Texas’ season opener against Texas State may look like a tune-up on paper, but Steve Sarkisian sees a lot more than that.
The Longhorns’ head coach said Monday that the Bobcats run an offense with traits Texas will see again later this season, which gives Saturday’s game a little extra value beyond the scoreboard. Sarkisian pointed directly to Texas’ SEC road ahead, including Tennessee on Sept. 7 and LSU in mid-November.
"[Texas State] does a few things that I wouldn't say are totally unique, but they're unique in the sense we'll face this type of scheme three times this year," Sarkisian said during his Monday press conference. "If you think about who else plays this style, Tennessee is a very similar style on offense. LSU now [with Lane Kiffin ] will be a very similar style of offense."
That style comes from Texas State coach GJ Kinne, who spent one season as a Longhorn quarterback in 2007. His offense is built on tempo, space and constant stress on a defense’s alignment.
Kinne’s system traces back to former Baylor coach Art Briles, and Sarkisian broke down the parts that make it such a headache for defenders.
"First, the wide receivers take really big splits, so they create space," Sarkisian said. "Second, they go really fast on offense, so you need to get lined up as a defense.
Third, they use the quarterback's legs in the run game. When they create space by splitting you out, they create voids in your secondary, but they also get light boxes and add another player you have to account for in the run game with the quarterback."
Texas State quarterback Brad Jackson gives the scheme another layer of danger. Entering his sophomore season, he’s coming off a huge year with 3,224 passing yards, 21 touchdown passes, 744 rushing yards and 17 rushing scores.
That kind of dual-threat production is exactly the sort of challenge Texas expects to run into again later, whether it’s Tennessee, which is expected to be led by 247Sports five-star true freshman Faizon Brandon, or LSU, where the Longhorns will see dual-threat quarterback Sam Leavitt.
"It's a very good scheme and it's tough to defend," Sarkisian said. "It's unique in that you're not facing it every week, and so you have to spend a little time to get ready for it. We're fortunate it's week one, so we've had a little extra time to get our guys ready."
Still, Texas linebacker Justin Cryer made it clear the Longhorns can’t treat Saturday like a dress rehearsal. For the defense, the priority starts with handling the pace and staying on the same page.
"Communication is going to be vital this week, communicating and being able to handle their tempo are going to be the two biggest things we have to do as a defense," said linebacker Justin Cryer when speaking about the Bobcats' fast-paced offensive attack. "One little slip-up and it could be a touchdown. Communication is key, because we don't want to look like we don't know what we're doing and get embarrassed."
So while plenty of fans will walk into Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium expecting Texas State to be little more than a warm-up, the Longhorns’ new-look defense under coordinator Will Muschamp has a real test in front of it. And with Tennessee and LSU waiting later, Saturday may end up offering a useful preview of what’s coming.
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