Texas’ special teams have gone from a possible edge to a recurring headache, and the Oklahoma loss only made that harder to ignore.
The Longhorns have already hit plenty of rough spots this season in the kicking game: a punt blocked into the end zone, a 57-yard punt return touchdown allowed, a kickoff that sailed out of bounds, and Tennessee’s onside kick that Texas couldn’t clean up. For a phase of the game that’s supposed to flip field position and create momentum, it’s been a steady stream of self-inflicted trouble.
“I feel like we’ve missed some opportunities on special teams,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the Oklahoma loss. “I’ve got to find a way to get our guys playing with more confidence.”
That loss put the unit under a brighter light, but the problems had been building long before Texas got to Dallas. Against Tennessee, the Longhorns gave up their first punt return touchdown since 2013, according to the Austin American-Statesman’s Danny Davis. They also let the Volunteers recover an onside kick late, keeping Tennessee alive to tie or win before Texas escaped with a 20-17 victory.
The trip to Dallas brought more of the same.
Oklahoma blocked a punt in the second quarter and turned it into a touchdown by recovering the ball in the end zone. Later, in the third quarter, fifth-year punter Mac Chiumento managed only 29 yards on a punt, handing the Sooners the ball at the Longhorns’ 47-yard-line and setting up a touchdown drive. Then senior kicker Gianni Spetic missed a 53-yard field goal with less than two minutes left, a kick that would have given Texas the lead.
In a game decided by three points, those mistakes carried real weight.
The focus now lands on special teams coordinator Jeff Banks, though Sarkisian made clear Monday that he still trusts him.
“History is the best indicator of the future, and we’ve been good on special teams for quite some time around here,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “I have a lot of faith in Coach Banks and his teams, and a lot of faith in our players to get that done.”
Banks came to Austin with Sarkisian in 2021 after working at Alabama from 2018 to 2020 as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach, the same roles he holds with the Longhorns. Texas has had productive special teams under his watch before, including last season when then-junior punt returner Ryan Niblett averaged 22.7 yards per return and scored twice.
This year has looked nothing like that.
The issues have shown up in protection, coverage and execution, turning a unit that should be helping Texas into one that keeps creating extra stress. Even with the offense carrying its own problems, special teams has become a separate concern because it’s handing opponents chances they didn’t earn.
And Banks isn’t exactly getting overlooked outside Austin. Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said Tuesday that Banks is “one of the more aggressive, unique … special teams guys to prepare for.”
That leaves Texas with a clear task as SEC play rolls on: clean up the details before another kick, punt or return changes a game the Longhorns thought they had under control.
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