Kirk Herbstreit on Texas' week one performance: "You know Sark, he's holding things back"
Even after Texas’ up-and-down offensive showing in Week 1 versus Rice, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has a lot of confidence in Quinn Ewers to run Steve Sarkisian’s offense.
[Join Inside Texas today and get 50% off an annual subscription!]
Herbstreit was available on Zoom Wednesday to preview No. 11 Texas’ trip to No. 3 Alabama and discuss a variety of college football topics. The first question he faced was about Ewers and the offense, and Herbstreit believed Sarkisian didn’t reveal his entire hand one week before traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala.
IT: Obviously, Steve Sarkisian‘s offense is predicated on deep passing. Quinn Ewers is still the quarterback, but that seemed to be an area, at least versus Rice, that we didn’t see the improvement talked about a lot manifest itself in the game. Do you see Quinn Ewers’ deep passing as a key to this game or is there another area of Ewers’ play that you’re looking for?
Kirk Herbstreit: “Last year I think a lot of people wondered how that offense would do against Alabama. I think a lot of people were — and I know I was — taken aback in that first quarter when that ball was flying all over the place. Quinn, to me, was in a real rhythm there early prior to that injury, that hit from Dallas Turner. Who knows what would have happened had he stayed in the game. My point is, I think Sark had something going there. It would have been fun to see that battle throughout the whole game.
I don’t personally take a lot away from the Rice game. I think when you have, in week 2, a behemoth, I don’t think you can really do a whole lot with all due respect to Rice. I think it’s really more about getting some people out there, the depth, rotating guys around, getting a lot of people to have a chance to go out and show what they can do.
Top 10
- 1New
Shilo Sanders
Lands with NFL team
- 2
Picks by Conference
The final tally in NFL Draft
- 3Trending
Mel Kiper
Eviscerates NFL: 'Clueless'
- 4
D.J. Uiagalelei
Signs NFL free agent deal
- 5Hot
Quinn Ewers drafted
Texas QB off the board
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
You know Sark, he’s holding things back. He’s not going to show what he’s going to do. Now, the line of scrimmage is a reality. They’ve got to protect better, especially on third down. They don’t have the luxury of being in Austin this time around with the crowd behind them. Alabama, when their fans feel threatened, that is a really good atmosphere and very challenging on the quarterback and offensive line. I don’t know if enough people really talk about their setting. They’ve had a lot of great years and when they play a team they know they’re going to handle, maybe it’s an okay atmosphere. When they feel there’s a big game, they can be a difference in the game. How (Texas) handles that for the first time, even though it’s a veteran O-line and a veteran quarterback, it will be very different than it was a year ago.
I’m anxious to see how they handle that and see if they can get out of 3rd-and-7, 3rd-and-8. What they do on first and second will be critical to their success this week.”
Herbstreit will be on the call on Saturday night when the Longhorns and Crimson Tide battle on ABC starting at 6 p.m.
