas overcome its late-game struggles. The Longhorns signed the No. 3 recruiting class in the country headlined by quarterback Arch Manning, who is one of four five-stars. They also added five transfer players, including former Georgia receiver AD Mitchell.

Sarkisian explained how that added depth will allow Texas to keep its players “fresh into the fourth quarter” and hopefully avoid falling flat in the final 15 minutes. That, combined with an extra year of experience for Ewers, could be the difference between this season and last.

“That, to me, is something that I think our players have embraced, our coaching staff has embraced and we’re looking forward to the opportunity because we’ve got a hard-working football team,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got great coaches; we got really good continuity amongst our staff.

“We’re returning a lot of really good players, but this influx of young players as well provides depth to where, you know, guys aren’t having to play every snap for three quarters and they’re just trying to make it in the fourth. We’re gonna be able to rotate some guys and keep people fresh into the fourth quarter of these games.”

Texas kicks off the season on Sept. 2 against Rice before a rematch against Alabama in Week 2 in Tuscaloosa.