Steve Sarkisian addresses number of touches for Bijan Robinson

It was a fantastic debut for Steve Sarkisian as the new head coach of the Texas Longhorns. His team’s offense was on fire, with running back Bijan Robinson leading the charge.

While Robinson would touch the ball on every play in a perfect world, Sarkisian addressed the number of touches his star running back gets in his post-game press conference.

“The question I kept getting was how many touches for Bijan or what would be the ideal touches? I kept saying around 20,” said Sarkisian. “I didn’t know exactly what that would look like, but 20 carries for 103 yards and then four catches for 73 yards is 24 catches and 180 yards of total offense. That’s a good day of work. That’s utilizing him. 

“Obviously Bijan is an electric player, but we got some other guys there too that can make plays for us not just in this game but moving forward.”

Robinson scored the first touchdown of the game yesterday, which subsequently was also the first touchdown of the Sarkisian era for Texas. Evidently, the player and the play will hold a special place in the coach’s heart.

In addition to Robinson, Texas running backs Keilan Robinson and Roschon Johnson received eight carries a piece. Kelian Robinson had 41 yards rushing, while Johnson accumulated 27 yards rushing, but also added 22 yards receiving.

Aside from Robinson’s touchdown, quarterback Hudson Card added a rushing touchdown as well. It was an impressive first start for the Longhorns quarterback, and their offense as a whole. 

Steve Sarkisian evaluates quarterback play in season opener

In Saturday’s season opener, there was a lot for Sarkisian to like about his quarterback play. The Longhorns started redshirt freshman Hudson Card, but junior Casey Thompson also saw snaps.

Card finished 14-of-21 passing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Thompson was 4-of-5 for 41 yards and a touchdown. Neither quarterback threw an interception.

“I thought both guys played very efficiently,” Sarkisian said. “I thought both guys for the most part took advantage of their opportunities when they got them. Both guys did a nice job on third down.”

Texas revealed earlier this week that though Card would start the game, Thompson would still get a chance to play. The junior made his first appearance in the third quarter. At the time he entered the game, the Longhorns had a 28-12 lead.

He led Texas to a touchdown on his first drive of the game, capping it off with a 14-yard pass to Jordan Whittington.

“It wasn’t gut feeling,” Sarkisian said. “It was just kind of when was the right time to do it . . . All in all, it was effective. Those two guys played pretty efficiently.”

It remains to be seen whether the Longhorns will eventually abandon their two-quarterback game plan. But it seemed to work well Saturday. One would think Card has the advantage should they settle on a singular quarterback.

Either way, Steve Sarkisian couldn’t have been more pleased with his entire offense. The Longhorns quarterbacks, and Bijan Robinson make them a formidable group.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.