Live updates from Steve Sarkisian's Monday press conference

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is at the podium Monday at 11 a.m. Central to recap the Longhorns 41-20 win over UTSA and to preview the beginning of conference play this Saturday versus the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

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Sarkisian’s press conference can be seen on Longhorn Network or TexasSports.com, and can be heard on The Horn in Austin.

Updates from Steve Sarkisian’s press conference

Steve Sarkisian: “I think there’s a lot to be learned from your mental intensity and your energy that you bring and that you provide regardless of your role and regardless of your phase. I didn’t think we started the game very well in any phase Saturday night. We got to punt our first series of the game. Our defense takes the field. We’re not tackling very well. They’re converting third downs, they’re moving the football… The start of the game was not up to the standard of which we’ve set.”

Sark: “We didn’t stay in that rut. We didn’t stay lethargic with that lack of mental intensity and a lack of energy. We fought ourselves through it.”

Sarkisian: “Saturday, we go play a heck of an opponent in Texas Tech. Coach McGuire has done a great job. They’re a very strong team in all three phases.”

Sark on Jaylan Ford: “He’s got a high football IQ. He’s around the football a lot. You don’t come out of the game with 15 tackles not having some awareness, not having an ability to get around the ball.” — Sark thinks it could have been a 20-tackle day if not for a couple of missed opportunities. “He’s a guy that I felt like came on late last year.”

Sark: “I go back to this game Saturday, being down 17-7, nobody blinked. Nobody said ‘here we go again,’ which I think a year ago we may have. I don’t want to say for sure, but we may have, and we just stayed the course.”

Sark on the road game and improved culture: “Our first road test, obviously, and conference game. Rules being what they are, we only get to bring 70 players on the road.” — “I think the reality of it is this is when you really have to lean on one another regardless of the circumstances. Adversity is going to strike Saturday. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, I don’t know what shape or form. The reality is we’ve got to keep leaning on one another, not get fragmented, and I think our guys understand that.”

Steve Sarkisian said all his QBs practiced today, including Maalik Murphy and Quinn Ewers: “Everybody was in there doing their team drills and different things.”

Sarkisian said they appealed DeMarvion Overshown’s targeting suspension. No timeframe for when the conference will provide an answer on that.

Sarkisian said Texas Tech QB Donovan Smith can use his legs but “I think you better be prepared to defend his arm first because he will cut you quickly. He can make all the throws, but he has the ability to tuck it when he needs to and they’ve got some designed runs for him. Multitalented guy.”

Sarkisian on Lubbock: “I have not been to Lubbock, but I’ve heard it’s an unbelievable environment. I’m looking forward to it.” — “Coach Beard has definitely reached out to some degree, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Sarkisian on Roschon Johnson, praises not just his leadership but his ability to do so many different things in his offense: “We’re not just running one or two wildcat plays a game. We run a whole slew of plays out of this thing that he operates very comfortably.”

Sarkisian on the O-line: “I think we’re growing. When I’m as a coach not mentioning offensive linemen, that’s a good thing. When they’re unassuming, that just means they’re doing their jobs.”

Sarkisian says he believes he has to do a better job of getting guys in the right frame of mind when the ball gets kicked off.

Sark on the TTU defense, praises Tim DeRuyter: “He tries to really pressure when the run downs hit to create some negative plays. I think they do a great job in the back end of not giving up explosive plays when they are pressuring.”

Sarkisian says if Overshown’s appeal is not successful, they have faith in Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey. “We’ll be okay.”

Sarkisian says a player who has been playing good football this year is Jordan Whittington: “I think he’s off to a really good start for us.”

Sarkisian on the good, neutral, bad after three games, says the kicking game has performed “pretty well.” — “I think Bert is kicking the ball well. I think Will Stone is kicking the ball well, but there’s a consistency level in a younger player that we’re obviously striving for.” — “I was really proud of our team through two games on our effort defensively, the way we were populating the ball, the way we were tackling. We didn’t tackle as well Saturday.” — Mentions 15 missed tackles versus after 13 through the first two weeks.