Steve Sarkisian's 11/13 Press Conference Notes

Another day, another win… that came down to the wire yet again. Quinn Ewers and his teammates defeated the TCU Horned Frogs 29-26 on Saturday, after leading by 20 points at halftime, to move to 9-1 on the season. Texas survived a tough road contest and has another big one looming in Ames, Iowa on Saturday. Here’s a bulleted recap of what Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had to say regarding the win, his team’s health and more:

Sarkisian on the 4th quarter against TCU: Poor tackling, “unacceptable” 3rd down plays, uncharacteristic unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and played “out of character” were the main factors. Texas got outscored 20-3 in the 4th quarter.
Sark on RB Jonathan Brooks, who tore his ACL on Saturday: “Losing Jonathan for the season is a tough blow for us… he’s a better person than he is football player, and he’s a hell of a football player.” He added that he is very confident in the running backs behind him, though, and that it’s nice having CJ Baxter back to full health from a foot injury he suffered earlier in the season.
Sarkisian: “This is another Big-12 Championship game for us,” when referencing Iowa State. The Cyclones are currently 5-2 in conference play (tied for 2nd-best).
Sarkisian on the defense and their 4th quarter effort: “We are trying to be a dominant defense… the standard is the standard, not what the scoreboard says and not how much time’s left on the clock.”
Wide receiver AD Mitchell, according to Sark: “He came from a very good system at Georgia… he came in ahead of the curve… I just think he’s grown with his rapport with his teammates… we are fortunate to have him… the moment is never too big for him.”
Sarkisian on Iowa State: mentioned the “3-3 stack defense” that they “pioneered,” and now are playing that scheme for the 3rd straight week. “You have to be very detailed, very deliberate in what you are trying to do.” The Cyclones have a +9 turnover ratio this season.
Sark on RB CJ Baxter, mentioned earlier, who will take over the reigns of the running game: “He’s a really mature young man… he was about opportunity, style of offense and scheme… his work ethic has been tremendous…,” and adds that pass protection usually is a growing pain for young RB’s, but has shown flashes already.
Steve Sarkisian on QB Quinn Ewers’ health: “he was a little sore, but he threw today… he’s only going to continue to get better and get more healthy.”
Sarkisian on almost losing 2nd half leads: “We have to minimize their ability to score quickly on defense, but we have to remain aggressive…”
Sark on K Bert Auburn: “Inside 50 [yards], we feel very comfortable with Bert… I’ve got the utmost confidence in him…”
Sark on WR Jordan Whittington, when asked by me about his leadership and passion regardless of seeing fewer targets this year: “he came back because he wanted to be part of a championship team… so many of his plays do not show up on a stat sheet…” and went on about how his ethic and playing ability can and will help him reach the NFL.

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