Texas Has a New Problem to Solve After Its Second Fall Scrimmage
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Texas has spent the bulk of preseason camp preparing its offense for the physical demands of a long season. After its second fall scrimmage, Steve Sarkisian is more concerned about something less tangible.
The Longhorns have to get their minds right.
Texas' defense again got the better of the offense during a 120-play scrimmage Saturday, but Sarkisian's biggest concern was not which side won. It was how often the offense failed to handle the mental demands of playing a game rather than simply running another practice.
What Mistakes Did Texas Make in the Second Scrimmage?
The mistakes were varied. Texas had alignment issues, blocked the wrong defenders and ran incorrect routes, including instances when receivers ran the correct route at the wrong depth.
"Things that we have done well for two and a half weeks time, and all of a sudden we got into that arena and we made some mistakes that were uncharacteristic to us, so we've got to get to the bottom of that," Sarkisian said.
That makes the second scrimmage less about a bad day and more about a test Texas has not completely passed yet. The Longhorns are moving closer to a season opener against Texas State on Sept. 5, when mistakes that might be recoverable in practice can quickly become drive-ending plays.
Sarkisian described the issue even more bluntly.
"Too many times – I use the term we played mindless football offensively," Sarkisian said. "We were running plays rather than playing football in a competitive setting."
That distinction matters for an offense expected to operate under pressure. Practice is scripted. A scrimmage introduces consequences. A missed block can become a sack. A false start can end a drive. A mental lapse can turn an otherwise successful play into a wasted opportunity.
Texas also left explosive plays on the field because of missed opportunities in the passing game, adding another layer to an offense that has otherwise spent much of camp building toward the opener.
The conditions made Saturday's test even more demanding. Sarkisian said the offense looked lethargic and acknowledged that the team has to be better prepared to maintain the right mentality when fatigue sets in.
"Fatigue makes cowards of us all, and so we've got to trust our physical and mental conditioning that we can perform under those elements and do our job," Sarkisian said.
That may be the most important takeaway from Texas' second scrimmage.
The Longhorns do not simply need to execute their offense better. They need to think better while executing it.
With the season opener approaching, Sarkisian has identified the problem. Now Texas has to solve it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as Texas Has a New Problem to Solve After Its Second Fall Scrimmage.
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