The Texas Longhorns' offense has been under the microscope this season. Steve Sarkisian invested heavily in big-time playmakers and helped Arch Manning.
While Sarkisian accomplished his goal, the results haven't paid off on the field. Texas struggled to move the ball again, resulting in a devastating 27-24 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Longhorns have to regroup before their matchup with the Florida Gators, but clearly, something about the offense is out of sync.
Sarkisian Compares Offense's Struggles to a Blinking Light on a Christmas Tree
No, you're not reading that wrong. Sarkisian made that comparison when discussing the offense's struggles.
"Anytime you have the amount of 3-and-outs that we have right now, that is kind of like when you look at your grandma's Christmas tree, and there's that blinking light. That's the blinking light," Sarkisian said. "Like why is that happening? Why we've got scheme, we've got players, we've got attitude, we've got all the stuff that should make up to where we shouldn't have the 3-and-outs."
I'm not sure a 3-and-out issue is simply a blinking light on an entire Christmas tree, but it's certainly a unique comparison. One would argue the entire tree is blinking right now. On Saturday, seven of the 15 offensive drives resulted in a 3-and-out.
This wasn't just an Oklahoma issue. It's become a recurring theme all season as the Longhorns fail to sustain long drives. Texas ranks 43rd in time of possession. The frustration has been deflected onto Arch Manning, but Sarkisian quickly defended his quarterback.
"I think if you took the name off the back of his jersey and you said, 'Here's Joe Smith playing quarterback at the University of Texas, and here's a guy who's beaten four top 10 ranked teams in those last 13 starts,' we'd be praising the guy, but the expectations are high for him," Sarkisian said. "But he understands that the expectations are high for all of us. So we got to get back to work."
Manning isn't solely responsible for Texas' offensive woes, but he underperformed on Saturday. Two interceptions, including a pick-six, were costly. Manning knows he has to play better, but one player can't fix an entire operation.
The Longhorns are facing adversity for the first time this season. Saturday's loss could be the wake-up call this team needed. However, the offense is clearly disconnected, and whether Sarkisian can fix it in time could determine Texas' season.
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