Texas football problems under Steve Sarkisian boiled over Saturday in a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma, decided by a 47-yard walk-off field goal from Tate Sandell. The defeat dropped the Longhorns to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play, but the final score masks a deeper issue: Texas is beating itself. Seven three-and-outs, eight penalties and a special teams unit that keeps bleeding points point to a program whose problems start well before the opposing defense ever lines up.
Three-And-Outs Define A Broken Offense
Texas went three-and-out seven times against Oklahoma, continuing a trend that has defined its last two SEC games. The Longhorns leads the conference in three-and-out rate this season, and through their first two league matchups they posted 13 three-and-outs and two interceptions on the second play of a drive, compared to just five touchdowns over that same stretch. That is three times as many stalled drives as scores.
The production numbers back up the eye test. Texas is averaging just 1.63 points per possession in conference play, ranking 103rd nationally, and its 5.4 yards per play average sits at 104th. For a program that missed the College Football Playoff in 2025 with an offense ranked 70th nationally at 388.5 yards per game, this is not a one-week slump. Since Sarkisian arrived in Austin in 2021, Texas has fielded a top-30 offense only twice.
Penalties And Special Teams Keep Costing Points
Discipline, not talent, is the Longhorns’ most glaring issue. Texas committed eight penalties for 61 yards against Oklahoma, including back-to-back offsides calls within a span of three plays. Sarkisian did not dodge the issue afterward.
“I am frustrated because we are working at it. It’s not for a lack of effort… but it clearly has not been good enough,” he said, according to FootballScoop.
Special teams has been just as costly. Texas’ punt unit, coordinated by Jeff Banks, has allowed two touchdowns on only 15 plays through two SEC games, a figure that includes Tennessee’s Qua Moss taking one back 57 yards the week before. Sarkisian pointed to kickoff mistakes as well.
“Clearly, two weeks in a row we’ve kicked the ball out of bounds on kickoffs. We’re better than that, and so I’ve got to find a way to get our guys playing with more confidence from a specialist standpoint. But again, that’s my job to try to get that done,” he said, per CBS Sports.
Through two SEC games, Texas’ special teams and offense have combined to surrender three touchdowns, while the defense has given up only two.
The Numbers Say Texas Is Beating Itself
In conference play, Texas ranks 15th on third down at 6-of-26, 16th in turnover margin and 16th in penalties, according to FootballScoop. Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons put it plainly after the Oklahoma loss. “We definitely beat ourselves. Only Texas can beat Texas,” he said, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
The defense, by contrast, has not been the problem. Oklahoma managed just 1 yard rushing in the first half, finishing with 83 yards on the ground for the game, and Texas held the Sooners to three touchdown passes allowed from quarterback Arch Manning’s side of the ball while limiting Oklahoma’s offense overall. Manning threw two interceptions over Texas’ final eight drives, and the Longhorns scored only one touchdown in the second half, numbers that show an offense unable to sustain the kind of possessions needed to close out a game.
The Counterpoint: A Talented Roster With A Long Season Left
Texas is not devoid of quality. The Longhorns beat then-No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2 and held the top ranking for four weeks, the longest such stretch for the program since 1977. Oklahoma’s win marked the Sooners’ first victory over a top-ranked team since 2007 and their first over a No. 1 Texas team in six tries, a sign of how rare Saturday’s result was rather than a sign Texas has fallen apart. The Longhorns had lost just once at home since 2023 before the Oklahoma defeat, and the 92,100 fans at the Cotton Bowl watched a game that came down to the final seconds rather than a blowout.
Sarkisian struck a balance between accountability and belief afterward. “Credit to Oklahoma. They hung around and made the plays they needed to win.
For us, there’s a level of disappointment, a level of anger and frustration for things we have to get fixed, but also a level of optimism. We’ve got a long season to go. We’ve got a good football team, so we’re not dead.
We’re going to be OK. We’ll get well and get back up off the mat,” he said, according to the Houston Chronicle. The most underperforming units, notably special teams and parts of the offense, are coached by assistants Sarkisian brought from Alabama six years ago, the only original hires remaining on his staff, which raises staffing questions even as Sarkisian insists he is not considering changes.
What To Watch Next
Sarkisian has already ruled out stepping away from play-calling duties. Asked directly about giving up that role, he said, “Not a chance,” according to CBS Sports, and Total Apex Sports has covered his decision to keep calling plays in detail. The next test for Texas comes against Florida, and the questions are straightforward: can Jeff Banks fix a punt unit that has allowed two touchdowns in 15 plays, and can an offense ranked 104th in yards per play cut down on the three-and-outs that have defined its last two conference games. Sarkisian’s own postgame message, “We have to play better,” applies to nearly every phase of his team right now.
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