The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Video: Steve Sarkisian press conference
08.29.2022 | Football
Football head coach Steve Sarkisian discusses the Longhorns' season opener against ULM.
Texas Football Head Coach Sarkisian Opening Statement
Just a quick recap of training camp. Going through Saturday in the mock game, I think the mock game was really beneficial for us in that we got a lot of new faces, a lot of new players and just our routine of how we do pregame warmups, how it works from a substitution standpoint. Some of the situations we put them in Saturday I thought were all beneficial for us, so that part went really well. I think it kind of lends itself to a common theme from training camp, which I think went well. Obviously, a couple of unfortunate injuries after that first scrimmage with (junior wide receiver) Isaiah Neyor and (senior offensive lineman) Junior Angilau. With that, I think our guys really responded and different guys have stepped up to replace those voids. The reality of it is injuries occur in football, you never know when they happen and that's that whole next man-up mentality that has got to be in place across the board. I think for us, everyone wants to know about the depth chart and this and that but the reality of it is, this is an important week for us from a competition standpoint, because a lot of guys are going to play. It's early in the season, it's going to be warm and we've got to make sure that our two deep is very solid. So whether its guys one or two, the reality is they're all going to play and that could happen on special teams, on offense and defense. So, point being I think the competition has to be there and who's going to be the first guy in, but the reality of it is multiple guys are going to play in this ballgame and they're going to be needed. We're playing a team [ULM], coached by Terry Bowden who's been doing it at a high level for a long time, been around great programs, got a really veteran coaching staff, new coordinators, which is obviously challenging when you're trying to prepare your team. I think our ability to adjust Saturday night is going to be critical from a coach's standpoint, and then a player's standpoint, because you try to prepare for as much as you can. You want to make sure that you put your players in a position to play fast, play physically tough and do those things. So a big challenge for our defensive side of the ball with a lot of playmakers coming back for these guys. Quarterback (Chandler Rogers) is an electric guy who can do it on the ground, through the air; to good runners, receivers that can create explosive plays, then defensively the challenge is a lot of new faces. There's a couple of veteran guys back but a lot of new faces. So, we have our work cut out for us, I think schematically. More importantly, I think this week has got to be about us and us playing our game at a really high level and seeing who's, quite frankly, for the moment. That's what we have to find out with a lot of new faces.
On the atmosphere for game week:
When you have a mock game on a Saturday, and you're trying to give the players a little bit of time off to get their legs back for the game week, I probably watched more football this weekend than I normally would have, even with the replays of games and obviously a lot of excitement in the air. I felt that today in meetings, in practice; the volume, as I say, kind of gets turned up when the season rolls around and the intensity gets turned up, the attention to detail and all those things. In coach speak, you'd like to say every day is the same, but the reality of it is they know it, players know it and the coaches know it; you can feel it. So, a good start to the week for us and it's exciting. I say it to you guys all the time, but I love college football. I love everything it represents. For me, it starts in training camp; that we're getting to be back on the grass with the guys. Then school starts and you start to feel a buzz around campus and then I'm in my office working at night and now the band is practicing right here at DKR; all those things start and you can kind of smell football. Obviously, it started last week and now we get our opportunity Saturday night at DKR at seven o'clock. I'm pumped for our fans. Anytime you can set a record for season ticket sales like we were able to do this year, I think there's some excitement in our locker room. I think there's a lot of excitement outside of our locker room. Just looking forward to the moment. We only get 12 of these shots in the regular season, so we want to make the most of it.
On redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers
I think that, partially, it is just body language, a demeanor of the quarterback. I think a lot of it is specific styles of plays, right? Some plays come more naturally to certain guys, some take a minute. I'm trying to navigate through the things that have really slowed down for him. Those are the things we'll try to emphasize Saturday and maybe some things that he's not quite as comfortable with. Maybe we will push that back a week, but he appears very comfortable. Quinn is not a wear his emotions on his sleeve kind of guy. He's a very mellow-mannered and even- keeled guy, which I like at the quarterback position. I can feel his confidence; you can almost see it in the decisiveness of their throws on certain throws and obviously, rapport with the frontline guys. All in all, I think he's in a good spot. The hard part for us in training camp for any position player, most notably the quarterback, you start getting into practice 14 and 15, that's a lot of install that they're trying to absorb, and they don't know what's getting called. When you get into game planning it's really tight and they know it's very specific on the play calls that are coming and why we're calling them. So naturally, you see a little bit of a shift in game week, in game prep, because the understanding of what's getting called and what's up for the week.
On the cohesiveness of the defense:
I definitely feel it on defense. I feel like we're playing as one. We're not playing as 11 individuals, but we're actually playing as one. I think there's been really good communication. I think that the front guys have kind of started that, we've got great leadership there with (senior defensive linemen) Moro (Ojomo), (Keondre) Coburn, and (T'Vondre) Sweat, guys who have been there. Then the emergence of (sophomore defensive linemen) Byron Murphy II and Vernon Broughton. I think it starts there, but it's kind of matriculated its way into the back end. (Senior defensive back) Anthony Cook has played a lot of football, granted, he's playing a different position, but he's played a lot of football. (Senior defensive back) D'Shawn Jameson has played a lot of football. There have been some new, fresh faces back there, obviously with (junior defensive backs) Ryan Watts and Kitan Crawford, so on and so forth. But at the end of the day, I definitely feel them playing as a unit. I think that's why we're flying to the ball better. We're creating more turnovers, things that were important to me. I think they've taken that to heart and they're doing it collectively. It's not about one guy; they're all doing it together. So that part is exciting for me.
On team culture and what the fans can expect:
I like a tight knit group that can be vulnerable, can be honest, can hold each other accountable. But yet, it's full of love. We say it a lot in coaching, it's not personal, but to me it is personal because I want what's best for our players, and I want them to want it for each other. I think that we have done a lot of work in that area. I'm proud of the guys for being vulnerable, and really opening up and getting to know their teammates and knowing what things have caused them angst in their lives and what things maybe excite them that push them to go further. I think our culture is at an all-time high since I've been here. Ultimately, culture gets tested when adversity strikes, right? Can we keep that bond through the storms and rough waters? I think that we're in a place to do that. Nobody wants storms to come but football is a lot like life, it comes and you never know when it's going to show up. Then how we persevere and how we get on the other side of it is really important and it's a lot easier to get on the other side of it when we're really well connected. We're doing it for one another and we can pick the guy up next to us and make sure he gets there, too. So, that's what it should look like you should see – 100 guys take the field Saturday night together and you should see 11 guys playing together as one, down in and down out. I'm not saying we're going to be perfect, but that's what it should look like overall when we come out of that ballgame.
