Steve Sarkisian questioned for his explanation of key Texas playcall

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian left people questioning his decisions late in the Longhorns’ 28-14 loss to Ohio State in Friday’s College Football Playoff semi-final at the Cotton Bowl.

The Longhorns failed to get into the end zone despite having 1st-and-goal at the Buckeyes 1-yard line with four minutes left, with Sarkisian’s decisions being widely questioned during that stretch. After trying to punch it in with a heavy package, the Texas coach dialed up a toss sweep to running back Quintrevion Wisner, which was stuffed for a seven-yard loss.

Sarkisian explained the play after the game, suggesting that the Longhorns would have been fine had they executed their blocks.

“We had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge when we got down there. They went to big people,” Sarkisian said after the game, via Brad Crawford of 247 Sports. “I can’t quite tell — It was on the far side of where it got leaky. But that’s one of those plays, if you block it all right, you get in the end zone, and we didn’t, and we lose quite a bit of yardage.”

To many, Sarkisian’s reasoning did not add up. Texas had not been great at holding off the Ohio State defense all night. He may be right that the play works if blocked correctly, but on the short side of the field against an elite defense, any play that started out of the shotgun and involved a toss further back was a massive risk.

In the end, Texas got backed up, which contributed to the backbreaking play that effectively clinched the game for Ohio State. Sarkisian might be second-guessing that sequence for quite some time as a result.