Three keys to success for No. 2 Texas as the second phase of the season begins

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns enter what head coach Steve Sarkisian calls “Phase Two” of the season next week in the annual Red River Rivalry game against the No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners. This game kicks off a seven-week gauntlet of SEC contests that includes hosting the Georgia Bulldogs, a trip by the Arkansas Razorbacks to the unfriendly confines of Fayetteville, and the renewed rivalry in College Station against Texas A&M Aggies ends.

It's no secret that Texas has goals that extend well beyond the next few games and well into January, but the rigors of SEC play will test them both mentally and physically each week. If Texas wants to achieve its goal of playing into January, there are a few key areas it can focus on based on the first phase of the season.

Sales margin

Of course, taking care of the football is paramount for any team, but when you look at what Texas has accomplished in the first five games of the season relative to its turnovers, you can see room for improvement. The Longhorns rank 45th overall in turnover margin with plus-two, but are 83rd with seven lost turnovers, three of which are lost fumbles. The average has fluctuated, as Texas took the ball away just as effectively, ranking 16th with nine takeaways, seven of which were interceptions.

“We are passing the ball away more than we have in the past and that is down to us as coaches. We need to emphasize it more and it will be a focus this week and it's easy to point to a Jaydon Blue this week or an Arch Manning the week before,” Sarkisian said Monday.

“I just look at it as, hey, is there a way for us to protect the football better? Can we protect better? Can we do our turnaround exercises better? It’s one thing to just point out what the problem is, but another is how do we fix this and how can we improve it?”

A year ago, losing the turnover battle was a rarity for Texas, as it was negative in just four of its 14 contests. Texas was 2-2 in those meetings and lost in the playoffs to Oklahoma and the Washington Huskies. This four-game example also includes the exciting overtime game against Kansas State, in which the Wildcats got back into the game with two turnovers.

In the next phase of the season, Texas will face three of the SEC's top teams in turnover margin, including league-leading Oklahoma, and only one team with a negative turnover margin on the year.

“We can't keep playing games with two turnovers and false starts, saving penalties and playing behind the scenes – that's a recipe for disaster. “So we've got to clean that stuff up,” Sarkisian said after Mississippi State's win.

Explosive games

One way Texas maintained its dominance early in the season was its ability to generate and limit big plays on both sides of the ball. The Longhorns' defense ranks fourth nationally in plays allowed longer than 10 yards (31) and fifth in passes allowed longer than 10 yards (19). On the other side of the ball, the offense has scored 86 plays of 10-plus yards, good enough for No. 10 in the country, and is No. 4 in plays of 20-plus yards with 36.

“There were a lot of explosive plays. I think on Saturday we averaged 8.4 yards per play, which is almost a first down per play, and that's an explosive play rate of about 23 percent. So every fourth play was explosive – we talked about that this offseason. How do we become a more explosive offense to create those yards in chunks? That has been shown,” said Sarkisian.

To no surprise to anyone who watched Texas play, most of the blocking plays came through the air, with 61 of the 81 coming via the passing game. However, that means Texas has struggled to do the same on the ground, ranking 46th in runs of over 10 yards, including only one 100-yard rusher this year. Finding some balance and explosiveness on the floor will go a long way in keeping defenses honest during SEC play.

“Too many players are getting hit behind the line of scrimmage or without success that we need to improve,” Sarkisian said.

Sacks and TFL

Texas' ability to wreak havoc in the backfield has grown in recent games, with 12 of its 13 sacks and 30 of its 38 tackles for loss in the last three contests. They rank No. 5 and No. 3 in the SEC in both categories and No. 1 nationally in opposing drives that ended in a touchdown thanks to their ability to put opponents behind the chains.

While they've done an excellent job on the other side of the offensive line lately, the offense has also struggled to keep opponents out of the backfield. The Texas offense ranks 79th nationally with 25 sacks allowed, including seven in the SEC's opening game against Mississippi State. The five sacks came with Arch Manning in the backfield, who at times had difficulty getting rid of the ball quickly – Manning holds on to short and medium passes Ball 0.36 seconds longer than starter Quinn Ewers.