Well, I mean, the ref criticism is fair and accurate, and I'm not seeing it done in the context of "that's why we only barely won." It's just pointing out that the refereeing in that game was abysmal. And that it's been the norm in Texas games, possibly everywhere in the Big 12. (Though as mentioned, the SEC crews were out to match them this weekend.)
I'm not sure about the killer instinct. Have to think about that more. This game in particular seems like a poor point of evidence, since Texas merely went as Murphy went. When he was on, Texas was fire. When he was off, they stalled and struggled to put drives together. It wasn't playcalling, aggression, change of strategy, etc. It was a hot and cold QB who sometimes released on time and on target and sometimes waited too long and short-armed a bunch of throws.
Arguably, Sark should've done better at USC, but take into consideration the guy was dealing with his own personal demons at that time.
One thing that's clear to me, is that this is a different Texas team than any of the 2010 - 2022 versions. This team is for real on the lines and they're finding ways to win instead of ways to lose.