ATLANTA – For the last two seasons the Texas Longhorns have been one play away from their first College Football Playoff Championship berth and first national championship berth since 2009.
Yesterday, Head Coach Steve Sarkisian answered what the offensive problems have been: redzone scoring. Sarkisian knows it’s been an issue as well, citing, “Clearly, the last two years we've had the ball inside the 10-yard line to score to either play for a National Championship or tie a game to go play for a national title. Huge point of emphasis of ours.”
Last season, the Texas Longhorns ranked inside in the top 25 in total offense but ranked 100th in redzone efficiency.
During his opening remarks Sarkisian referenced the team’s mantra this year of ‘being our best when our best is needed’. He noted that, “those are two critical moments the last two years where we needed our best and we just weren't quite at our best as coaches and as players.” It’s a mantra that falls upon both the coaches and the players, both on and off the field.
Another mantra that the Longhorns have started living by is ‘who you are some of the time is who you are all the time’. As players have started buying into it the Longhorns semester GPA as a team has risen, and with it so has the record and number of players drafted.
It’ll be a long road ahead next season as the Longhorns will be the most travelled team this year, and if they can get those problems fixed, they should find themselves into the playoffs, and maybe even the National Championship.
MORE SEC Media Days News:
SEC Media Days: Day 3 live-blog, Alabama, Mississippi State, Florida and Oklahoma
Kalen DeBoer shares thoughts on Texas Head coach Steve Sarkisian
Texas coach introduced at SEC Media Days with playing of rival school's fight song
Eight games or nine games? The SEC Scheduling and why coaches invite it