Texas Longhorns 'Not Where We Want to Be' With Turnover Margin, Says Steve Sarkisian

Head coach Steve Sarkisian listed some things he wants to improve over the bye week, putting turnovers as the top priority.

Sep 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on in the second half against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns have finally approached their bye week after a strong 5-0 showing to kick off the season and will now have two weeks to prepare for the historical Red River Rivalry.

While head coach Steve Sarkisian said the 35-13 win over Mississippi State over the weekend left the team in good spirits entering the bye, the matchup revealed multiple areas where adjustments will be necessary before facing No. 19 Oklahoma, a program that handed Texas its only loss during the regular season last year.

During Monday's media availability, he specifically highlighted the amount of turnovers the Longhorns offense has suffered so far, most recently having two fumbles recovered by the Bulldogs on Saturday.

"[One of] a couple of things to me that we need to improve offensively [is] the turnover thing," Sarkisian said. "I think we're at plus two on the turnover margin. It's just not where we want to be. And a lot of that is due to the fact that we're turning the ball over more than we have historically, and that's on us as coaches. We've got to emphasize it more."

Texas has seen five total fumbles, losing three of them to its respective opponent and recovering two, averaging one per game. In 2023, the team lost nine fumbles out of 19 total across 14 games, averaging around 1.4 fumbles per contest.

The two that occurred against the Bulldogs fell out of the hands of junior running back Jaydon Blue, once in the first quarter and again in the third, and ultimately got the starter benched.

Interceptions have also been a point of emphasis in Texas turning over the ball, as both quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning have thrown two apiece. Mississippi State was the first matchup without an interception thrown.

Sarkisian said that the blame can quickly be put on a single player for these kinds of mistakes, but that it's important to apply the situation to the entire team and learn from it as a group.

"It's easy to point at Jaydon Blue this week or Arch Manning the week before. I look at just, hey, is there a way for us to secure the ball better? Can we protect better? Can we do our turnover circuit drills better? It's one thing to just point out what the issue is, but it's another of how we rectify that. How do we improve upon that?"

The bye week will allow the Longhorns to work on individual points of improvement, and Sarkisian said the formula for positive development starts with being able to identify what needs attention, why it needs attention, and how one can productively take action to get better.

"Everybody on our team has got stuff that we're trying to get better at, and like I told all the guys this morning, what is the what? What am I trying to get better at? Why do the coaches want me to get better at it, and how are we going to do it? That happens to be his (Blue's) what. Got to take care of the ball better. Why? Because we can't fumble. Here's how we're going to do it. That's kind of this process."

Texas prepares to take on Oklahoma on Oct. 12 in Dallas, Texas, its second conference opponent and first neutral site game, looking to come back revived and ready to gain the win this time around.