Scattered thoughts on yesterday’s game:
Figured after recently playing Clemson, and familiar with the Atlanta setting from the SEC Championship, Texas would be properly tuned against an ASU team that might’ve grown rusty during the weeks they had off. That seemed to be how the first half played out. Then as the game moved along into the 2nd half, Texas played tired, especially the Longhorns defense.
What is with the OL? Pushing around solid Texas A&M & Clemson defenses but consistently pushed back by Georgia and Arizona State.
The Refs? So many penalties called against Texas, especially the secondary, especially in the 2nd half.
The old Sarkisian is coming back to haunt us; throughout stints at Washington and USC, his teams had the talent advantage 80-90% of the time, yet he was outcoached the in the majority of games, which dropped his short tenures to just above .500 at both Washington and USC. And now the same dynamic is creeping up at the highest pressure times for Texas. Good on Texas for increasing a late lead to 24-8, but after that, the play selection was all over the place. There was a point late in the game, deep in ASU territory, where, in the most obvious rushing situation, Texas passed three straight times. Reminded me of his passing emphasis while calling plays for the Falcons with a big lead in the Super Bowl lost to the Patriots on a blown lead.
