What Texas is looking to accomplish in Saturday's "mock game"
Scrimmage No. 2 is in the rearview mirror for the Texas Longhorns and the coaching staff has a pretty good idea of the two-deep and special teams guys. So too will Inside Texas readers early next week. Saturday’s scrimmage No. 3 will be, as Steve Sarkisian calls it, a “mock game.” The coaches and players will simulate a real pre-game and likely have a halftime to get players as used to a real, live contest as possible.
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“As we head into this week, we have what we call a mock game on Saturday where we work all of our substitutions and situations that might come up Saturday,” Sarkisian said Monday. “We treat this week like a game week. Although we haven’t started school, all of our timing, practices, and meeting times will be exactly as if we were in class so that we can start creating some of those habits on their daily routine and what they need to do to handle their preparation from a football standpoint but still managing their personal lives.
“We’re working on that, but more importantly than that, just to touch on the team, we’ve really got to drill down on the little things this week. Everybody’s got the little things, the details at their position, to really wire into. At that point, when they do that, that’s how they earn the trust of us that we can count on them to do the big things when the games come around.”
Below is an example of what a mock game looked like at another FBS program, and it’ll probably be similar on Saturday when the Longhorns are in Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium albeit with a different start time. The minutes until kickoff is the thing to note here.
First is a run through the Longhorns’ pre-game warmup routine. Every program does things differently, and with 30 new faces entering their first season in Austin, getting the tiny pre-game details down so everything goes off without a hitch is key.
Then comes the mock game. Those tests of various substitutions and situations are meant ensure no one misses a beat when the games count for real starting on August 31. If Anthony Hill Jr.‘s helmet comes off during a play? That means he has to sit out for one snap. Liona Lefau better be ready, and he’ll have his wherewithal tested on Saturday.
Did Gunnar Helm lose his shoe? Amari Niblack and Juan Davis will need to be aware and ready for action.
What happens when there are two minutes left and the offense needs a field goal but has only a single timeout? Quinn Ewers and company will go over moving down the field at tempo without substitutions.
Does Bert Auburn need to run on the field for a last-second field goal like the one TCU converted at Baylor in 2022? That will likely be drilled Saturday, too.
How about third down defense? Red zone offense? Situations where Isaiah Bond may have to re-enact his “Gravedigger” heroics? Those will pop up too. Coaches might even ask their counterparts on the other side of the ball to work a certain call or scheme to better prepare their own players.
All that will take place at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, the same time as scheduled kickoff for the Longhorns against Colorado State on August 31. Campbell-Williams Field will be scorching hot, but Sarkisian believes his team will be ready after acclimating to the environment during preseason camp.
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“We’re being very mindful of our approach with that, but I do think it is important to expose our guys to it,” Sarkisian said. “I would be doing them a disservice if I never practiced at 2:30 and then trotted out into DKR on August 31st and expected them to perform at a high level.”
Joe Cook contributed to this article.
