For the first time since 2023, Texas football returned to Austin in defeat and without the Golden Hat after its annual Red River Rivalry matchup at the Cotton Bowl.
The drive down Interstate 35 was probably a quiet one for the Longhorns, who had finally been punished for the same mistakes that had been plaguing them all season.
Two days later, senior offensive lineman Trevor Goosby emphasized in a media availability that the team must turn their attention towards their next battle.
“You can’t let one team beat you in two weeks,” he said.
What exactly the future will look like for Texas remains unclear, but what Goosby means is that his team can’t let its frustrations roll over to this new week. Similarly, the Longhorns can’t get burned by the same mistakes. It’s hard to determine what exactly is creating the disconnect for Texas, particularly on offense, but this much is clear — it’s not an issue of talent but of consistency.
It’s also an issue head coach Steve Sarkisian seems well aware of.
“I think you can go through ebbs and flows of rhythm and scheme and tie it all together,” Sarkisian said. “Clearly, we’ve been just a little bit off. I think we’re close, and that’s the encouraging part.”
As the team’s play caller, Sarkisian claimed responsibility for Texas’ offensive struggles. But he also knows that no team is immune to offensive stagnation.
“There’s always moments throughout a year where you maybe have lulls, and our job is to work our way through that lull,” he said. “We’re always getting held to the standard of what we can be, and that’s our job to work through this.”
Part of the frustration Texas fans seem to have right now is centered around how high the standard of what they can be is, but not being able to consistently play to it. Even on Saturday, the Longhorns had strong moments offensively. Junior wide receivers Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman had first half touchdown receptions, and freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr. added his first career touchdown in the game’s fourth quarter crunch time.
As Texas prepares for the Gators, more explosive plays like that need to be the priority. So does getting freshman running back Derrek Cooper more heavily involved. The freshman running back had eight carries for 41 yards in the first half of Saturday’s matchup, but he only got two touches in the game’s second half.
Sarkisian credited his smaller role as a product of the game’s flow, but he could be a weapon better utilized moving forward.
The good news for Texas is that between these players and the rest of its key contributors, the team seems to have the individual tools for success. The bad news is that the Longhorns haven’t figured out how to unlock their full potential.
Monday marked the start of a new week, but the Longhorns have to figure out how they want to use it.
“I think I can always do better,” Sarkisian said. “I always look at myself first. My job is to put our players in the best position to be successful, and if we’re not hitting on all cylinders, if we’re having three and outs, if we’re turning the ball over, clearly I have to look at what we’re doing.”
