The bye week for the Longhorns has come and gone, yet the effects of it last.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned how he wanted to utilize the bye week and said today that the team “took advantage of last week in one, getting healthy… two, starting some preliminary game planning on Kansas State and three, really working on our developmental players”. He also touched on being able to go out and do some recruiting while also giving his players the chance to “hit the reset/recharge button..
Looking ahead to the Kansas State game on Saturday, Sarkisian was asked if he’d ever been to Manhattan (Kansas), if he watched the Oklahoma State versus Kansas State game over the weekend and about some of their big-time players, such as RB Deuce Vaughn and QB Adrian Martinez. Sark said he has been to Manhattan more than once and almost went to school there, while mentioning how there’s “a lot of integrity in the way they go about their business.” With the game last Saturday, he said he watched the game with his son and noticed how the Wildcats “capitalized on the opportunities they got in the game” and took advantage of their crowd and the momentum they created.
With Kansas State’s key players, Sarkisian noted that the team is “preparing for both” Kansas State quarterbacks in their planning: “whichever guy plays, they’re both good players… we got to be ready for both”. For Deuce Vaughn, Steve mentioned how he’s “got a great body and balance control… yet he has the versatility to take it the distance.” Vaughn has 6 total TD’s this season along with over 1,000 total scrimmage yards. Overall, Sarkisian stated that “from a coaches perspective, I would much rather that the outcome was that way rather than the other way around going to play that opponent… I think to a man anybody that watched the tape that got their attention”. The Wildcats defeated the Cowboys on Saturday 48-0.
Looking at his team as a whole, Sarkisian mentioned how he thought all of the younger players had improved throughout the past week or so and mentioned names like RB Jaydon Blue, QB Maalik Murphy and many others who have “all made steady progress.” Later being asked about the offensive line and the run game, Sarkisian stated his confidence in his team to be able to run the football and mentioned how he has “a lot of belief in those guys” on the offensive line, in the tight end group and everyone who helps in the running department. He also blamed himself for some of the running plays called in the loss to Oklahoma State two weekends ago, stating he “would’ve liked to have maneuvered the runs a little bit better…”.
The Longhorns, who are currently favored in Saturday’s game at Kansas State, are looking for their first true road win of this season. Will the bye week and hitting that “reset button” allow them to accomplish this, or will the Wildcats keep on rolling?
