LIVE UPDATES: Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reviews BYU, previews ranked matchup with K-State

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will be available to the media at 11:30 a.m. to review the No. 7 Longhorns’ 35-6 win over BYU and preview this weekend’s Big 12 matchup versus the No. 25 Kansas State Wildcats.

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The press conference will be aired live on Longhorn Network, TexasSports.com, and AM 1300 The Zone in Austin.

Updates from Steve Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian: “Coming out of the BYU game, just to reiterate, our versatility continues to shine through. I thought it did again Saturday. Any time you can go into the game and get three turnovers, you can hold your opponent to 2-of-13 on third down, you get three red zone stops, and you limit explosive plays, it’s usually a pretty good day.”

Steve Sarkisian: “Obviously, a huge punt return by Xavier, but a great job by the other 10 guys.”

Steve Sarkisian: “Offensively, I thought we found a way to create some explosive plays. 6-of-11 on third down was a real positive for us, but we can’t afford two turnovers every week. We’ve got to take care of the ball. Then 2-of-5 in the red zone isn’t good enough, especially when you’re 0-for-3 on first and goal scenarios.”

Steve Sarkisian says Quinn Ewers, Ethan Burke, and Jalen Catalon are all “week to week.”

Steve Sarkisian says Kansas State is a “really hot team right now. They’ve been playing as good as anybody in the country in all three phases for the last 2-3 weeks.”

Steve Sarkisian: “We’ve all got work to do. I think everybody, myself included, could have been better last week and we all need to perform better this Saturday at 11 a.m.”

Steve Sarkisian on KSU: “I think it’s really critical on this game that we’ve got to win on first down, but we’ve got to get back to playing our brand of football. That’s a physical brand of football, being detail oriented and executing.”

Steve Sarkisian says Maalik Murphy will likely start again this week, and that he has developed great habits in his preparation.

Steve Sarkisian says he believes his team has greatly improved on third down this year, and that they are playing efficient offensive football between the 20s: “As coaches, I don’t want to say you’re never satisfied, but we try to chase perfection every day.”

Steve Sarkisian: “I think that I have a level of understanding (with) the newness and the different things that come up. You can only create so much in practice. You can only create so much in a scrimmage. Sometimes, you have to live it in real life. The fumble in the red area, maybe in a practice setting Maalik gets that ball off because the quarterback’s not live and the defender has to pull off and now you can get that throw done. In person, now you realize he’s going to hit me if I raise my arm up and the ball is going to come out.”

Steve Sarkisian: “It just seems pretty early to me.”

Steve Sarkisian: “Not every team out there has had to endure some of the things we’ve had to.”

Steve Sarkisian: “I’d argue we have the best win in the country right now. The fact that we went into Tuscaloosa, Ala. and beat a team that was 52-1 in the previous 53 games going in there. I hear so much about how tough the SEC is, but I haven’t seen any of those teams go into Alabama and win either. I feel pretty good about our team and I think over time this whole thing will play itself out. We’ve got to focus on what we need to do Saturday and play our best football.”

Steve Sarkisian: “All of a sudden now as the league is starting to bear itself out, I think our league is probably a little stronger than people gave it credit for in early September. There’s a lot of teams playing really good football. Maybe some of these other leagues aren’t quite as strong as people were giving them credit for at the start of the year.”

Steve Sarkisian on punt returners: “I think one, you have to be able to catch the ball. I know that sounds really simple.” — “You have to be able to field it when people are running at you. You have to have courage to make that play. You have to have the natural instincts and feel to run the return.”

Steve Sarkisian: “I think Coach Klieman does a heck of a job. Throughout his career, wherever he’s gone, he’s had really good football teams. They play well in all three phases, and you can definitely see his imprint on that team.”

Steve Sarkisian: “I think this game is about toughness, just look back to the last two years the way those games have gone.”

Steve Sarkisian on red zone issues: “It’s probably a variety of things. You game plan for stuff you think you’re going to get. Sometimes you get what you think you’re going to get and you want your execution to kick in and we just haven’t executed great. The second thing is you game plan for something you think you’re going to get, and then you don’t get that. So now, the auxiliary playmaking has to kick in and guys have to adjust and adapt on the fly. The third is when you’re down there, when do you run it, when do you throw it, and what personnel and all those types of things. There’s a multitude of things that come into play. In the end, the ball’s just got to cross the goal line and we just haven’t done a good enough job. We’ve got to continue to work at that and get that done.”

Steve Sarkisian says Texas runs a run-only period on Tuesdays and Wednesdays where the defense knows a run play is coming: “Here comes a running football team. They’re going to have some schemes that are different than ours, but we should be pretty well dialed into the physicality that’s going to be needed to play that game.”