Three count: Sarkisian and the bye, Brenen Thompson and DJ Campbell see action, second road starts for UT quarterbacks

Monday’s three count looks at Steve Sarkisian’s history coming off of bye weeks, quick but meaningful appearances for Brenen Thompson and DJ Campbell, and how Longhorn quarterbacks since 2005 have fared in their second true road start.

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How has Steve Sarkisian fared following a bye week?

Texas has finally reached its bye week after going non-stop from training camp to non-conference play to five Big 12 Conference games. How Texas fares in its remaining four games will go a long way in crafting inside and outside thought on the direction of the program.

Texas will use that time to prepare for the trip to Kansas State, the Longhorns’ opponent on the other side of the bye. That’s a lot of time to get ready for one team. How has Sarkisian utilized that extra week and what is his record after a bye as a head coach?

His current record after byes is 8-4. In 2009, the Washington Huskies lost at UCLA after a home loss to Oregon. Later in the year, UW beat Washington State in the Apple Cup after it entered the bye with a loss at Oregon State.

Sarkisian’s Huskies went 1-1 in this scenario in 2010. U-Dub beat USC in the Coliseum after losing to Nebraska at home prior to the week off. Later in the year, Sark’s team topped UCLA in Seattle after losing on the road to the Ducks two weeks earlier.

Washington only had one bye in 2011, and it was successful on either side of it. UW beat Colorado at home after beating Utah in Salt Lake City prior to the break..

A streak started in 2012 and continued through his first year at USC in 2014. Sarkisian was 1-0 after byes in 2012, 2-0 in 2013, and 2-0 in 2014.

Now, he currently sports a different type of streak. Sarkisian’s Trojans lost to Washington in Los Angeles in 2015 after beating Arizona State prior to the bye. The loss to the Huskies came several days before Sarkisian’s termination at USC.

At Texas, the Longhorns lost at Baylor after the bye week in 2021. He lost entering the bye last year, too, to Oklahoma State.

Sarkisian is in a familiar place, and has a mostly successful track record from this spot. In order to improve to 9-4, he’ll need to be more successful utilizing the bye after a loss to the Cowboys as compared to last season.

Two true freshman see meaningful action

Two members of Texas’ 2022 class, DJ Campbell and Brenen Thompson, saw their first meaningful action during games still in question in Stillwater, Okla. on Saturday.

Campbell rotated in at right guard for 10 total plays in the first half versus Oklahoma State. When he moved to right guard, Cole Hutson took Hayden Conner‘s spot at the left guard position.

Conner left the previous week’s game versus Iowa State for a brief spell due to injury, but Sarkisian said Campbell’s action against Oklahoma State was to get the Metroplex native some in-game experience.

“We’re just trying to build depth,” Sarkisian said Saturday. “DJ is a good young player. He’s worked at it. He earned that opportunity today to get in there. That’s going to be beneficial for him and his future, and it’s going to be beneficial for us. There’s going to come a time, knock on wood, that somebody’s going to get a little banged up. We’ve got to have a sixth and a seventh guy ready to go. Getting DJ out there I think was good for him.”

Regarding Thompson, he was on the field for six total snaps, including an important 32-yard reception in the second quarter. Though two penalties stalled the drive after the boost provided by the young speedster, Texas still scored on the drive thanks to a 37-yard Bert Auburn field goal.

It was brief action, but Thompson’s scoot offered a glimpse of the pure speed he showcased at Spearman both on the gridiron and on the track.

How have quarterbacks since Colt fared in their second true road start?

When Texas gets to the other side of the bye, Quinn Ewers will likely be making his second true road start in a Longhorn uniform in search of his first victory away from Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium, neutral site games excluded.

Ewers struggled in Stillwater completing 19-of-49 passes and throwing three interceptions. In order for Texas to have a chance against the Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Ewers will need a markedly better performance.

What have second true road starts looked like for Longhorn quarterbacks since 2005?

Colt McCoy‘s first true road game was at Reliant Stadium in Houston against the Rice Owls in 2006. Even though it goes down in the record books as an away contest, the crowd was decidedly burnt orange. McCoy won his first real true road start versus Nebraska, then led Texas to victory one week later in Lubbock versus Texas Tech. He was 21-of-31 for 256 yards with four touchdowns to one interception versus the Red Raiders.

Garrett Gilbert had a similar appetizer to his road career with a win over Rice in Houston in 2010. His real first true road start was a 24-14 win over Texas Tech. His second true road start was an improbable win in Lincoln, Neb. over the No. 5 Cornhuskers. However, Gilbert was mostly inconsequential in the win. He was 4-of-16 for 62 yards.

Case McCoy won his first two true road starts in 2011, one at UCLA and one at Iowa State. David Ash would start his first game on the road in 2011, but his second road start wouldn’t arrive until 2012 when he led Texas into Oxford, Miss. and passed for 326 yards and four scores in a blowout victory.

Tyrone Swoopes‘ second start away from home was a 23-0 shutout loss to Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. in 2014. He was 13-of-25 for 106 yards.

Like Swoopes, Jerrod Heard‘s second road start was a shutout loss to a former Big 12 North team. Texas lost 24-0 to Iowa State in Ames, Iowa in 2015, with Heard going 6-of-9 with an interception.

Shane Buechele lost 49-31 to Oklahoma State in his second start away from DKR in 2016, going 21-of-33 for 239 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Sam Ehlinger had plenty of game action on the road during his freshman year, but his second true road start wouldn’t come until the 2018 season opener when the Longhorns lost to Maryland.

After succeeding in his first road start at TCU in 2021, Casey Thompson lost his second road start against Baylor as part of the Longhorns’ six-game losing streak. Hudson Card‘s second road start came this year versus Texas Tech in Ewers’ place, with the Longhorns falling by three in overtime.

Ewers will look to join the short list of Longhorns to win their second real true road start on November 5 in Manhattan.