Sarkisian still pushing No. 2 Texas to refine 'killer instinct' as Longhorns host UTSA

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — If there was a blemish for Texas on its dominant win at Michigan, it was allowing the Wolverines to score their only touchdown in the final two minutes.

That left coach Steve Sarkisian pondering whether the No. 2 Longhorns could have been even better that day, and how to sharpen an already impressive start to the season.

“We need to go to another level with our killer instinct. We need to be more relentless in the fourth quarter," Sarkisian said as his team prepared to host UTSA on Saturday night. “I want to make it 60 minutes of hell for our opponents.”

If Sarkisian can push Texas (2-0) to still another level, the Roadrunners (1-1) could be in for a long night. Texas players seem ready to accept that challenge. The older players on the roster remember too many blown leads in years past.

"Too many times in the past, the last four years that I've been here, have we let teams crawl back in in the second half," safety Michael Taaffe said.

Even when a game is clearly out of reach, Taaffe said, “It's a just a matter of pride you have in yourself to where it's like you want to take that opponent's soul. You want them to really understand that when they go to bed that night, they remember the Texas Longhorns defense.”

Texas earned it's first season-opening shutout since 2004 against Colorado State with an endzone interception in the final minute. The Rams crossed midfield just twice the entire game. Michigan rushed for just 80 yards, went 3 of 12 on third down and the Longhorns forced four turnovers.

UTSA is coming off a blowout road loss at rival Texas State when the Roadrunners were down 35-3 by halftime. The last time the Roadrunners and Texas met in 2022, UTSA led 17-7 before Texas rolled to a 41-20 win.

“The last time we went up there, we knew who we were. We had a real identity. We played with them for a while," UTSA coach Jeff Traylor said. “Now we're a team in transition.”

At the Helm

Much has been made about Texas’ trio of transfer wide receivers, but tight end Gunnar Helm leads the team in catches after two games. He had a breakout game against Michigan with seven catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. The senior who bided his time on the roster leads the Longhorns with nine catches for 140 yards overall.

Quarterback conundrum

The Roadrunners struggled badly on offense against Texas State and used both Owen McCown and Eddie Lee Marburger at quarterback. McCown started before Marburger took over in the second half and passed for 147 yards. The Bobcats need to find sure footing behind one of them.

Manning watch

UTSA and next week's game against Louisiana-Monroe should be chances for Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning to get more experience. Manning threw his first career touchdown pass against Colorado State. Third-year starter Quinn Ewers has missed games in each of the previous two seasons with injuries, and keeping Manning sharp ahead of Texas' first SEC schedule could be a priority.

On the edge

Texas edge rusher Trey Moore transferred from UTSA, where he was last season's American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year with 14 sacks. He doesn't have one yet for Texas, but could get it against his former team. Freshman Colin Simmons had a breakout game against Michigan with six quarterback pressures and his first career sack.

Kicking it

Texas kicker Bert Auburn set the school record last week for consecutive extra points with four against Michigan and now stands at 125 in a row, making him perfect for his career so far. A former walk-on, the senior kicked a school record 29 field goals last season and is eight shy of the school career record of 60 set by his predecessor, Cameron Dicker.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press