ABC's For Sark, Vol. II
by Larry Carlson (lc13@txstate.edu)
Last spring I flippantly tossed out advice for Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian on this website, in the form of "The ABC's for Sark." I made it a take-off of actor Alec Baldwin's classic cuss-fest as he tore into slacking employees at a real estate firm where he had assumed control. "A...always, B...be, C...closing, Always Be Closing," was his message.
I don't think my message to Sark got through the barricades over at Bellmont Hall. Texas was like an all-night dental clinic, never closing, always plagued by root pain while not addressing what is now a 12-year run of decay. If, according to Baldwin's character in Glengarry Glen Ross, "coffee is (only) for closers," the Longhorns and their fans got zero caffeine. Maybe a handcrafted double hemlock with a twist. A twist of blowing an unthinkable lead against OU, then repeatedly squandering leads from halftime and into the fourth period.
To say that the unlucky '21 Longhorn season was a setback is to say that today's inflation chafes a mite. A Texas-sized understatement.
But I'm offering up a second volume of elementary advice to Sark because I certainly don't think he's due the sole ownership of that 5-7 record or an all-time embarrassing loss on a brakeless six-game cliff dive. Plenty of fingerprints on the bodybag of a season.
So, here it is, Coach.
A Always be adjusting. It seemed as if every team except Texas made innovative or at least standard adjustments at halftime last season. Texas was predictable and, it seemed, not in fourth-quarter shape. The rest is ugly history.
Remember when Will Muschamp was the Horns' fiery, young DC/Coach In Waiting? Opposing offenses almost always tore chunks out of the Texas "D" on opening drives, taking eight, ten, twelve plays to steadily roll down the field and score. Then Muschamp, a defensive savant, had 'em figured out. The pipes would get shut down and UT would pound people
Texas must return to adjusting, offensively and defensively. It's not just at halftime, obviously. If everybody watching on TV knows what's coming, so do the bad guys.
B Be utilizing Gary Patterson to the max. UT's record of futility against GP and TCU in recent years says plenty. But remembering those gassed, not-so-well conditioned Texas players sagging regularly in the second half, makes one wonder about a lot of things. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is forgiven if he feels Patterson's hot breath on his shirt collar, though I don't think Patterson wants his job. It's just that, if Texas wildly improves on defense, folks will think it's Gary up in the booth. If the D is still bad, it's Coach Kwit, down in the dumps.
For twenty years, ol' Gary, hitching up his khakis and adjusting the ol' visor, has been one of the premier defensive minds in college ball. He regularly signed guys thrown in the two-and-three-star bargain bin by recruiting mavens. Then he switched their position, coached 'em up and produced a Purple Reign of players who took smart angles, delivered sure tackles and made big plays. Odds are not great on Patterson staying long at the UT corral. Here's hoping he is put in position to give Texas coaches and players the opportunity to sponge up a lifetime of know-how in a hurry.
C Challenge this team each day. There's a reason Texas has been labeled "soft" for so long. Sark let it be known late last season that the lack of hustle by an individual or several would not be tolerated.
But players at more than a few positions consistently seemed unworthy of keeping their status as starters. It seemed as if there were no backups eager and properly prepared to step in and inject a higher octane of play. How could it be that a place with UT's cachet could be so devoid of quality roster depth with roughly seven dozen guys on scholarship?
The "next man up" philosophy that drove Texas to greatness long ago and has fueled Nick Saban's Alabama teams must be instilled. If the depth chart doesn't show some fluidity because of full-throttle competition, there is something amiss. These guys are all allegedly multi-star talents but Texas in 2021 appeared to possess all the quality depth of a smaller-than-usual six-man high school squad. No pressure, no urgency, no direction.
Sure, psyches get bruised, the portal door beckons but....it's funny how few guys have left Tuscaloosa, or even Columbus, for better true opportunities. College coaches are now having to adjust to what the high school coaches have long dealt with daily. Who wants to play? Who can we count on?
It's after midnight on the urgency clock for Longhorn football. It's not really about the Crimson Tide scheduled for a September business meeting at DKR. It's more about the fact that RJ Young of FOX Sports just picked Texas A&M as national runner-up to Bama in his spring outlook for fall '22. And just when you might give a satisfied cackle that OU, with new coach Brent Venables, is outside Young's top ten at number thirteen, you see that little ol' bless their hearts Baylor is tabbed fifth. Not in Central Texas but in all of D-I.
Okie State is number fifteen and UT brings up the tail end of the top twenty. If this doesn't chill burnt orange believers to the bone, seeing someone with a podium tab the Aggies for the playoffs and put Baylor in the mix, I'm not sure what might re-wire the panic button. Sure, it's only April. More time to worry.
Back to those ABC's for Steve Sarkisian, Pretty sure we'll use up the whole alphabet for improvement wish lists and armchair quarterbacking by September. Here's a head start. Yep, D would still be for a vastly improved defense and long due development. Gotta have those.
Anybody want to take a crack at what "E" should stand for? Perhaps you're going with a flashy new name. For now, I'll go with "eight," as in eight regular season wins. I don't really like mandates in the win column. But it seems like that's a fair, even somewhat modest, bar for Sark and the '22 Horns.
Just keep one thing a priority for your crew, Sark. Always be closing.
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