Head coach Steve Sarkisian looks for help from play-caller Steve Sarkisian

In the first half of Texas’ loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., the Longhorns had 17 rushes for 161 yards and two touchdowns as part of 31 total points. The second half was a different story. UT rushers had 15 attempts for 43 yards.

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Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian calls the offensive plays, and in the second half his frustration with how the run game was going against the OSU defense led him to put the result of the contest on his freshman quarterback. Quinn Ewers attempted 25 passes in the second half. He only completed eight. Not surprisingly, Texas didn’t run up the score the way it did in the opening thirty minutes, netting one Bert Auburn field goal on the way to a 41-34 loss.

“I thought we ran the ball pretty well against Oklahoma State, who is a good run defense as well,” Sarkisian said Monday. “I think if anything I blame the play-caller for why some of those runs didn’t hit the way I would have liked. I don’t know who that guy is, but I would have liked to have maneuver the runs a little bit better than I did.”

When asked Thursday how he meant to improve in that regard, Sarkisian had a quick answer.

“I game plan better, I’m locked in, and more focused, and I’m going to call better plays Saturday night,” Sarkisian said.

His jab at the play-caller, obviously, was self-deprecating. Sarkisian is aware enough with the benefit of a bye week’s worth of hindsight to see that the 25-to-15 pass-to-run discrepancy he called in a windy Boone Pickens Stadium was not a good formula for winning. The surprising aspect of that 10-play variance was that it came on the heels of a win over Iowa State where Texas leaned on the run game to overcome one of the conference’s top defenses.

In the second half of the Longhorns’ win over the Cyclones, Texas had 27 rushes for 131 yards. The fourth quarter alone saw Texas rush for 68 yards. The Horns pounded the rock, something Sarkisian the head coach said Sarkisian the play-caller needs a reminder of every now and then.

“I write that on my call sheet every once in a while,” Sarkisian said Monday.

And why not? Sarkisian praised his running back room that includes players like Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Keilan Robinson. He also expressed his confidence in his offensive line, and the tight ends around them, to be able to run the ball when the defense expects it.

“Me and Ro’ are going to put in our work and we’re going to just keep working hard in practice so when we get to Saturday, it doesn’t surprise anybody that when we run the ball, it’s going to be dominant and downhill,” Bijan Robinson said Monday.

Relying on that group and finding success with them won’t just help Sarkisian’s efforts as play-caller. They’ll help him in his duties as the head coach. In two Big 12 losses this year, one to Texas Tech and one to Oklahoma State, the Longhorn defense had to defend 198 total plays. The Red Raiders hit the century mark, while the Cowboys fell two short.

Texas had 4-of-5 non-scoring drives last under two minutes in Lubbock. 10-of-11 non-scoring drives against OSU took under two minutes off the clock, the lone exception a three-minute drive that ended in a missed field goal.

There’s no doubt Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense has its fair share of problems, like guarding the middle of the field and, on Saturday against Kansas State, defending against Deuce Vaughn. Those problems are only exacerbated when a defense that is top 20 in advanced metrics like SP+ (No. 16) and defensive FEI (No. 14) and in regular stats like yards per play allowed (No. 17, 4.7 ypp) has to be on the field for well over 30 minutes per game.

The genesis for Sark’s affinity for complementary football that includes either scoring or sustained drives to rest the defense can be found there. Plus, if he wants his team to find success in November, he understands relying on an effective run game may be what helps him the most as the seasons change.

“When you’re in November, especially depending on climates, where you go, and what it looks like, I think you have to have the ability to run the ball and stop the run defensively,” Sarkisian said Monday. “I feel very confident that we can do that.”

Sarkisian’s play-calling acts as one of the main determinants of what level of success his team will have on a week-to-week basis. If he can find the right formula on offense, it’ll go a long way toward his program’s success.