Sarkisian’s 10/23 Press Conference Notes

The 31-24 Texas win over the Houston Cougars on Saturday did not go exactly as planned for Texas fans, but win is a win. The Longhorns move to 6-1 on the season, and host the 5-2 BYU Cougars this Saturday at DKR. Here’s everything Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had to say regarding the victory at TDECU Stadium, the upcoming game and more:

• -First, an injury update: both QB Quinn Ewers and DE Ethan Burke are “week-to-week”, while S Jalen Catalon is in that “same breath” according to Sarkisian
• -On BYU: “They have a veteran football team, and they play really hard”. Sarkisian also mentioned that he has several friendships with the current coaching staff at BYU, as Sark played QB there from 1995-1996
• -Regarding the Texas QB room: “Arch [Manning] and Maalik [Murphy] will both get a ton of reps [in practice]… Arch will be ready to go…” and adds that if the football game was played today, Maalik would be the starter.
• -Sarkisian on some of the challenges BYU presents for a newer, younger QB: “adaptability in-game to some of the newness that comes at you I think is critical… allowing the easy things to be easy” is a key to success for Murphy/Manning as well
• -Regarding DB Jahdae Barron playing different defensive positions, Sarkisian stated: “ He’s really good on the perimeter… his blitz ability… but he does have more capabilities to play at corner and even safety for that matter”
• -Sarkisian mentioned how the Cougars’ crossing routes really hurt them on Saturday as they were “getting picked” a lot, and adds that “there was levels to it, but inevitably we are going to have to play better”
• -My favorite quote from Sark today: “There’s nothing better than learning lessons after a win”
• -Sarkisian on how Quinn Ewers is reacting and progressing through his grade 2 AC joint sprain, the same injury he had last season: “Obviously there’s a level of disappointment… he does have a little bit of a blueprint… I know he’s going to work tirelessly to get himself back…”, and adds that Quinn’s physical shape, being better now compared to last season’s, will help him as well.
• -Sarkisian on DB Michael Taaffe: “Just a guy who believed in himself… in turn, he just continues to work at it… he’s extremely smart, he’s tough… what doesn’t get talked about enough, is how well he played on special teams Saturday… it’s not just defense”
• -Sark on Michigan’s “signal stealing” scandal: “I think signal stealing is real… we try to hide it as best we can to give our players the best chance to be successful”

-Twitter: @Rswantkowski