Texas has spent too many Saturdays looking like two different teams, and Steve Sarkisian knows it.
The Longhorns can start fast, build a cushion and look every bit like a playoff-caliber group. Then the third quarter arrives, the offense stalls, and the whole thing starts to wobble. That pattern nearly burned Texas against Ole Miss, when a 24-3 halftime lead evaporated and the Rebels tied the game early in the fourth quarter.
Now Sarkisian is talking about changing the way his staff handles halftime.
Texas, ranked No. 11 and sitting at 5-2, hosts Mississippi State on Saturday night in Austin after last weekend’s 34-27 win over the nation’s seventh-ranked team. The Bulldogs are 4-3, but the bigger issue for Texas is internal: the Longhorns need to stop letting games drift away in the middle.
The third quarter has been a mess. Texas scored 21 third-quarter points against Texas State in the opener, then managed only six across its next six games. Opponents have outscored the Longhorns 37-6 in that span, including a 31-3 edge in SEC play.
Against Ole Miss, the numbers were ugly enough to explain the near-collapse. Texas gained just 19 yards in the third quarter, and an Arch Manning strip-sack fumble turned into an Ole Miss defensive touchdown.
On Monday, Sarkisian walked through how his staff usually handles halftime. Coaches sort through what’s working, make adjustments, review film with the players and settle on the offense’s opening calls for the second half. It’s a routine that has served him well before.
"It just hasn't been that way this year," he admitted.
He said Texas will likely make some subtle tweaks to that process against Mississippi State, but the problems are bigger than any one meeting behind closed doors. Against Ole Miss, the Longhorns piled up 14 penalties for 134 yards, committed three turnovers and converted only three of 13 third downs. Sarkisian also pointed to penalties and negative plays on early downs that keep putting Manning in long-yardage situations.
That’s not something a halftime speech fixes on its own.
Texas has also shown what it can look like when it does clean things up. Raleek Brown ran for a season-high 157 yards against Ole Miss, giving the offense the kind of balance it has struggled to sustain. When the Rebels pulled even, Texas answered with an 80-yard touchdown drive built on six straight rushing plays.
No drama. No overthinking. Just execution.
That’s why the third-quarter slide has been so maddening for Sarkisian and his staff. Texas has already proven it can play at a high level against top competition. The issue is sustaining it long enough to keep control of games.
Mississippi State comes in on a three-game losing streak, and the Bulldogs will be without starting quarterback Kamario Taylor for the rest of the season after toe surgery. On paper, the setup favors Texas. But the bigger picture is still hanging over this team.
Road games against Missouri, LSU and Texas A&M are still ahead, and the Longhorns can’t keep leaning on late comebacks to cover for midgame breakdowns.
Sarkisian said Thursday that the goal is to carry the same intensity, focus and physicality from the first half into the second. That’s the real test now.
Texas can tweak the routine. It can adjust the message. It can change whatever happens in the locker room.
What it can’t do is keep coming out of halftime looking like a different football team.
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